The use of chiropractors has been on the rise.

But before being treated by one, there are things consumers should know because one wrong decision can cause a lifetime of suffering.

Britt Harwa suffered a stroke, which left her weak on one side, unable to eat or swallow, and blind in one eye.

She blames the stroke on a simple visit to her chiropractor 11 years ago.

"He did a manipulation, immediately,” Harwa said. “I felt a rushing in my head, a sound. I couldn't speak."

Doctors say Britt suffered from a vertebrobasilar stroke, caused by excessive neck manipulation to the spinal column.

"Manipulation of the neck should be done by someone who is very expert in it,” said neurologist Dr. Michael Batipps.

Many chiropractors use this form of therapy to ease neck pain.

But sometimes, when the neck is improperly twisted, the bones that protect the vertebral arteries that go up the back of the neck can pinch or snap, causing a kink in those arteries.

They can produce blood clots and once they become loose they travel to the brain causing a stroke.

"Because not only is there the theoretical possibility of kinking the vertebral artery, which is somewhat rare ... there's also the possibility of kinking the spinal cord," Batipps said.

Advocacy groups say stroke caused by neck manipulation though still rare is on the rise, because the use of chiropractic treatment is on the rise.

The American Chiropractic Association is aware of the problem and has updated its website with consumer information on what to look for in a licensed chiropractor.

“This is part of an ongoing campaign that we have to insure that patients understand all the risk and opportunities of chiropractic care," said Kevin Corcoran from The American Chiropractic Association.

Britt sued her doctor and settled out of court. Now involved with the Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group, a Connecticut-based organization, she alerts people of the risks of stroke and chiropractic care.

Although licensed chiropractors are required to attend an accredited chiropractic school for two to four years and take state approved exams, the group warns chiropractors are still not medical doctors and don't have to pass the same tests as physicians of medicine in order to hang up a shingle.

"People need to know when you are using the title 'Doctor,' it is a medical degree ... that's why it's so important that they need to specify that they are doctors of chiropractic," Harwa said.

Harwa believes this information could have changed her life had she known about it more than a decade ago.