My life was derailed overnight when a chiropractor cracked my neck — getting violently ill was just the beginning

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After a devastating injury, a Nashville man is pleading with others to steer clear of the chiropractor.

Last year, Tyler Stanton endured “the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life,” a hospital stay, and the beginning of an ongoing struggle that has left him unable to work.

And he says it all started immediately after a chiropractor cracked his neck — and something popped.

On the eve of his 33rd birthday last June, Stanton said he visited one of the national chiropractic chain The Joint’s 950 locations.

After adjusting Stanton’s back, the chiropractor moved on to his neck.

“It didn’t crack on the first time,” he said in a January video with 3.6 million views. “On 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.”

Stanton recalled that when he tried to sit up, the room began to spin. “My equilibrium was just completely f—ked. I was instantly, profusely sweating.”

After laying on the table for half an hour, Stanton made the short trip back to his home, where he became “violently ill.” Throwing up uncontrollably and unable to see straight, he got into bed, hoping rest would alleviate his symptoms.

The following morning, Stanton woke up to “the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. The entire right side of my body was numb. It was really scary.”

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.

“They ended up giving me epidural injections into my spine, and they didn’t even make a dent into the pain,” he said.

Ultimately, doctors gave him two choices: spinal fusion therapy or physical therapy to manage his discomfort.

Fearful of the consequences of surgery, Stanton opted for PT.

“I 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.”

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.

“I still deal with pain. I’m still limited in what I can do physically. It just destroyed me. Mentally, financially, physically, all of it.”

With limited mobility and mounting medical bills, Stanton is consulting with lawyers and considering legal action.

“I kinda feel like I just don’t have another choice because this really just derailed my entire life overnight,” he said.

The Joint has not responded to a request for comment.

The risk of chiropractic

Chiropractors — who treat neuromuscular disorders through manual adjustment or manipulation of the spine — have long been controversial. They have Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, not MDs, as they don’t attend medical school.

While proponents say chiropractors help alleviate pain, many doctors describe the field as pseudoscience — and warn that it can actually lead to serious problems.

““There are reports of severe side effects with chiropractic treatment, including blood clot formation, herniated discs, fractures, artery dissection, stroke, paralysis, and death,” Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD, a spinal surgeon and the head of The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care, told MDLinx.

Dr. Charles R. Wira III, an emergency medicine doctor at Yale Medicine, told the Huffington Post that there’s a known link between chiropractic neck manipulations and major artery tears that can cause strokes.

“Thankfully, overall the incidence of neck dissections are small,” he said. “But intentional and aggressive manipulations of the neck merits strong consideration for concern.”

Last year, cardiologist Dr. Danielle Belardo said she was “heartbroken” to see a young patient with “dissection of the vertebral artery” following a neck adjustment.

“How can we live in a world where it’s legal to perform something with zero evidence for benefit (neck adjustment from a chiro) when there are such incredibly dangerous and life changing risks?” she wrote on Twitter. “[My patient] trusted a licensed healthcare practitioner to provide care that has more benefit than harm. This is a disgrace.”

TikToker’s warning

Stanton hopes his story can serve as a warning for others.

“I think it’s important that I share this story because I just don’t want what happened to me to happen to someone else,” he said.

“Please don’t 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.”

In a disturbing parallel, a young woman who felt a “crack to her neck” during a gym workout in 2021 died weeks later after going to a chiropractor to treat her neck pain.

In 2022, a Georgia woman became paralyzed after a routine neck adjustment ended up rupturing her spinal arteries in several spots.

In 2023, an Australian man suffered a stroke after cracking his neck in an ill-advised attempt to cure his chronic back pain.