Chiropractic neck correction complication - neck pain

[Kenman22]

Back in early July I went to a chiropractor to have a neck correction. I had gotten neck corrections before back in 2018 and early 2019 but stopped since it was getting too expensive to go twice a week.  I had finally hit my deductible in my insurance so I figured I'd go back after a two year break due to that and COVID.  It was the same chiropractor but instead of having me sit in a chair upright and twisting my head side to side to have a neck correction like before, he had me lie down on my stomach and pressed my neck down on the Chiro chair, switching my head side to side then pressing down until he heard the pop.  On one side I felt a slight pain mixed in with he relief of having your neck joints relieved of bubbles but thought nothing of it and went on my way.  Next morning I woke up with a throbbing dull ache in the middle to lower left side of my neck and numbness on my jaw, under arm, and lower legs and feet.  I shrugged it off and hoped it would go away.  it didn't and my GP gave me some steroid pills but it didn't do anything.  I suddenly couldn't sleep hardly without my neck feeling pressure and my body feeling numb in my arms and legs; also my face would sometimes get a pins and needles feeling that would subside and come and go.  I confronted the chiropractor about it, who got defensive and said he never had heard that happen and even threatened to not take legal action since he was covered in major Chiro insurance.  Angrily I told the secretary I would take my business elsewhere.

I went to another chiropractor who took some x-rays and said he did notice my spine had a slight v-bump at the base in the back (I have had a slouch bump for years) and the spine was crooked at the base slightly to the left.  He said he would try a regimen to straighten that out but after a few days of them twisting my neck and literally jumping on my back to pop it, my legs were burning at night and I finally went to the ER.  

The blood work and CAT scan revealed no fracture on the bones in my upper spine, so I went to my GP who suggested I go to a neurologist to check for nerve damage.  I had hit buzz me with a machine at choice spots on my hands and feet and he said there was no damage based on my reactions.  Also I ended up having two MRI's, one neck and one head, and nothing expect a bulging disc at the C5-C6 region.  But even that wasn't touching the nerve yet.  Outside of that, nothing, no torn artery, pinched nerve, etc.

So I more or less had a clean bill on these exams (after spending close to a grand for everything even with insurance) but I still have that uncomfortable stiffness in my neck that flares up and will be at the left side of my neck, then next time my right, or kind of in the middle.  Each time it feels like my spine or whatever behind my head or neck tightens up and I get a nautious, gritting my teeth feeling that is very uncomfortable and stops me from whatever I'm doing.  Sometimes my cheeks will get slightly num and prickly, but it comes and goes.  I've noticed my arms and lower legs have stopped burning so I guess not having that second chiropractor slam down on my lower back to pop it must have received it there.  But I'm still getting that burning stiffness that will come up in my back, drag me down, and will subside a little only to come back later on a slightly different area.  No NSAIDS, muscle relaxers, opioids, arthritic meds, etc. seems to help at all.

Does any doctor, specialist, or just any patient any clue what the problem is, or what I'm experiencing here?  My neck sort of pops like bubbles when I stretch my neck or swing my head from side to side sometimes so maybe there are some pent up joints that need carbon released and that's whats causing the pressure.  I don't know since no doctor can tell me what's going on so that's my best guess.  I've even talked about going back to Chiro #1 and get him to calm down and explain what is happening so he could do a neck correction with me sitting upright like before to maybe relieve those air bubbles if there are any.  Sorry for the lengthy text but this is caused my life to be put on hold, so if anyone has any idea or has experienced any of this/solutions that would be so greatly appreciated.  It's hard to find any real relief right now and I'm sick of this, especially since I went to just "feel better" and it had the exact opposite effect.  Thanks.

[Paxiled]

First of all, chiropractors can't actually diagnose anything.  The only real training they have is in doing the adjustments.  The reason is the same problem your neurologist had, which is, almost every human has something in their discs that looks irregular but almost nobody's pain is caused by that.  Only a few have pain from that.  Simple rule I have:  if you had no problem and the last thing before you did was take a new med, get a new medical procedure, or perform a new exercise or have an accident, that's probably the source of the problem.  Chiropractors help a lot of people, mostly don't help at all, and sometimes hurt people.  All medical professionals sometimes hurt people.  The X-rays a chiro give you don't actually help them do anything but do allow them to charge you for them.  Most chiros don't use them and don't need them since they basically do the same adjustments to all their patients.  Not all chiros are the same.  Some are very gentle and some are quite rough.  Avoid the rough ones.  But again, that popping they do doesn't actually fix anything, it just gives temporary relief.  If you do it over time, hopefully the body stops giving you pain signals and you are better.  If it started with the chiro, it was probably the chiro, but how to fix it I have no idea other than you already had a problem or you wouldn't have gone to the chiro in the first place and it could be tightness or muscular problems and you need to find something that relieves it.  The actual specialist to see about this is an orthopedic surgeon, who will probably send you to a physical therapist.  Peace.

[Kenman22]

I initially went to have a chiropractic message, not because I was hurting initially.  The neck correction made me hurt.  I was fine up until I went in there and he had me lay face down on a bench and then pressed my head down on each cheek toward the bench until he heard the neck popping sound.  On one side it made me hurt and I've been having neck and pressure issues ever since.

[Paxiled]

I'm confused now.  Why did you go to a chiropractor if you were not injured?  There is a form of chiropractic called network that is a gentle form of keeping the energy system in balance, but they don't do those rough adjustments.  Nor do chiropractors do any kind of thorough massage.  They do some press and release, but that's about it.  I've been to a few chiros, and they've never adjusted my neck that way.  It sounds dangerous.  Usually, you lie face up, they take your head in both hands, and gently or not so gently depending on the chiro's technique abruptly shift the neck to the side.  Sometimes you hear that popping sound and sometimes you don't.  Sometimes they can't actually get your neck to crack.  All this is done while cradling your neck in both of their hands to keep it stabilized.  Some do this with the chair in the upright position.  But I've never heard of pushing down on your neck like that.  Now, I'm not now nor have I ever been a chiro.  Again, if it started with that, that probably is the cause.  I would assume time would eventually fix it, but I would never return to a chiro who hurt me.  Peace.