Chiropractors

[CES020]

In fact, the last chiro I went to refused to do an adjustment on me for fear I'd be injured. I often wish I had followed the regular visit plan.

Arlo, you should find one that uses that little clicker thing I talked about earlier. LOVE that thing.

I went in with a massive headache I woke up with one morning. He touched a place on my neck and I said "Ouch, that hurts" (all he did was touch it with his fingers). He said "Is that sensitive" and I said "Yes". He said "You probably have one heck of a headache". I said "I do". He adjusted it, touched the same place with his finger, no pain at all upon touch. Walked out of the office and my headache was gone.

I tend to not tell him what issues I'm having and let him tell me. He'll go down my spine, hit a sensitive spot, and then he'll say "Has this or that been bothering you", to which I almost always reply "Yup, sure has". I try and keep him honest and he's passed every test I've given him so far.

I'm sure there are some real quacks out there and I'm generally a huge skeptic of most things, but I've benefitted greatly from my visits.

 

[petepaz]

i have 2 herniated discs and sciatic problems have gone to the chiropractor for years. the last few years not so much due to work schedule and the company moving so i have to find a new one closer to work. never had a bad experience with them just not posetive how much it made me better. it is good for your spine to be aligned correctly (actually very important) but i got more releif from my problem with massage therapy and yoga

 

[signmeup]

I haven't had any back trouble since I started Taekwondo 8 years ago. Your body is meant to move. When you don't keep it moving it stops working right.

 

[cdiesel]

I had lower back pain that shot down my left leg everytime I stood up. No idea what caused it, but it hurt like hell. I finally broke down and went to a chiropractor. Had some other tightness/knots in my back also so I figured what the heck. Went in, he did X-rays, an adjustment, and got a massage (AWESOME massage, by the way, way better than the Massage Envy places). He had me come back once a week for eight weeks. The pain would come and go, when before it was EVERY time I stood up. I figured it was working. After the eighth visit, he told me that he had done everything he could for me, and referred me to a back specialist. He felt I should be pain-free by that point. Absolutely honest of him.

Went to the back specialist, who has much better equipment and X-Ray machines. Turned out I had a pretty bad herniated disc. I was given the option of cortisone shots or surgery. Two cortisone shots later the pain is gone.

While the chiropractor didn't fix the problem that initially caused me to go visit him, he did a wonderful job with the rest of my back (never felt so relaxed in my life), and was honest when the care that I needed was beyond his capability. And did I mention the massages were amazing?

 

[Colin]

I had lower back pain that shot down my left leg everytime I stood up.

The chirocracker was a jackass. I'm sure you had described your symptoms at the time, and he should have known that that is classic herniated disc, and should have bowed out of treating you (because they can't treat this particular problem). But I guess the dollar signs in his eyes blinded him.

The best initial thing for a herniated disc is "traction" at a physiotherapist. This allows the herniation to recede and get off of the sciatic nerve. Then taking it easy, with no heavy lifting or running/jumping types of activities. It will likely settle down in 2-3 days, but will always be sensitive to lifting & running for the long term.

 

[cdiesel]

I forgot to mention: I recall seeing a documentary on TV about all of the people who are now paralyzed after receiving the head/neck "adjustment" from their chiropractor. Maybe Google that. There's a reason why they get you to sign a release form.

You also sign a release form at the hospital. There's risk in everything. Not defending chiropractors, just stating fact.

 

[cdiesel]

The chirocracker was a jackass. I'm sure you had described your symptoms at the time, and he should have known that that is classic herniated disc, and should have bowed out of treating you (because they can't treat this particular problem). But I guess the dollar signs in his eyes blinded him.

He told me I had a pinched sciatic nerve... which is exactly what I had. Not sure why that couldn't be pinched in a way that adjustments couldn't help. In fact they did. The pain got better after adjustments, just didn't go away 100%.

 

[Colin]

He told me I had a pinched sciatic nerve... which is exactly what I had. Not sure why that couldn't be pinched in a way that adjustments couldn't help. In fact they did. The pain got better after adjustments, just didn't go away 100%.

It was likely the passage of time that caused your pain to ease. He should have known that no cricking or cracking will help this issue. It requires the slow, considerable reverse tension of traction that slightly separates the vertebrae and allows the herniated nucleus of the disc to recede and get off the nerve. It is the striking of the nerve by the herniation that sends the pain signal, and even when the herniation has been receded, the pain signal still gets sent to the brain for a day or two even though there's nothing touching the nerve. (kinda like how hearing country music for a few minutes can cause initial pain, the pain can, and often does reside if the music is re-played in the mind). :Big Laugh

 

[cdiesel]

Lol.. well there's my problem.. I don't mind country music!

 

[visual800]

after hernitating a disc and having this "new pain" I went to a couple of doctors cause the pain shot down the leg and calf. They found nothing. Even went to a hospital and they did a freakin ultrasound on the calf that was hurting.

A few weeks later I was doing a sign in a building where a chiropractor was coming. he saw me limping in and told me to come see him. in 2 weeks time the pain was gone and he edcauted me on wth was going on and what had happened to me. I have much respect!

 

[ruckusman]

I used to masage for an Osteopath who was also a Chiropractor - which is a paradox of sorts if you speak to either about the other...

But anyway if you're going to see a chiropractor check to see if they do massage prior to asjustments, it makes all the difference!

On the call as to whether or not it's quackery, in 1981 both the President and Secretary of the American Medical Association were charged and convicted with attempting to discredit the chiropractic profession.

What does that say, well if it really was quackery, why would they (The AMA president and Secretary) even bother to try and discredit the profession, unless it actually was a viable alternative treatment and a threat to the traditional medical profession.

BTW for Sciatica, the treatments can take quite some time as the nerve inflammation, cartilage swelling and muscle spasm feed onto one another - I know as I've had the same problem again recently but in my shoulder and elbow/hand.

peace out

 

[CES020]

One thing I have found in the few I have used over the years is that they appear to be more honest and open than any doctor I've EVER been to in my life. They have all spent as much time needed explaining things, they have always been honest, they have always talked about eating right, exercising, and taking care of your body. They have all had classes on eating right, exercising, staying healthy, all classes they have charged nothing for. I have found the ones I have used to be far more open and honest than any "normal" doctor.

Can we really call them out, but give doctors that get financial kickbacks from prescribing medicines "honest" keepers of our health? If you're going to call out Chiropractors, take the same time to call out the MD's out there that are butchering people every day as well. How do you leave surgical instruments INSIDE people you operate on? But that's not a "quack", that's a "highly educated professional"????????

 

[bob]

...

On the call as to whether or not it's quackery, in 1981 both the President and Secretary of the American Medical Association were charged and convicted with attempting to discredit the chiropractic profession.

What does that say, well if it really was quackery, why would they (The AMA president and Secretary) even bother to try and discredit the profession, unless it actually was a viable alternative treatment and a threat to the traditional medical profession...

Please, spare the rest of the civilized world the tortured reasoning. Regardless of who was convicted of what, how does this establish the scientific bona fides of chiropractic? Be specific.

An oblique analogy to your argument would go something like: 'Someone was convicted of conspiring to drive the witches out of the town square because they are charlatans. If they were not real live broom-riding witches why would anyone bother?'

 

[Border]

If you want relief for a couple hrs.. and feel REALLY good.. then yes.

if you want to actually get the problem fixed.. go to a physical therapist..

This is good advice.

I've also had both great and horrible chiropractic visits where it left me in a much worse position than before the visit. It can be kind of a crap shoot although there are some out there that know what they are doing and will take the time to look at x-rays & such before randomly adjusting you.

 

[Terremoto]

Personally, I've never been to a chiropractor as I see it more of a dose of chicken swinging, gut flinging (and spray pattern interpretation and analysis), voodoo, loco-mojo, hokus-pokus than anything else. On that note though, I know many that swear by the treatment.

One thing I have noticed about chiropractors as sign customers is that:

1.) They tend to move fairly often as we regularly get quote requests to redo signage.

2.) They tend to go through an inordinate amount of massage therapists as we get regular requests to change names on doors and windows.

3.) They always whine about the price of the sign work.

Dan

 

[EricRamse]

You're gonna hear bad reports about chiropractors as well as regular doctors or brain surgeons. There are good ones and there are bad ones. You need to do some homework and go where you feel you'll get the best care.

Indeed.

 

[Gene@mpls]

waving beads and rattles and chanting "Booga Booga"

I find Boogity Boogity works better.

 

[ruckusman]

Please, spare the rest of the civilized world the tortured reasoning. Regardless of who was convicted of what, how does this establish the scientific bona fides of chiropractic? Be specific.

An oblique analogy to your argument would go something like: 'Someone was convicted of conspiring to drive the witches out of the town square because they are charlatans. If they were not real live broom-riding witches why would anyone bother?'

That's not an oblique analogy, it's not analogous at all, but Bob you've got your opinion, which you regard as scientific, good for you, but it's still your opinion nonetheless.

FYI - there is no scientifically objective technique or instrument to measure pain - yep it's questionnaire and the data collected is anecdotal evidence, which can then go on to form part of a study generating statistics.
From there those statisitics can generate "mutliple" scientific opinions.
Man is the measure in this regard and efficacy is based on solicited opinions.

Science continually evolves, and any half decent scientist knows that an absence of evidence, isn't evidence of absence.

Someone limps in crooked and bent over, in pain, and walks out upright, pain free, that's a sample size of one - I watched it happen for over 5 years.

But when it boils down to it, if it really didn't work - all of the chiropractors would be out of business, or to expand on your analogy - run out of town at the pointy end of a pitchfork

NUF said...

 

[GAC05]

That's not an oblique analogy, it's not analogous at all, but Bob you've got your opinion, which you regard as scientific, good for you, but it's still your opinion nonetheless.



But when it boils down to it, if it really didn't work - all of the chiropractors would be out of business, or to expand on your analogy - run out of town at the pointy end of a pitchfork

NUF said...

Using this point of logic how can the commercial success of the Kardashians or "Male Enhancement" products be explained?

wayne k
guam usa

 

[ruckusman]

Do you know of anyone that's used male enhancement products more than once?...as for the Kardashians, to me personally, they are the pure antithesis of pain relief!