Chiropractors??

How many of us go to a chiropractor, and do you like them/have they helped you? I've heard good and bad things about them, and was wondering if I could get your input....
I got in a car accident a few weeks ago, but even before then, I was having some major pain in my neck and back. I went for the initial consult with x-rays and such, and he showed them to me. I was stunned to see how deformed my spine is! Compared to the pictures and models, my neck curves the wrong way, my mid back arches inward way too much and my lower back arches out way too much. And from the back view, my spine looks like a wound up snake, going all different directions! I posted a while back about feeling clumsy and foggy....I found out it can all be linked back to my spinal problems! It's all my central nervous system. I have decreased motor skills, I am clumsy and off balance. All these things are a result of my spine being crooked and disrupting certain nerves. I had to watch this video about it and I actually felt like I could be a poster child for this video, my symptoms are exactly what they were describing. It's not to a degenerative point yet, but if I had waited much longer it would have become that way! I had a hump forming on my upper back/lower neck, and my doctor told me it was a fat pad....I found out my spine started forming backwards because I sleep on my stomach and my neck gets twisted. He gave me a special piloow for this and it seems to be helping. My doctor is SO fired! I've not liked my doc for quite some time but this was the last straw. I have to go three times a week for 3 weeks, and the re-evaluate.
Anyway, what are your experiences with chiropractors?

Yes they work great! My fiance had a pinched ciatic nerve. The doctors gave him pain medicine but nothing to fix the pinching! Well it took only a couple visits to get that righted. I also went after a really bad horse-back riding accidant so I wouldn't have any long-term effects and increase my muscle mobility. My mom was in a car accidant and lived with migraines for years before she found out chiropractors can help people with whiplash recover and no more migraines. My dad (who does not believe in alternative medicine by the way) had a lot of back pain. He went in and found out that one of the muscles down his back had atrophied as the other muscle was taking the load, talk about back pain! After a period of adjustments he was using the muscles appropriately, though really sore as he hadn't used that muscle probably in years!

The trick is finding a good one. I like the ones that are more into health and do other sorts of treatments (like muscle testing and accupuncture).

I've never been to one myself, but as a singer, I have a LOT of colleagues who visit chiropractors. They're like magic.

Chiropractors once got a bad rap for being 'quacks', and it's totally untrue. Because of the nature of the spine and its construction, hundreds of things can go wrong that will cause discomfort in your body. The only way to actually fix it is to have your spine set right. I think it's common sense.

Something to bear in mind, though, is that these are not massage people. Adjusting can be painful, but it leads to longer-term relief. Small price to pay, I think.

Give it a try, and let us know how it went!

Quacks I'll take a massage therapist over one anyday.

Ah, but massage therapists aren't qualified to realign the spine. They just release muscles. They're magic, too.

Like you I've heard good and bad stories. Unfortunately I'm one of the bad. About 15 years ago, I had occasional lower back pain and went to a chiropractor. Now I have continuous lower back pain. I'd also rather go to a massage therapist once a month. I don't trust chiropractors anymore.

I've done both. Massage therapy didn't work for the particular problem I was having. Chiropractors worked great. I think if its spinal related chiropractors are the best bet. I also think its so important to go through the referral system as I don't think every chiropractor is great.

I loved going to my chiropracter, but don't see him right now. I was going once a week to get my hip realigned with the rest of my body...it's like 2 inches higher on an x-ray, although you can't tell... it was causing lower back pain cause of the pressure.

And there's NOTHING like massage therapy... I'm like jello by the time I have to leave...

Like everything else there are good and bad chiropractors. Years ago I went to a bad one and he really hurt me. Now I going to a good one and it's amazing how much better my back is. I've had chronic back problems for 30 yrs. It turns out I have a extra vertabae(sp) in my back. It apparently very common but it throws my spine out of whack.

Last year I had to go to the e.r. twice with muscle spasms. This year I'm virtually pain-free.

You do have to go on a regular basis but it's worth it if you find the right chiropractor.

Good luck,

Cynthia

I've never been to one, in Canada they are not required to have a license so I'm a little scared especially as someone had their neck broken recently.

Luckily I have heard good things about him from other people. I've gone twice now and the adjustments only take a few minutes, and I seem to feel better right afterwards. They are "retraining my spine and the muscles around it to sit correctly. It's gonna take a while, and I have to go quite often to start. But I am looking forward to seeing if it works! It would be nice to have a day without pain! Maybe then I'll feel like being more active. Right now, I feel like sleeping all day!

Originally Posted by missymotus

I've never been to one, in Canada they are not required to have a license so I'm a little scared especially as someone had their neck broken recently.

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Of course they have to have a license. Maybe in Quebec its different?

Originally Posted by LuckyGirl

I loved going to my chiropracter, but don't see him right now. I was going once a week to get my hip realigned with the rest of my body...it's like 2 inches higher on an x-ray, although you can't tell... it was causing lower back pain cause of the pressure.

And there's NOTHING like massage therapy... I'm like jello by the time I have to leave...

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I'm going for a massage on June 17th....

I'm sure there are good ones who actually know what they're doing and can help if you really need that sort of thing done, like car accident or scoliosis or whatever. If you just need a back massage, go to a spa or something though.

When I was little my dad went to one of the bad ones who told him every health problem he has is because he's allergic to a bunch of foods. We had to eat chicken and rice every day for dinner for years as a result... so maybe I'm a little bitter.

If I ever needed a chiropractor I'd probably go to an MD doctor first and see what they said. You already have, but maybe find a second opinion with a new regular doctor first... it is someone messing around with your spine...

12 years ago I locked my back while sanding a floor and my doctor told me to take 6 weeks bedrest. That was impossible, so I went to see a chiropractor ( I researched it and he was reputedly the best in South London). The first visit I walked out with my head up instead of bent, and I was back at work a week later. My doctor didn't believe it - he had told me not to waste my money. But I have gone back since at regular intervals and never have a back problem.

This is approximately on-topic, so I'll mention it. For those of us who use chiros or massage therapists, I highly recommend looking around your area for someone trained in Alexander Technique. If you haven't heard of it - and most people haven't - it's basically a way of moving/sitting/standing that takes advantage of your body's natural balance. After all, humans and animals have evolved over jillions of years to be able to move easily and efficiently. Alexander Technique frees up muscles that don't need to be working, muscles you probably don't even know ARE working. It's fascinating!

I used to have lower back pain (had an accident when I was ten, my posture aggravated the old injury), but Alexander Technique has done wonders because it actually teaches me how to carry myself without overexertion. So, so cool.

wow best not get me started on this topic... I have had severe back pain for over 3 years. I have seen chiropractors, massage therapists, sport therapists, osteopaths, you name it I have seen them. And although none of them have helped to rid me of this pain, the chiropractors were the least help.

Shannon, I'd be wary of chiropractors. Many of them are rightfully considered quacks who over-diagnose and perform unnecessary "treatments." Some of them have caused permanent damage, paralysis and death. chirobase.com is the best place to start when considering a chiropractor. http://www.chirobase.org/

Originally Posted by Hydroaxe

Shannon, I'd be wary of chiropractors. Many of them are rightfully considered quacks who over-diagnose and perform unnecessary "treatments." Some of them have caused permanent damage, paralysis and death.

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While I agree that one must choose carefully, this is really no different from many doctors.

Just don't want to see chiropractors get a bad rap. There are bad eggs, just as in any medical field.

Originally Posted by aphrodeia

While I agree that one must choose carefully, this is really no different from many doctors.

Just don't want to see chiropractors get a bad rap. There are bad eggs, just as in any medical field.

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You're not very well educated on chiropractic then. Shannon, I hope you do some reading at chirobase and get an opinion from a doctor you trust.