Chiropractors

Quacks. A temp fix for a permanent problem. They keep you coming back and back with no permanent resolution. I had a bad car accident in 2000 with nerve damage to my extremities, permanent hip dysplasia and a bad shoulder, carpal tunnel, and chronic pain as a result. After years of temp relief from assorted chiropractors, I had a three-week period that I could not lie down for more than an hour at a time without feeling like my arms were ON FIRE. It was horrible. I had a tens unit and it provided no relief. The chiropractor only made it worse. So I went to my family doc and he referred me to a physical therapist, who figured out my root problem on one exam and gave me exercises to strengthen my weak areas to minimize my problems. If it wasn't for that therapist, I would not be lifting heavy and as pain free as I am today! Or as fit!

Don't waste your money. Look into physical therapy.

Had that with one quite a few years ago, told I had a curvature of he spine. X-rays and a treatment plan was what he wanted, I passed on that. Haven't experienced anything like that with the one I go to now. I'll go when I'm seized up (sometimes back or neck or both) receive a treatment and am told if it continues to bother me to come back to see him. Usually the one visit works, the odd time if I've let it go too long it takes a second appointment. I have nothing but good things to say about my chiropractor. There are ones out there doing it just for the $$$$ but I think you'll find that in any profession. Just gotta find one you trust and go with what works for you.

I my Chiropractors!!!!!
_first expierence was about 5 months after having my son, I had sciatica so badly that at times I couldnt walk
or the pain would randomly shoot down my left leg until I lifted my leg flamingo style. Xrays showed that I have
compression between the last 2 verts in my lower back, and my upper lumbar were rotating in opposite directions
so one kinked right, the next left, the next right. I think it took about 2-3 months (began with 3 appointments weekly
and then tapered down) but I saw 100% results. The pain stopped completely, I was able to sit and lay more comfortably.
_2nd expierence was during my 2nd pregnancy when my ligaments loosened and my back misaligned again...and while
dotoring my back at home I seperated my pelvis in the front (pubic symphysis dislocation). It killed me to move, let alone
walk. Since I was pregnant they could only rely on manipulations so it made the benefits a little harder to come by, but I
would have been bed ridden with out it.
They say that immediately after treatment you will feel better (true story) but make sure that you aren't pushing yourself
during that good feeling period, because the pain will come back several fold as the adjustment for that day settles in.

Are you just being adjusted or are you recieved electro or ultra sound therapy as well?
I personally feel they are totally worth it...but every body is different. I would think that between 10-12 treatments should
give you a better understanding of level of improvement.

My chiropractor was the one who referred me to an orthopedist and a PT when she realized there was something wrong with my lower back that chiropractic care wasn't helping. Got a diagnosis and have kept up with the PT exercises with the chiropractor's full support, and she's there when the problem, which can't be "cured" completely, knocks the rest of my spine out of alignment, which it does on occasion. So I love my chiro. That said, I've heard of plenty who weren't so great (like other medical professionals--some are quacks and some just aren't very bright).

As for it taking a while, it's not a quick fix if you go in with a serious issue. When I was first referred for whiplash after a car accident, it took about 12 visits, maybe more, to feel better. Since then, unless I've managed to hurt myself again, it's occasional tune-ups as needed. (See above.)

I'm not a fan.

They are generally frauds. Go get an exam with an ortho or neuro MD. I am a nurse and work quite often with people with injuries - every time someone goes to a chiro I get all stabby because I know that chiropractor will just soak them for all they've got instead of referring them to a physician who can actually help them.

They're under-trained wannabe physiotherapists.....there's a reason that chiropractic services have been de-listed by most provincial healthcare plans.......

I would explain that you aren't getting any better and ask for a second opinion - if your chiro is confident with his/her diagnosis he/she shouldn't be worried about referring you to someone else for confirmation. Or skip it and ask for a refund and go to your doc and get a referral to someone else.

I agree with most of the other people who have responded thus far. There are some really good chiropractors out there that can do a lot of good but there are a lot of idiots out there as well. Check what school they attended as this is an easy way to start weeding out the crazies from the legitimate healthcare professionals. Personally, I try to stay away from Palmer grads as Palmer has a very "culty" curriculum and the docs coming out of there seem to think they can cure literally any illness by adjusting your spine. Even if it's an illness that has absolutely nothing to do with your musculoskeletal or neuromuscular systems. The docs I have met from Lyfe University have been the best doctors IMO. They understood the limitations of chiropractic care and didn't try to step into the role of a regular physician. I'm a neurophysiology technologist so that makes it a little easier for me to discern who knows their stuff and who doesn't but you should be able to tell after a few visits even if you don't have a lot of experience in healthcare. The bottom line is, if they help you feel better then they are effective and if they don't then they're not.

I'm not a fan... A few years ago I lifted a 45lb plate not with my knees and twisted when I came up. It pulled something in my sacroilial region. A friend recommended a chiropractor so I figured I'd give it a go. The first two visits were awesome. No back cracking or any of that; I got massages with Biofreeze and low level electrical stimulation under ice packs. Brilliant. Third visit, they made me watch some whacked out video of the "doctors" in the practice saying that if I didn't follow their treatment plans, my muscles would dissolve and I'd die (or something ridiculously crazy like that) and gave me a pamplet with a graph that showed a line going up toward health for people who listened to the chiros and I line going downward toward death for people who didn't follow the instructions. Then I had my massage and whatnot and then they did an "adjustment"... on my neck (which I had no problems with). It hurt like a mother******! I wasn't told at any point that "adjustments" would be necessary. Ever. When I said that it hurt my neck, I was told that the pulled muscle in my lower back/hip would get worse before it got better and they wanted me to come in 3x per week for 12 weeks. I never went back and I don't plan to. My pain went away on its own in 2 weeks. :noway:

I love my chiro! I see him a few times a month, especially when my SI joint gets out of alignment and I can't get it back in--it happens pretty frequently due to a old-*kitten* gymnastics injury. Mine has an acupuncturist in his office so I'll see her, then get aligned and it's amazeballs.

Like others have said, there's good ones and bad ones.

I have SI joint issues and LOVE my chiro. When it flares up (after I fall, do a lot of zumba, or just get extra lazy) I go in for 1-2 appointments and I'm good as new. I do the stretches that he prescribes to keep it at bay.
There are "quacks" in every field. You just have to find one that's actually good.

I love my chiro. The office I go to is more comprehensive: they also have a physiatrist (sp? Sports med doc) and a physical therapist, so treatment is a combination of things. I get adjusted, get my trigger points, do physical therapy, and have on one occassion needed steriod injections because m back freaked out on me big time. Doctors of any speciality are like shoes, so what fits me is not going to fit you. Mine is very thorough and excellent at explaining why I am having pain, correct body mechanics, etc.

I would strongly disagree with those who say quack though. It is a legitimate field. Same as any other, some doctors are going to be horrible. The guy who owns the practice I go to is worthless as a chiropractor, but thankfully he only adjusts when Dr. M isn't there. So when Dr. J is there, I am not.

I recently started using a chiropractor for back pain with sciatica for the last two weeks. I had the pain for almost a month before i went. Xrays showing my two upper ( neck) and two lower vertebrea are bent and pressing on the nerves and causing pain. He says he can fix it but will take a couple months of treatments. Ive gone 6 times so far and not sure i am noticing a difference at all.

Tell me what experiences you have had with them...good or bad.....i paid for 12 treatments but i dont want to pay for 12 more if i am not improving. Im not even sure when i should notice much improvement. But, i could tell on the xrays where they are bent. Some people i know love them and some hate them....

Its not cheap so i dont want to keep throwing money away.

I've been reading sciencebasedmedicine.org for a few years and read an interesting précis last week that stated their view of using a chiropractor.

The essence of their argument is to avoid a chiropractor who insists on treatment that involves "sublaxations" - the idea that improper alignment of the spine causes illness. Not only does that contravene everything we know about how the human body functions, there is also no medical evidence that spinal manipulation IN AND OF ITSELF has ever cured an illness. Yes, illness may have disappeared after a chiro used chiropractic treatment but there's no credible evidence that manipulating the spine can or has cured anything (remember - correlation is not causation).

On the other hand, there's no question that chiropractors have an understanding of human physiology and are able to help alleviate the symptoms of issues like lower back pain. In that case, have at it.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/chiropractic-a-summary-of-concerns/


My personal experience (understanding that it counts of nothing in so far as determining the efficacy of chiropractic) consists of one visit. I stopped in with a friend who was trying to cure a lower back issue. The chiro offered a "free X ray and spinal exam" so I did the X ray and let him tug, twist, and push.

He held up the X ray and showed me, to his surprise, that I had a "perfect S curve" in my spine. The issue that he wanted to address, however, was to help me with the issues that could be caused by "my accident". When I asked him to what he meant by that, he told me that the X ray showed that I had broken my neck and that there was a chance that I would start feeling upper back pain. The big issue was that because there were other "structural problems" in my legs, I could start feeling pain at any time.

Having never broken my neck, I thanked him for his advice and told him that I'd check in with him if I started feeling pain.

That was about 5 years ago and I've never had upper back pain nor have I returned to his office.

They're under-trained wannabe physiotherapists.....there's a reason that chiropractic services have been de-listed by most provincial healthcare plans.......

Not sure where you got your info. Chiropractors are DOCTORS. They have to complete many years of Chiropractic College. Google Palmer College of Chiropractic.

That being said, I completely love my Chiro and EVERY one I've ever seen. I've moved from IL to MO and never had any different treatments from state to state. I have never had a Chiro try to set up 12 months of treatment , or ask for payment in advance. I'm sure there are quacks out there, just do your research and find a reputable Dr.

I wouldn't believe any chiropractor who says they can "fix" you.

However, they can do wonders for pain management. I go to one for periodic realignments due to a chronic problem that can't be fixed. It can take some time to find a good one who will be ok with you just coming in when you need it instead of insisting on frequent visits. Of course this is just my experience of chiropractors over the past 15-20 years since I was diagnosed with scoliosis.