Chiropractors/Military neck???

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Expert: - 5/13/2007


Question
My 19 year old daughter gets headaches almost EVERY day. She went to her GP, of course he just gave pain killers but told her to see chiro, where on xray found out that she had 'military neck' , also this chiro scared my daughter because he told her she also had something called 'angel wings' and that if a procedure wasn't done right, a 'wing' could break off and she'd have a stroke. Needless to say my daughter was terrified and never went back, even after the chiro told me that if he made an adjustment to her neck and a 'wing' broke off, that it would 'just sit there' HUH? He lied to me, so I'm not messing around with my daughters neck. Please help, I don't know where to turn. THANKS!

Answer
Debbie,

First: relax.  Military neck is simply a straightening of the text-book normal curve of the neck. It is quite common and it is not known for sure if it is a cause of symptoms.  "Angel Wings" is a term used to describe lung edema and is only visualized on a chest xray, not a cervical spine xray.  Please find another chiropractor that will not impart any unnecessary fear.  Be sure that the chiropractor can communicate well with your GP.  Neck joint manipulation should be safe to perform, and if your daughter had something potentially disasterous in her neck, the chiropractor simply would not be able to treat her. Cervical spine bones do not break off with chiropractic joint manipulation.  You can look in my web site for some ideas on how to find a good chiropractor (www.drgillman.com under "Info and How-To's"). Your daughter deserves the opportunity to receive good chiropractic care, so I hope your bad experience can be transformed into a good experience by finding the right doctor...   

I hope this helps.

Dr. G

Chiropractors

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Scott F. Gillman, DC, DACBSP

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21 Years in practice: I can answer any question regarding chiropractic and sports medicine treatment. Mostly, I can help the unknowing public understand what is safe, valid, reasonable and evidence-based, and what kinds of unscrupulous chiropractors and fraudulent methods to stay away from. I have an advanced specialty degree in Chiropractic Sports Medicine. I have experience treating elite and Olympic athletes.

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