Quote: Neil "Never let a Chiropractor mess around with your neck, rlsee hererl'"
^^THIS^^
I fractured C6 over 30 years ago, playing in an amateur match. I spent 6 months out of the game, 3 months of that I was in a soft collar. I wanted to get back playing again and had a surgeon who gave me the OK, it took me half a dozen games to realise I no longer had the bottle to continue. I had always tackled 'downstairs' but once I got back I started tackling up top and ended up with more lumps and bumps than I'd have over the previous 20 years of playing. I continued to play in the odd charity game until the ex-Leeds and GB doctor, Harvey Standeven, had a quiet word after seeing my X-rays. Stan informed me I had calcification at top and bottom of C6 and it was basically my neck muscles that were keeping my head on my shoulders. Stan told me in no uncertain terms to throw away my shoulder pads & gumshield and stick to reffing.
I've suffered a number of neck-related problems since, things like shoulder pains, numbness in arm and fingers and restricted mobility and pains in the neck. Usually this can be resolved by reverting to simply sleeping in a soft collar, I use an orthopaedic pillow and when on a long-haul flight, always wear one of those inflatable support pillows. Occasionally I've been referred to physio, including traction, this involved being strapped into a chair with a harness on my head. The harness was linked to a cable and through pulleys to weights, the weights were gradually increased on each session. The traction lasted around 30 minutes per session and although uncomfortable and boring wasn't painful. Any manipulation of the upper vertebrae should be gentle and controlled.
I'd never let any quack chiropracter anywhere near my neck