Chiropractic care for cruise ship crew in St. Thomas

Ships tie up at Havensight and Crown Bay most days of the week, and crew usually have a window of a few hours before all aboard. That is not much time to deal with a back that has been bothering you for three contracts, or a shoulder that flared up carrying trays or luggage. This page is for crew who need to be seen fast, in the time you actually have.

Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness is in Charlotte Amalie, in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, a short drive from the Havensight cruise port. We treat residents, visitors, and ship crew. Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What shipboard work does to a body

• Galley and dining staff. Standing on a hard deck for a full shift, carrying loaded trays, and reaching into low ovens and coolers wear on the low back, knees, and shoulders. See our lower back pain page and our knee pain page.
• Housekeeping and cabin stewards. Bending to make beds, pushing loaded carts down narrow passageways, and reaching to clean overhead all strain the low back and the shoulders. See our shoulder pain page.
• Engineering and deck crew. Heavy lifting in tight spaces and awkward positions around machinery.
• Entertainment and spa staff. Dancers and performers get the same overuse patterns as any athlete: ankles, knees, and low backs that take repeated impact. Massage therapists and stylists get the standing and shoulder load of any service job.
• Bunks and tight quarters. Crew cabins are small, and a mattress that does not fit your back does not help.

What we can do in a single port day

The exam is thorough even when the visit is short: a history, a hands-on look at how you move, and digital x-rays if something needs a closer look. Then, when it is appropriate, an adjustment. Dr. Keys uses Gonstead and Diversified techniques, extremity adjusting for shoulders and knees, and flexion-distraction or the drop table for a back that does not want force. Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization helps with tight calves and shoulders from a season of shifts.

If your ship is only in for the day, we treat what we can that visit and send you back aboard with a short home program built for a cabin, not a gym: a few stretches, a way to load a cart or a tray with less strain, and a plan for what to do if the same problem flares again in the next port. We write return-to-work and work-restriction notes, so if your ship's medical officer or HR needs one, ask for it at the visit.

Timing that works with all aboard

Tell us your ship's arrival and all aboard time when you call, and we will fit the visit into it. Tuesday and Friday we open at 7:00 am, which suits an early arrival. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday we run to 7:00 pm for a later one. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. Crew who are back in port on a regular rotation can also be seen as returning patients rather than starting over each time.

When to see someone else

Some injuries on a ship need more than a port-day visit and we will say so plainly. Go to your ship's medical center, or the nearest hospital emergency room, for any of these:

• A fall on a wet deck or stairwell with a joint you cannot put weight on afterward
• A shoulder that popped out or a knee that gives way or locks
• Numbness in the saddle area, loss of bowel or bladder control, or weakness in a leg that is getting worse
• Fever with back pain, or a hot, swollen joint
• Chest pain, shortness of breath, or pain into the jaw or arm

If the exam points to a torn rotator cuff, a meniscus tear, or a disc pressing on a nerve, Dr. Keys will tell you and refer you rather than adjust around it. If you already have imaging, we also offer a free MRI review. The free review is for spinal MRIs. Bring your MRI disc to the office. Dr. Keys reads the images himself and goes over them with you in person. Medicare patients are not eligible for it.

Getting seen

Call (340) 690-4994 or email info@tradewindschiropractic.com. We are in the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802, a short taxi ride from Havensight. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm; closed Sat and Sun. Our full list of services is on the services page. Visitors and boat or ship crew can pay by card. We do not have billing arrangements with charter or cruise companies, so crew pay directly or use their own insurance. Self-pay rates are $120 for the initial exam, $40 for a chiropractic adjustment, and $20 for each therapy.

Questions patients ask

Is there a chiropractor near the cruise port for ship crew?

Yes. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie is a short drive from Havensight. We treat crew from ships in port for the day for back, shoulder, and knee pain from galley, housekeeping, engineering, and entertainment work. Call (340) 690-4994.

I'm on a cruise ship in port for the day. Can you see me?

Usually, yes. Tell us your ship's schedule and all aboard time when you call, and we will fit an exam and treatment into the window you have. Tuesday and Friday we open at 7:00 am for early arrivals, and Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday we run to 7:00 pm.

What if my back or shoulder is a recurring problem across contracts?

Tell us that when you call. We treat what we can find that visit and give you a short program to manage it between ports, and if you are back in port on a regular rotation we can build on the last visit instead of starting over.

Do you provide documentation for my ship's medical office?

We write return-to-work and work-restriction notes. If your ship's medical officer or HR needs one, ask for it at your visit.

How do I pay for a visit as crew?

Visitors and boat or ship crew can pay by card. We do not have billing arrangements with charter or cruise companies, so crew pay directly or use their own insurance. Self-pay rates are $120 for the initial exam, $40 for a chiropractic adjustment, and $20 for each therapy.