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Let's not beat around the bush:

~3 days ago, I was jumping on a trampoline. Being that I was jumping on a very good trampoline with a gymnast and a cousin or two of hers, I started endeavoring to do flips.

After trying to successfully land a front flip 1-2 dozen times (I only succeeded once -- Hey, it was raining. :D), I decided to try to do a back flip.

That, dear reader, is the crux of the problem. Inspired by my (almost) successes in the past, I jumped up, flipped 180 degrees, and landed on my head.

Naturally it didn't feel too good, so I climbed out of the trampoline and took a break. I didn't really figure it would turn out all that bad. I kept turning it from side to side to keep it loosened up, but the next day it was worse than it was when I first landed on it.

The day after my accident, you could feel where a vertebrate in my neck was out of alignment. Over the past couple of days, I've been treating my neck gingerly. (Partly due to that, perhaps, my shoulders are feeling sore as well.)

So:

What's the correct thing to do in this circumstance (or a situation like it)? The way I see it, I have at least 3 choices.

First of all, I could ignore it. Arguments in favor of ignoring it would probably follow the lines of:

  • People hurt their necks all the time. Don't get so worked up over it.
  • If you were a real man, you wouldn't let a little bit of pain bother you. Just deal with it, dude!
  • You're not crippled, yet, are you? (Said sarcastically.)

Arguments opposed to ignoring it would probably sound something like this:

  • You only have one neck, Bro, take care of it!
  • It certainly won't hurt to have someone take a look at it. As Benjamin Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
    A true disciple of wisdom would point out that to truly prevent an accident, I should've stayed off the trampoline!
  • Since your neck hurts when you're checking your blindspot while driving, it's probably a good idea for you to get your neck checked out for your my safety.

My second choice is to have a friend fix(?) it for me. I don't really favor this idea for the following reasons:

  • I only have one neck. I might as well take care of it.
    (You might remember this point from the points against ignoring the problem.)
  • If one of my friends mis-adjusts my neck, I'll really have to go to a medical professional.
  • I don't trust my friends with my health ... :D

My friends, of course, would point out the following:

  • We know what we're doing.
  • We'll save you money, etc.
    Since I don't like parting with $$ (you don't either!), this point would have some weight if not for the second point against my friends adjusting my neck.

Lastly, I could just go to a chiropractor. I was originally leaning very heavily to this option, but then I started reading about the risks of going to a chiropractor (especially with regards to neck manipulation!). The arguements for going to a chiropractor look something like this:

  • Jeffrey, you should go to a trained professional. Better to get your neck adjusted now, than suffer the consequences later.
  • Your neck obviously isn't right. You should go to the chiropractor to get it adjusted properly.
    Won't it be great to be able to twist your head normally again?
  • Your cousin went to the chiropractor when he injured his neck playing football. (His symptoms involved the fact that he was keeping his neck in a rigid position.) After three trips to the chiropractor, his neck recovered and he no longer has troubles with it.

The arguments against going to the chiropractor go something like this:

  • Your father knows someone who was ruined for life by going to the chiropractor.
  • Your body will heal fine on its own.
    (See the points for ignoring it.)
  • Adjustments to the neck are dangerous. (Anyone eager to get a stroke?)

And the question is ...

In this case, what is the best course of action to take in regards to my neck? Should I ignore it, take a chance by letting a friend adjust it, or immediately go to a chiropractor? Should neck injuries, such as this, be taken seriously or should it be taken as a light matter? Can anyone shed some light on what they believe to be the best path to take?

Other:

PS: I'm not using this site as the final health authority!

PPS: I can get my neck within about 1-2 inches of my chest before it starts to hurt. I cannot comfortably twist my head around to either of my shoulders.

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    Welcome to health SE :-). Questions for personal medical advice are strictly off-topic here. For more information on how the site works, please take our tour visit the help center and Medical Sciences Meta. For any future questions, your pro and con arguments don't really contribute to the clarity of the question. Thanks! – Lucky Oct 5 '16 at 17:48
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    Why on earth are you asking strangers on the internet who cannot possibly help you instead of simply seeing a doctor and finding out if you suffered a serious injury? – Carey Gregory♦ Oct 6 '16 at 4:11
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Under no circumstances should you ever allow chiropractic manipulation of the neck unless you're interested causing a stroke or paralysis. There is an artery that exits between two cervical vertebrae. If it gets pinched off, it can cause a full-blown stroke, and over-manipulation can actually break the neck.

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  • Like I said, I wandered about the potential danger of having someone manipulate my neck... But what if it's the part right between your two shoulders? Is that included in the "never ... allow ... manipulation of the neck"? With my cousin having successfully gotten his neck taken care of by the chiropractor I would be visiting, I'm wandering if I should really be that concerned... What should be done if you don't go to a chiropractor ... ? – J. Allan Oct 6 '16 at 0:26
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    @JefréN. Yes, you should be concerned. Yes, Bill Oertell is right. No, a chiro should not be your first thought no matter what your cousin said. Good grief. – Carey Gregory♦ Oct 6 '16 at 4:13
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    If we are talking here about evidence-based, empirical medicine, then chiropractors should be avoided...period. They do not practice medicine, despite the claims they make. If we are talking about quackery, then maybe the SE mods can create a community for it. – BillDOe Oct 6 '16 at 18:51
  • @JefréN., the vertebrae between the shoulder blades are the thoracic vertebrae, which are part of ,well..., your thorax. The cervical vertebrae, numbered from top to bottom, are C1 - C7 and comprise the neck. C7 sits on top of T1, and T1 is attached to the skull. The thoracic vertebrae have ribs attached to them. (Sorry, I meant to say this in my last comment.) – BillDOe Oct 7 '16 at 19:55
  • Thanks for the clarification. I decided to just go to the doctor. – J. Allan Oct 8 '16 at 23:24

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