Question
My 19 year old daughter gets headaches almost EVERY day. She went to her GP, of course he just gave pain killers but told her to see chiro, where on xray found out that she had 'military neck' , also this chiro scared my daughter because he told her she also had something called 'angel wings' and that if a procedure wasn't done right, a 'wing' could break off and she'd have a stroke. Needless to say my daughter was terrified and never went back, even after the chiro told me that if he made an adjustment to her neck and a 'wing' broke off, that it would 'just sit there' HUH? He lied to me, so I'm not messing around with my daughters neck. Please help, I don't know where to turn. THANKS

Answer
Hi Debbie,

Find another Chiropractor, he sounds like an idiot. There is no such thing as "angel wings".

There is however a congenital defect known as cervical ribs that look like angel wings. These are impossible to break off unless you use a sledge hammer, no way an adjustment can do harm.

Military neck is straightening of the normal cervical curve as viewed from the side or lateral view. If left untreated, it will undergo degenerative change and permanently heal that way. standard manipulation for a few weeks should correct this.

Unfortunately like all professions, we have our share of quacks and should not be a reflection of the profession as a whole. You just ran into a bad apple and I am sorry to hear that. Ask for a referral from a known friend, you will probably have better luck next time.

Hope this helps,
Dr. Timothy Durnin
drs.chiroweb.com