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After a devastating injury, a Nashville man is pleading with others to steer clear of the chiropractor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year, Tyler Stanton<\/a> endured \u201cthe worst pain I had ever experienced in my life,\u201d a hospital stay, and the beginning of an ongoing struggle that has left him unable to work.<\/p>\n And he says it all started immediately after a chiropractor cracked his neck \u2014 and something popped.<\/p>\n Tyler Stanton said his trip to the chiropractor has left him in ongoing pain \u2014 and is warning others to steer clear. TikTok \/ @tylerstantonnn<\/p>\n On the eve of his 33rd birthday last June, Stanton said he visited one of the national chiropractic chain The Joint\u2019s 950 locations.<\/p>\n After adjusting Stanton\u2019s back, the chiropractor moved on to his neck. <\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t crack on the first time,\u201d he said in a January video with 3.6 million views. \u201cOn the second time where he tried to crack my neck, he put a lot of force behind it, and I heard one huge and painful pop. I knew immediately that something was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Stanton recalled that when he tried to sit up, the room began to spin. \u201cMy equilibrium was just completely f\u2014ked. I was instantly, profusely sweating.\u201d<\/p>\n After laying on the table for half an hour, Stanton made the short trip back to his home, where he became \u201cviolently ill.\u201d Throwing up uncontrollably and unable to see straight, he got into bed, hoping rest would alleviate his symptoms. <\/p>\n The following morning, Stanton woke up to \u201cthe worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. The entire right side of my body was numb. It was really scary.\u201d<\/p>\n He was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a herniated disc between the C5 and C6 vertebrae in his neck. Due to the acute pain he was experiencing, he stayed in the hospital for several weeks.<\/p>\n Stanton was diagnosed with a herniated disc between the C5 and C6 vertebrae in his neck. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThey ended up giving me epidural injections into my spine, and they didn\u2019t even make a dent into the pain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ultimately, doctors gave him two choices: spinal fusion therapy or physical therapy to manage his discomfort. <\/p>\n Fearful of the consequences of surgery, Stanton opted for PT. <\/p>\n \u201cI had a pharmacy of pain medication to help the nerves be less inflamed so I can get mobility and feeling back into the right side of my body. Essentially, I just had to go home and lay down for about two more months.\u201d<\/p>\n Unable to work, Stanton burned through his savings, and six months into his recovery, he is just beginning to regain sensation in his right arm. <\/p>\n \u201cI still deal with pain. I\u2019m still limited in what I can do physically. It just destroyed me. Mentally, financially, physically, all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n With limited mobility and mounting medical bills, Stanton is consulting with lawyers and considering legal action. <\/p>\n \u201cI kinda feel like I just don\u2019t have another choice because this really just derailed my entire life overnight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Joint has not responded to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The risk of chiropractic<\/p>\n Chiropractors \u2014 who treat neuromuscular disorders through manual adjustment or manipulation of the spine \u2014 have long been controversial. They have Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, not MDs, as they don\u2019t attend medical school.<\/p>\n While proponents say chiropractors help alleviate pain, many doctors describe the field as pseudoscience \u2014 and warn that it can actually lead to serious problems.<\/p>\n \u201c\u201cThere are reports of severe side effects with chiropractic treatment, including blood clot formation, herniated discs, fractures, artery dissection, stroke, paralysis, and death,\u201d Gbolahan Okubadejo<\/a>, MD, a spinal surgeon and the head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care, told MDLinx<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ultimately, doctors gave Stanton two choices: spinal fusion therapy or physical therapy to manage his discomfort. Getty Images<\/p>\n Dr. Charles R. Wira III<\/a>, an emergency medicine doctor at Yale Medicine, told the Huffington Post<\/a> that there\u2019s a known link between chiropractic neck manipulations and major artery tears that can cause strokes.<\/p>\n \u201cThankfully, overall the incidence of neck dissections are small,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cBut intentional and aggressive manipulations of the neck merits strong consideration for concern.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, cardiologist Dr. Danielle Belardo said she was \u201cheartbroken\u201d to see a young patient with \u201cdissection of the vertebral artery\u201d following a neck adjustment.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we live in a world where it\u2019s legal to perform something with zero evidence for benefit (neck adjustment from a chiro) when there are such incredibly dangerous and life changing risks?\u201d she wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201c[My patient] trusted a licensed healthcare practitioner to provide care that has more benefit than harm. This is a disgrace.\u201d<\/p>\n TikToker\u2019s warning<\/p>\n Stanton hopes his story can serve as a warning for others.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important that I share this story because I just don\u2019t want what happened to me to happen to someone else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t go to the chiropractor, OK? If I can do anything with my platform to share the story and save somebody from experiencing what I had to experience, then hopefully, something positive can come out of what I went through. Please hear me when I say this: Please be careful. This is the last thing that you want to experience.\u201d<\/p>\n In a disturbing parallel, a young woman who felt a \u201ccrack to her neck\u201d <\/a>during a gym workout in 2021 died weeks\u00a0later after going to a chiropractor<\/a>\u00a0to treat her neck pain.<\/p>\n In 2022,\u00a0a Georgia woman became paralyzed<\/a>\u00a0after a routine neck adjustment ended up rupturing her spinal arteries in several spots.<\/p>\n In 2023, an Australian man suffered a stroke after cracking\u00a0his neck in an ill-advised attempt to cure\u00a0<\/a>his chronic back pain.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t