The Head & Spine Pain Center — Local services in Trappe

During the first week of Jan 2021, I started feeling off (fullness in my right ear, hearing was off and ringing with no pain). Over the following 2 weeks, I started to constantly feel dizzy and headaches all day everyday. Then I had my first bout of vertigo where I couldn't walk without falling over so I had to lay down. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I've had some stress in my life the last 2 plus years but these symptoms literally came out of nowhere.

I finally went to see an ENT to get checked out since the first symptoms were in my right ear (which later moved to my left ear too). At the ENT, they did a thorough exam and hearing test. The exam came back normal, but the hearing in my right ear was worse than my left (in the shape of a bell curve). The ENT could not diagnose me with anything and everything seemed fine.

Next, I visited my primary and he said my ears looked fine and initially said that I might have Eustachian tube dysfunction (during a call with him my symptoms first started) which he later ruled out.

Since my exams appears normal, I decided to look online which noticed myafascial release could be beneficial for some of the symptoms I was dealing with. So I made an appointment with a chiropractor where she performed trigger point release therapy for about 3-4 weeks in Feb 2020. She admitted that the muscles in my neck and shoulder area were so tight that it was painful when she was doing the therapy (she pushed her thumbs deep into the muscle to help release the tension).

While the trigger point release therapy felt good I was still dizzy, headaches all day long, ear fullness, hearing off, ringing in the ears...I went to a party at the end of Feb and an audiologist I knew mentioned that I could have onset of Menerie's disease (which my symptoms fit the symptoms of MD), but I was never diagnosed with it (the other ENT and my primary Dr both said I did not have that - which I still do not know to this day if that is what I have).

After doing some more research, I noticed upper cervical chiropractor care and found Dr David Newman and a few others in the surrounding area. Based on research and reaching out, I decided to visit Dr Newman and I'm glad I did for several reasons.

My first visit was in March 2021 and I didn't know what to expect. He did a thorough examination and took x-rays. Based on his exam, he said he thought he could help me and to give him 2 months to see if I noticed a difference. I had a misalignment in the top 2 vertebrae (counter-rotation with my atlas). I decided to give it a try. After the initial adjustment, I thought I would feel much better but I didn't. I came back twice a week for about 2 months. Dr Dave even said that the healing process takes time and everyone's body is different. He was right. About 2 months in, I still had dizziness everyday and headaches, ear fullness and ringing in the ears, but I noticed that I had no vertigo episodes since the beginning of March and my hearing was improving and the headaches were not as frequent. As of the end of June 2021, I am happy to report that I am 90% better (no vertigo, minimal ringing/fullness in ears, headaches are gone, slight dizziness on occasion)...Outside of seeing Dr Dave, the only other adjustments I made to my lifestyle is to try to eat a little better (be more cognizant of foods and salt that I'm eating).

On top of that, I had a bad lifting accident in early May that Dr Dave treated where I couldn't walk hardly at all for the first week because I threw my lower back out.

Dr Dave genuinely cares about you and wants to help you get better and will be the first person to tell you if he can help you or not (he was very upfront with me). He has a great bedside manner and a clean/welcoming office. If you suffer from headaches, Menerie's disease, ear problems, back/disc issues, etc and you have seen other doctor's without any success, give Dr Dave a call to see if he can help. That's what I did and I'm glad I found him sooner...

Unfortunately, Google requires you to select at least one star, so that is the reason why my rating is as high as it is; otherwise, it would have been ZERO stars based on my experience with this place.

After seeking out care with multiple providers after a concussion that was not getting resolved, I learned about upper cervical chiropractic care. After extensive research, I chose to begin care with The Head and Spine Pain Center. I had imaging done and was presented a plan that seemed promising. Dr. Newman seemed confident that he could get me better, so I chose to sign on, which should have been the first red flag. My recommendation would be to never do business with a chiropractor that requires you to prepay for treatments. Secondly, be cautious of businesses with very few bad reviews, as business owners have the ability to remove negative reviews from Google.

I did begin to experience modest improvements within the first few weeks of treatments. However, I did not get a complete resolution of symptoms even while “holding”, which is an upper cervical phenomenon that they try to brainwash their patients with. Ironically, after we did the first and only curve correction treatment, I never “held” a C-2 adjustment after that.

Towards the end of my time with the Head and Spine Pain Center, there seemed to be a lot of excuses on why things were not working. I was told that I was a complex case and other practitioners needed to get to the bottom of things. Oddly enough, I pursued care with other practitioners which did not reveal any abnormalities. If I was such a complex case, then I should NOT have been presented a promising treatment plan.

Also, when I made it known that I would not be returning to the Head and Spine Pain Center, I inquired to see if any of my prepaid costs could be refunded due to the poor outcome. I was told that I could have stopped care at any time, which is true, but I was also told that it takes time to heal which was why I continued on with my plan. In addition, I was told early on that I was going to be fine after briefly “holding” my first adjustment. That was not the case.

My general recommendation would be to steer clear of this place. Many of the reviews are given while people are still under care. It would be interesting to see how many of those people remain healed after their reviews are submitted. Dr. Newman liked to boast about how he never had a patient that he couldn’t get to “hold”. Keep in mind that your “holding” period could be brief and there will be lots of excuses if/when it does not work out.

I was also informed about how they treat so many concussion patients. The red light therapy is a joke, and frankly useless. The Piezowave is also a sad excuse for soft tissue work. This place has no business handling concussion patients as they do not know the first thing about concussions. They claim to be upper cervical experts, but I would strongly disagree with that.

During my time at The Head and Spine Pain Center, I was told that my occasional lower back and SI joint issues were never resolved because my atlas was not adjusted. I had issues with those areas due to pulled hip flexors, NOT a neck injury. Oddly enough, even while I was “holding” my adjustments, I still had occasional issues with my lower back. Don’t buy into the nonsense about how the atlas affects the lower back and other areas of the body. Prior to beginning care here, I was advised that upper cervical care was nothing but pseudoscience. I can confidently say that is correct.

Some people may see results from this, but if you’re trying to recover from a concussion, think twice about signing on with this place, or any other chiropractor for that matter. A reputable business will not require you to prepay...

In November of 2019 I started suffering from a sudden pinched nerve type pain in my neck. After multiple urgent care, ER, and Dr visits it was just not healing with time and traditional medicines. Soon it was almost a full month of not being able to do anything but lay on the flat of my back because holding my head up for more than a few minutes caused intense pains in my neck, arm, and hand. I couldn't even help take care of my 1-year old son or play with him. I tried all the braces and heating pads and resting and changing pillows and everything I could.

It was suggested by my regular doctors that I go down a physical therapy and pain management route to relieve my pain. I was not looking for a quick fix adjustment and certainly not a medication to be on the rest of my life. The doctors didn’t think chiropractors would be of help because they felt any adjustment they made would not hold, but I needed to get some relief soon and back to a normal lifestyle. After a good bit of research, I found the Head and Spine Pain Center with years of 5 star reviews and I felt like Dr.Newman was the right person to see.

I put in an appointment request late Thursday night thinking maybe they will call on Monday and I can get in same day or Tuesday since the office is closed Fridays. Next thing I know I am having back and forth email conversations directly with Dr. Newman and he is telling me he can see me the next day on Friday because he keeps that day open for certain situations or continued care of current patients that might need it.

On my first visit I was given a full explanation of the anatomy and thought processes behind the sound-wave treatment and explained exactly how everything worked and he made sure I was comfortable with the information. Dr. Newman could have easily recorded a video and said make sure you watch this before your first visit, but he did not. He spent the time with me he needed and continues to do that for me to this day. We did some x-rays and 2 days later I was in getting my first adjustment of my treatment plan. Dr. Newman worked with me to identify the issues, plan out how long it will take to fix it and how often he thought I would need to visit throughout the plan. Its also more affordable than a typical chiropractor IMO and the Dr always keeps my current financial state in mind.

As for my treatment I am not going to tell you the first adjustment solved everything, because it didn’t, but after a just a few visits to get my atlas to hold, I am able to sit up and take care of my son and the pains I feel have been greatly reduced and for some days are non-existent. I am only about 3-4 weeks into my plan and I am already holding my adjustments for more then a week and we are already working on the big picture problem with my neck which turns out that I have a reverse curve, a problem that has been forming likely over the last 25 years or so.

I trust this man, and I can understand how the process from the outside might seem like something that could easily be smoke and mirrors or something, but its not, and you will know it for sure if you try it, his reviews speak for themselves.

I am sorry this was a lengthy review but I wanted to give those who may have an issue they don’t think would apply to this type a treatment reassurance that it may in fact be the only solution and its at least worth a conversation with Dr. Newman who never ceases to impress.

Dr. Newman, please feel free to use my story or X-Rays in any discussion you think may help Thank...