Some patients walk into our office with a straightforward complaint. Others arrive with a long, complicated history — years of symptoms, overlapping conditions, and a lot of unanswered questions. Emily is firmly in the second category.
What stood out to me immediately wasn’t just the complexity of her case, but her awareness, resilience, and willingness to fully engage in her care. She had been through a lot — multiple providers, persistent symptoms, and limited lasting relief — but she never stopped looking for answers.
Her story is a powerful example of what can happen when the right diagnosis, a thoughtful treatment approach, and a committed patient all come together.
I’ll let Emily tell the rest in her own words:
In 2016, I was hit by a TriMet bus while sitting at a stoplight in my SUV. The neurological symptoms were closely monitored and treated by a capable team of doctors, but no one ever referred me to a chiropractor. During that first month, I had significant memory, sleep, and speech issues — and honestly, it just never occurred to me to ask. Under normal circumstances I would have gone immediately, but nothing about that situation was normal.
Prior to the accident I’d received some chiropractic care, and about a year afterward I started going regularly. I ended up with a lot of neck issues — daily pain, side-specific mobility limitations, and then more daily pain in case the first round wasn’t enough. Both of my previous chiropractors were good at what they did, but the relief never lasted. I’d get some improvement in the office and then right back to where I started.
I should also mention: I’ve had three concussions over the course of my life, one of which was caused by the bus. After the accident, I started having occasional Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) episodes. Then in January 2026, another one hit. At that point I was already a patient at Hosmer Chiropractic Health, being treated by another provider there. I called the front desk about the BPPV and they said — you need to see Dr. Hosmer. That’s how I landed in his care.
He did my adjustment, then asked me to walk him through my full history. Somewhere in the middle of that conversation he said, matter-of-factly: you have cervical syndrome.
I had never heard of it. None of my doctors had mentioned it. None of my previous chiropractors had diagnosed it. Seth knew about it because of his relentless commitment to learning — he’d studied it some time ago, and apparently it’s not a commonly recognized condition. He started treating me immediately.
At first I came in twice a week, which eventually dropped to once a week. He began with adjustments only, and right away — while still in the office — I had noticeably less pain in my neck and shoulders. As time went on, he introduced exercises for me to do at home. He’s developed his own exercise protocol for this syndrome, and I have to be honest: holy hell, it works.
The routine involves a medicine ball, a kettlebell, and a yoga block. When combined with the in-office treatments, these were the game changer. I know this because I missed my nightly routine once and paid for it the next day. I’d honestly forgotten how much I used to hurt — until that one reminder brought it all back.
My recovery was fast, and Seth told me he believed a significant part of that was my commitment to the exercises. If you give me a task, a project, or a protocol, I will do it — probably to a degree that has annoyed more than a few people in my life. No exception here.
Every couple of weeks he’d layer in something new — another movement, another variation to try. Beyond the pain, cervical syndrome has postural effects: rounded forward shoulders, forward head position. Both were absolutely part of my presentation. Now, after this treatment and the exercise routine, not only is the pain gone, but my posture has completely changed. My shoulders are open and square. When I stand and walk, I feel like a ballerina or someone who just finished a military academy. It’s genuinely one of the cooler unexpected outcomes.
Now, here’s the part where I have to back up and give you the full picture, because none of this exists in a vacuum.
I have a headache every single day. They range from mild to migraine, and on any given day I’m dealing with one or more of the following: tension headaches, TMJD headaches, and sinus headaches. Every. Single. Day. For Dexter fans — it’s my constant dark passenger. I’ve struggled with neck and upper back pain every day since 2016, and in the last few years my life decided to raise the stakes considerably. Chronic stress compounded everything.
I’ve had temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder my entire adult life. It’s gotten progressively worse. I’ve seen dentists, TMJ specialists, and chiropractors. I’ve had splints, appliances, dental work specifically aimed at correcting the problem. None of it resolved it.
Layered on top of that: eustachian tube dysfunction. I didn’t have this until my TMJD went into overdrive — and now I spend most of my days with ears that ring, crackle, and produce the same kind of pressure sensation you get when you’re driving with the windows down and one slowly rolls up. Constantly. That combination — plugged, ringing, crackling ears plus TMJD — leaves me in some rotating state of fatigue, brain fog, disorientation, and forgetfulness. I’ve often said that if I could just remove my head entirely I’d feel fantastic. No one seems willing to explore that option with me.
So now we’ve moved into the next phase. Seth has started working on the TMJD — with the goal of reducing my daily headaches and, hopefully, getting some relief from the eustachian tube dysfunction as well, or eliminating it entirely. He loves an interesting case, and apparently I am one. That genuinely cracks me up. It also says something important about him: he’s not running through a checklist, he’s actually thinking.
When I was coming in weekly during my cervical syndrome treatment, he’d comment on how positive and upbeat I seemed. When you live with pain every day — from multiple sources, simultaneously — just getting through the day is its own kind of battle. The fact that something was actually working, that I could feel the difference, changes your whole outlook.
I’m beyond grateful that Seth is the kind of practitioner who keeps learning, who stays curious, and who takes a genuinely complex case seriously. Armed with my secret healing weapon — Seth – and more than a little optimism — I’m excited to see what comes next.
What This Means for Patients
Emily’s story is a reminder that not all conditions fit neatly into a standard diagnosis — and not all solutions come from a single visit or a single approach. When we take the time to understand the full picture, combine the right treatment with the right strategy, and commit to the process, meaningful change is possible.
If you’ve been dealing with ongoing symptoms that haven’t fully resolved, it may be time to take a different look. Our team is here to help.
To schedule an appointment, call us at (503) 227-2279 or use our online booking system.