A Davenport chiropractor has agreed to surrender his license after being accused of leaving a patient paralyzed due to a botched treatment.
The Iowa Board of Chiropractic recently charged L. Anthony Dietrich, who had been licensed to perform chiropractic in Iowa since 1998, with professional incompetence based on an alleged failure to conform to the minimal standard of acceptable and prevailing practices.
The board alleges that on July 8, 2024, Dietrich provided chiropractic care to a patient’s cervical spine but failed to perform an initial examination or obtain a proper medical history.
“During the session, the patient allegedly became unable to feel his hands,” the board alleges. “The patient suffered from sustained paralysis and ultimately became quadriplegic.”
Deitrich and the licensing board recently agreed to a settlement that calls for Dietrich to surrender his Iowa chiropractic license with the understanding that he can apply for reinstatement in one year.
Court records show that the patient in question is Randy Lee White, who in October 2024 sued Dietrich, alleging negligence.
According to the lawsuit, White, who was then 64 years old, went to the Dietrich Chiropractic clinic on Davenport’s Kimberly Road in July 2024 due to a history of neck pain and a tingling in his arms that he had experienced after dental treatment three weeks earlier.
The lawsuit alleged that after Dietrich adjusted White’s spine, White lost all feeling in his hands. Dietrich called 911 and White was taken by ambulance to Genesis Medical Center.
According to the lawsuit, White was diagnosed with sustained paralysis to all of his upper and lower extremities as a result of the chiropractic adjustment performed by Dietrich. He was then transported to University of Iowa Hospitals, where he underwent emergency surgery.
“Randy Lee White remains quadriplegic and has lost bowel and bladder function,” the lawsuit alleged.
Dietrich denied any wrongdoing in the case. In September 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed by White’s attorneys with no mention of an out-of-court settlement.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Dietrich for comment.
