Chiropractor or no chiropractor

carollynch09

The first and last time I visited a 'back dr' was probably about 25 years ago. That night, I ended up in the emergency room and since then, have sworn off this type of healing.

In the last year, I have had pain in my hip flexer (right in the middle of the very top of my leg) and when I walked longer than 20 minutes on the treadmill, my foot and leg became somewhat numb, heavy, tired. I finally went to a physical therapist and sports medicine physician. I had an mri, x-rays, ultra sound. Nothing showed up. I am not imagining this! My physician told me to do the alphabet with my left foot to strengthen my hip. The pain isn't too bad but the weakness in my leg is. I've since taken up stationary bike which feels better but my leg still goes numb. I notice that when I'm on the bike, my left leg (knee) turns inward and almost rubs against the bike. It made me think that maybe all this is due to my back being out of alignment. Hmmmm.

I am somewhat reluctant to go to a chiropractor one, because of the money, and two, this might not be the problem. I just don't know what to do.

I want to go hiking! I want to walk my dog w/o my leg starting to flop like a fish out of water. How come they can't find anything wrong? I pinpoint exactly where the pain is. VERY FRUSTATING

tasharock

Some are good, some are cracks. Do your research. I love my chiropractor and have for the past 6 years. Weight loss has been changing my body and she is helping me go from feeling 80 to a little closer to my real age.

drift

Osteopath

mariposa224

The numbness sounds like sciatica. Have you talked to your regular doctor about it?

ETA: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/sciatica-symptoms

dlionsmane

I had the exact same pain point and for a while they could not find anything wrong with me either. Where did the MRI focus? I finally had one on my lower back and they found slightly bulging and dehydrated disks - I have no back pain. I did go to a chiropractor - one my PCP recommended as a matter of fact. And after a very long time I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. I can go weeks w/o any pain at all and if I do have pain now it is so minor, I don't really count it...lol. The thing about that type of pain is it may not be in the back at all. You may just need to have your legs or feet adjusted. Ask your doctor if they have a recommendation for a chiropractor, it worked for me. Good Luck!

gobonas99

I love my chiropractor - I started seeing her because of knee pain. Turns out my hips were severely out of alignment. I've been in maintenance for two years, so I see her once a month or so.....a little more frequently (every 3 weeks) in the summers when I'm training for my triathlons. But I get 20 visits a year that are "covered" by insurance (I have a high deductible plan, so I have to pay the contracted rate of $32 a visit out of my HSA account until I meet my deductible, then my copay is only like $6 a visit).

umieto

I'm not a doctor (yet) but honestly I would say go back to your GP and get re-assessed. Any unilateral weakness is a worry. You should be seen by an osteopath or neurologist.

Did you have a neuro assessment when you first saw your doctor about this? (They'll test your limb strength by asking you to lay down, bend your leg and push them away, that sort of thing)

JayStu

I love my chiropractor, she adjusts the whole body and I always feel 100% better afterwards

SmallMimi

Agree with tasharock, some are good, some not so good. Love mine. I have Sciatica which causes numbness running down my right leg and severe low back/hip pain. Could not walk/run without the occassional adjustment. If you are not comfortable with a Chiropractor, try a Osteopath.

anothermop

I am a big fan of my chiropractor. My wife goes every week and I go when I get a chance.

Cassierocksalot

I have almost identical pain/numbness in my left hip. I find that if I do a nice deep stretch every night before bed it helps; but I still go to my Chiropractor. I'm lucky enough to have one in the family so I'm not worried about having to do any research or getting caught up with quacks. I'd definitely talk to friends and co-workers to find one that's right for you but don't shy away from them. I love mine!!

Babbs1977

I had issues with my ribs coming out of place, and back alignment issues that caused the rib problem. My Chiropractor saved my sanity and body from horrible pain, and he didn't try to "con" me into a million sessions. He fixed the problem over two weeks and I don't haven't had problems since.

mlb929

Couldn't live pain free with my chiro. Mine is a sports specific chiro and DO. If you are worried, find a really awesome massage therapist that does therapeutic massage and they generally can refer you to a good chrio too. I get numbness in my feet from very tight piriformous, this can be caused from one leg being shorter than the other. Have that checked out too.

JustJennie1

I'm going to say no chiro.

I was seeing one because I occasionally get neck pain due to whiplash from a car accident I had when I was 18. She did all these xrays and stuff and said I had to see her.

So I did.

And it was absolutely useless. It was $25 co-pay each visit (for the first month I was going 3x a week) and that added up. Not only that but I would sit in the waiting room for half an hour and when I was finally called in my adjustment took two minutes MAX.

Not only that but I don't believe it did anything. I think I made myself believe it did for the first few months but in retrospect there was no difference.

Booksandbeaches

I used to think they were quacks until my mother was helped by one. It was her internal medicine doctor who referred her to the chiropractor. I thought that was interesting. My mother had several sessions with the chiropractor, who helped eliminate the pain in the shoulder. That was something even physical therapy hadn't done. The chiropractor did try to sell my mom on some supplements, but I told her to avoid those. After hearing about my mother's experience, I'm much more open to going to a chiropractor in the future.

BrianSharpe

I would not consider seeing a chiro under any circumstances. If you do a little digging on the history and origin of chiropractic theory and methodology you would be horrified. I consider them underqualified physiotherapists who dabble in areas of medicine that far exceed their training and/or skills.

In Canada one may be called a "Doctor of Chiropractic" after taking 3 years of post-secondary education with a 2.5 GPA (http://www.chirofed.ca/english/becoming.html) it takes just as long to become a Registered Massage Therapist and longer to become a PT.

Interestingly many provinces in Canada have de-listed their services from those covered by the taxpayer funded universal healthcare system........

lynn1982

Honestly, I couldn't live without my chiropractor. Before I started getting adjusted, I was actually suicidal from pain. I threw my back out on a number of occasions and had debilitating headaches and migraines for 15 years. After literally crawling to my sister's engagement party a couple years ago, my brother-in-law suggested that I pay a visit to his chiropractor (who also happened to be a family friend and was at said engagement party). Long story short, I'm a new person. And I'm no longer taking pain killers, sleep aids, and migraine medication that I was taking before I started seeing him, not to mention the anxiety and depression that I was experiencing from all the pain.

All that being said, my one major issue with chiropractic is the cost: he wanted me to see him 3 times a week for the first two months and then twice a week after that, and then 6 months later I was bumped down to once a week. If I hadn't had insurance to cover the majority of the cost, there's no way I would have signed up. Knowing what I know now, I would do it all over again in a heart beat, but at over $3,000 for that first year of care, there's no way I would have initially shelled out all that money from my own pocket. But, I also probably wouldn't be here today. I still go every two weeks, but I tend to lead a pretty stressful lifestyle and I choose to get adjusted rather than taking pain meds of any sort.


Edited to add: There are different kinds of chiropractors (mixers, straights, etc.). Do your research and if you choose to see one, choose the one that jives most with you. And it's best if you can get a referral to one from someone you trust - you don't want just anyone playing around with your spine...

carollynch09

I had the exact same pain point and for a while they could not find anything wrong with me either. Where did the MRI focus? I finally had one on my lower back and they found slightly bulging and dehydrated disks - I have no back pain. I did go to a chiropractor - one my PCP recommended as a matter of fact. And after a very long time I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. I can go weeks w/o any pain at all and if I do have pain now it is so minor, I don't really count it...lol. The thing about that type of pain is it may not be in the back at all. You may just need to have your legs or feet adjusted. Ask your doctor if they have a recommendation for a chiropractor, it worked for me. Good Luck!



MRI focused in my hip. I don't think I had one for my back. I also have no back pain. Never thought about needing my legs or feet adjusted. I will ask for a recommendation. Sounds like the majority of ppl like their chiropractors. I shouldn't hold one bad experience against them all thank you!

carollynch09

Did you have a neuro assessment when you first saw your doctor about this? (They'll test your limb strength by asking you to lay down, bend your leg and push them away, that sort of thing)

yes I did. My left leg was a bit weaker than the right and my family dr. decided to send me to physical therapy.

carollynch09

Sounds like most ppl like chiropractors. I will go back to my dr. and see if she can recommend one. I will also check with some ppl in this area. But first, I want to make sure my insurance covers it. I have enough dr. bills from trying to figure out what all this is caused by. Thank you all so much for your responses. You've helped

erinsueburns

I am not anti chiropractor, they are just way more limited in what they can actually fix and what they will actually recognize medically than most like to claim. Go back to your doctor and ask for a referral to a nuero and get a COMPLETE work up. If they still can't find anything, that is when I would go to a chiropractor.

lynn1982

I just want to add that a GOOD chiropractor will refer you to another medical professional if it is beyond the scope of chiropractic. The original exam and health history that my chiropractor did took over an hour, in which he suspected a thyroid problem and a neurological issue that required further testing. He was correct on both accounts and referred me right away back to my family doctor and to a neurologist (and I would like to point out that my family doctor refused to refer to me to a neurologist before this point and that if I had gone back to her for the referral, the wait would have been even longer).

sdbart

Agree with tasharock, some are good, some not so good. Love mine. I have Sciatica which causes numbness running down my right leg and severe low back/hip pain. Could not walk/run without the occasional adjustment. If you are not comfortable with a Chiropractor, try a Osteopath.

I agree with this completely!

eep223

Some are good. Maybe your doc can refer you to one, or to a physical therapist. A PT really helped me out with a nerve problem in my arm/ shoulder with a combination of exercises and traction.

Editing to add: traction probably won't be a long term fix if you don't strengthen the surrounding muscles too. Also, that alphabet thing was one of the exercises I was given, against a wall with a rubber ball.

dbg1

Proper athletic therapy is best. I have tried on chiros on several occassions to no avail.

A buddy of mine goes every week for chiro. I ask why. He feels better afterward. Symptoms treated but not curing the ailment. Cash grab.

Proper physical activity with corrent stretching and strengthening works best.

carollynch09

Proper athletic therapy is best. I have tried on chiros on several occassions to no avail.

A buddy of mine goes every week for chiro. I ask why. He feels better afterward. Symptoms treated but not curing the ailment. Cash grab.

Proper physical activity with corrent stretching and strengthening works best.

that is one thing I've just recently started. Stretching. I'm really bad at it. I'm still checking around. I MAY try a chiropractor for a week or so. Depends on cost. We have one at the gym for 25.00 for 45 minutes but he doesn't do x-rays. How the hell does he know whats wrong if he doesn't do x-rays???

cwolfman13

Some are good, some are bad. Mine happens to be very good and I rarely have to see him. He turned me on to yoga and stretching and I also started doing other forms of physical activity as well. I see him maybe once every quarter or so for a tune up as I tend to get my hips all out of whack. I originally saw him for a pinched nerve in my upper back that doctors couldn't resolve and were talking surgery.... I had a friend who saw this particular chiropractor and I finally said, "what the hell...nothin' to lose...the "real" docs are about to operate." He had that nerve un-pinched within one week and two treatments after 4 months of dealing with my regular doctors.

But like I said...it really does depend, just like everything.

ParrosFan

I love my chiro, I see her 3-4 times a year when I start getting headaches, cures them right up. Up until that point, I had daily headaches, taking pain relievers, with no real relief. After adjustments, its all good.

rachelmorgan77

Just like any dr., you have to find one that's good - and listens to you. I have a fantastic chiro that I love going to. She's gotten me through a half marathon and a Tough Mudder this summer. She understands what I do physically, and gives me stretches and tips on how to do things so I don't hurt myself again. Whenever I go in, it's "What event did you just come from?" She also knows enough to listen to me, I know where it hurts and usually what's out of whack and she'll work as long as needed to get it back in place. I never have to wait, and she's always told me that if it's an emergency to call her at home.

Get recommendations from people you trust. And if you have issues afterward, be sure to tell them. I used to go to another one when I lived somewhere else and the first time he adjusted my neck I was dizzy and nauseous that night and could hardly walk. My neck had had such limited blood flow for so long that when he adjusted it, my body had a hard time handling that. He marked my chart and from then on was very careful when dealing with that area. Our bodies are all different, and react to things differently.

girlinahat

See if you can find an Alexander Technique practitioner in your area. They teach how to use the body appropriately for the task at hand. If your leg is rubbing against the bike, chances are it's tension and misuse of the muscles making it do that.

I started Alexander Technique after many months of chiro treatment for a neck problem. We solved many other issues and what I learnt stays with me for life. Cost is usually similar to seeing a chiro.

melissarae27

I swear by it, I love my chiro! That said, some days I just have a bad adjustment, other days it makes me feel SO good. I go when I feel like I need an adjustment, but if you are having sciatica issues it's a good idea to stick with a schedule. That is why I started going in the first place, and was going 2-3 times a week for a few weeks to clear that up. Now I hardly ever have issues with sciatica!