EXCLUSIVE
A chiropractor who wrote a book promoting the practice of “internal treatments” has been found guilty of professional misconduct after two patients complained about his “creepy” behavior to police.
Dr Terry Power, 60, who worked at Powers Health Practice in Port Macquarie, is at risk of being struck off the medical register after a tribunal found he had failed to obtain informed consent from two patients.
In 2020, the two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made separate and unrelated complaints to NSW Police and the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission.
The first woman alleged that Dr Power massaged and squeezed her breast in a “creepy” manner, while the second alleged that he inserted two fingers into her vagina.
In August 2020, New South Wales Police charged Dr Power with “sexual intercourse without consent” in relation to the second patient, but the charges were dropped six months later.
He was also banned from consulting and treating female patients in August 2020 and has not practiced since.
But now a NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal brought by the Healthcare Complaints Commission has found Dr Power guilty of professional misconduct.
Dr Terry Power (pictured), 60, who worked at Powers Health Practice in Port Macquarie, is at risk of being struck off the medical register after a court found he had failed to obtain informed consent from two patients .
Dr. Power denied kneading and squeezing the patient’s breast.
Although he admitted to inserting his fingers into the other patient’s vagina, he denied doing so without “appropriate and sufficient clinical indications.”
The first patient, then in her early 50s, alleged that “Dr. Power massaged and squeezed her right breast for approximately one minute” during her first and only consultation with him in May 2020.
She told police she had never experienced “anything like that with any doctor or chiropractor,” adding that it was “like they were playing with my chest.”
“Patient A said that Dr. Power then moved his hand “just below my right breast” and went “right up to the crease of my ribcage… pushing quite hard,” Pocle’s statement said.
‘After a while, Dr Power said, “Oh, it’s your liver… You’re angry.”
‘At some point, Dr Power asked Patient A if she was in a relationship, to which she responded “no.”
“Later he asked me: ‘Are you angry with your ex-partner? “I get the impression that you’re angry with your ex.”
Dr Power denied having “kneaded or squeezed” the patient’s breasts, but the court found he did so on the balance of probabilities.
Dr. Power, who had a 36-year career as a chiropractor, ran the Powers Health Practice (pictured) with his wife.
The woman later told the HCCC that she was “in shock (because) it was creepy,” stating that the breast exam was “like I was kneading dough.”
Dr Power denied having “kneaded or squeezed” the patient’s breasts, but the court found he did so on the balance of probabilities.
The court also heard the police statement given by the second patient in August 2020.
In it, she stated that Dr. Power had asked her how she would “feel about an intern,” to which she said yes, if it would help relieve her pain.
“While standing next to her, Dr. Power put on white latex gloves and then inserted two gloved fingers into her vagina,” the statement said.
‘This caused some pain and discomfort. The patient could feel Dr. Power’s fingers pressing parts of her body into her vagina, “it hurt so bad and I wanted to scream.”
After about a minute, Dr. Powers removed his fingers.
The patient later described the consultation as “strange” to his family.
The procedure is known as the “intravaginal technique,” which uses an internal vaginal soft tissue massage to relieve pelvic pain by accessing muscles that a doctor would not be able to reach externally.
The tribunal concluded that Dr Power failed to obtain the patient’s informed consent because he did not adequately explain what the procedure entailed, meaning his conduct “fell significantly below the relevant standard”.
“Dr Power’s combined failures were appalling and represented a significant departure from the standard reasonably expected of any healthcare professional, let alone his significant expertise,” the tribunal concluded.
An HCCC spokesperson said: “Dr Power was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct.”
“It was also alleged that Dr Power failed to notify Ahpra within 7 days of being charged in August 2020 with an offense of sexual intercourse without consent and then made a false statement on his annual renewal form about this change in his criminal history,” the spokesperson added.
Dr. Power, who had a 36-year career as a chiropractor, ran Powers Health Practice with his wife.
It is understood he still practices there.
Dr Power published ‘The Inner Pelvis: A Manual of the Pelvic Floor and Wall for Chiropractors and Other Health Professionals’ in October 2020, two months after he was banned from treating female patients.
A health manual blurb maintains that “not all muscles and fascia of the pelvis can be treated with external treatments.”
Dr Power published ‘The Inner Pelvis: A Manual of the Pelvic Floor and Wall for Chiropractors and Other Health Professionals’ in October 2020, two months after he was banned from treating female patients. The book argues that chiropractors, osteopaths or physiotherapists are the best medical professionals to perform ‘internal’ pelvic treatments
“To help some patients who have internal myofascial pain syndrome, which may affect bowel, bladder, or gynecologic pain or symptoms, a well-trained therapist may need to treat those areas internally,” the blurb states.
‘In addition, there are some joints that sometimes need to be treated internally. This is a special experience from well-trained musculoskeletal health professionals.’
The book argues that chiropractors, osteopaths or physiotherapists are the best medical professionals to perform these ‘internal treatments’.
Dr Power has been contacted for comment.
Their disciplinary orders will be decided at a future hearing.
