Is It Ok To Let Someone Crack My Neck?

Several patients enter my office with neck pain. There are a myriad of causes most commonly seen however, recently there has been a rash of patients complaining of another cause that has me very concerned.

These patients stated that their neck pain started after their massage therapist, nail technician, barber or even their hair stylist twisted their neck until it cracked. Now it hurts all the time!

This type of manipulation can be deadly which is why it is completely illegal and should be immediately reported to the Guam Board of Allied Health. There are thousands of documented cases of strains, sprains and fractures many of which have caused paralysis and even death from these untrained hands attempting to practice Chiropractic without a license.

Let me reemphasize that, these are untrained people that are literally holding your life, well being and ability to earn a living in their hands.

You wouldnt climb into a 747 jet airliner and trust a pilot who has never flown your type of airplane before would you? Then why on earth would you permit anyone other than a professional Chiropractor to adjust your neck?

Chiropractic Doctors spend years in training. Their profession has successfully adjusted millions of patients. They have passed rigorous national certification and are licensed by the government to practice. Furthermore since the first adjustment in 1895 there has never been a documented case of a Chiropractor who used proper technique that resulted in the death or maiming of any individual.

When viewed by a lay person what Chiropractors do may look easy leading you to mistakenly think that you could do the same thing. In actuality Chiropractors perform what amounts to bloodless neurosurgey.

Chiropractors diagnose specific vertebral fixations through X-rays, decrease range of motion, and palpable changes in muscle tonicity. They locate a spinous or transverse process visualize a line of drive through the zygapophyseal joints in a posterior to anterior direction, bring the cervical segment to end range and administers a specific vectored thrust to release a subluxation.

The lay person just pulls until it pops. Whom would you rather have work on you? Think about that the next time you have a neck pain or you get a headache and your non trained massage therapist wants to give it the old College try on your neck!

Dr of Chiropractic, Former Navy. From Guam.

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