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Discussion

Chiropractors

Hi all,

I want your opinions about, or experiences with, chiropractors. I am NOT seeking medical advice at all, because I have already made up my mind about what course I want to take.

I have slept funny and kinked my neck and shoulder on the right side, limiting my ROM and causing me some pain. I had a friend who is trained in massage rub some pressure points and that really helped relieve some of the tension. She recommended that I go to a chiro, and gave me the name of a good one.

I've been reading up and I have found some pretty bad experiences with chiropractors. Do any of you have any good or bad stories? Any "My chiro changed my life" or "When I went to that chiro, it was the worst mistake I ever made"?

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I've read all the bad stuff about chiropractors also, but all I can tell you is my experience.

Had low back pain that reduced me to walking slowly, with a limp, and in constant pain. Couldn't get comfortable no matter what. Getting into or out of the car was excruciating. Finally couldn't take it anymore and called for an appt. with a chiropractor. Was the best thing I could have done. Don't care what anyone says - I think chiropractors are fantastic.

Told him what hurts and he palpated my spine then pinpointed the exact spot where it was the worst. Did the adjustments and voila! it felt 100% better.

I went weekly for ~ a year (first to fix it, then to keep things in shape) now haven't been to see him in a couple of years, and have slight pain when I lie on my left side, but otherwise no problems.

I, personally, couldn't recommend them more!

I used to get to the point that I'd be in soooo much pain I couldn't walk/sit/lay or anything. My best friend recommended her chiro, and I went for a while 3 days a week, now monthly for maintenance. If I miss or extend time between visits, I can definitely tell, I feel the twinges of pain. I definitely think they can be a positive part of any health care regimen

CHiropractors (in my opinion) are good for cracking backs and rubbing-out sore-spots. However, when they (and many of them do, unfortunately), delve into 'medicine' and start recommending herbs, steering people away from traditional healthcare ( in some cases even discouraging vaccinations), making claims that adjustments and herbs can cure just about anything...well, thats when i lose my patience with them.

Perhaps i'm just a tad skeptical when it comes to alternative medicine in general, but some of the things i've heard (and seen on local chiropractors' bill-boards) border on outrageous.

They're just like any other health professional....most are good but some are bad, and the bad ones are the ones you hear about. I have seen the same chiro for the last 20 years and I swear by him. Before him, I saw a quack. I was complaining about him to a classmate and she talked me into trying her chiro, and I've been with him ever since. I have seen other ones when he was out of town and I couldn't wait, and I've had good experiences with them too, so it's all in who you choose. Mine knows his limitations and has a good relationship with the neuros in town; if it's something he knows is out of his scope, he refers out.

My SIL is a physical therapist, and when I was going to my chiropractor, she told me not to let him adjust my neck, as there are a lot of potential problems that could arise if it isn't done correctly. It wasn't hard to take her advise, because my problem is in my low back, so I never let him adjust my neck, but he did wonders for my low back. I need to go back, as a matter of fact, as my back is bothering me lately. The therapy is wonderful, like going to a spa and getting a massage, only my insurance pays for it!

Good luck!

Kelly

I have been a chiropractor for 3 1/2 years. I would agree with most of what is said on the message board. True- in every profession there are good and bad, therefore a refferal from friends/family/coworkers is the best way to find a DC with a good reputation where you live. It is definatley worth a try, if you want to find out what is causing your problems as oppsed to covering them up with drugs. I've taking care of several nurses that have hurt their spines lifting patients... which all respond favorably to care. If I can help answer any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. (For those of you wondering why a DC is on all nurses- I'm considering a career change to nursing, which I wanted to do before Chiropractic)

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Well, I'm here to tell you how great they are! I have been seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis (every two weeks now) for the last year and a half. What a difference it has made! Like you, I was relunctant to go because of the stories I had heard and because I had already had an laminectomy. However, I had undergone two series of epidural injections within a year for neuropathic pain that occurred following my laminectomy and they weren't working. I thought I would go, at least, for an evaluation first. After one appointment where x-rays and a physical exam of my back was done by the chiropractor (no manipulation at that time), and a second appointment where I was shown my back x-rays and told about what chiropractic treatment would be aimed at doing, I was hooked. I haven't been disappointed. They found I had one hip lower than the other which was pulling my back out of alignment even more. I was given lifts to wear in my one shoe. It made an immediate difference. I also attended a class at the doctor's office where good spinal health was taught. I am now more careful about how I position myself when I lie down to sleep and when I sit. It has made such a difference. I have been off pain medication since going the chiropractic way although I still do have my back problem. I just feel like I am more on top of dealing with it than I was before when the MD's were managing my back pain.

If you run into a chiropractor who wants to start pushing natural medicine or vitamins on you at your first visit, leave and go to another one. I have discovered since seeing "my guy" that he is a vegetarian and really big into exercising. However, he has never lectured to me about any of that. His focus has always been on my back, back pain and maintaining whatever spinal health I have left. In fact, everyone of the chiropractors in the office where I go are very gung ho on teaching people about spinal health. That's the kind of chiropractor you want to be seeing. When I, I, mentioned that I might want to start exercising, the chiropractor had me get in touch with a personal trainer who works specifically with people who have back problems. She has been wonderful and surprisingly cheaper than the personal trainers at the big chain gyms. She, like the chiropractor, is more concerned with my spinal health and overall health than any other trainer I have worked with. She, also, doesn't push any lifestyle changes on me.

Something that did happen to me after my very first back adjustment was that about 30 minutes later I began to feel very shaky and anxious for about an hour. I didn't equate it with the back adjustment at first. However, the chiropractor called me later in the day to follow-up on me (that's another thing that I thought was pretty cool about these guys) I mentioned this and was told that this sometimes happened after initial back adjustment as nerves which were impinged by the vertebrae are released by the manual adjustment. This odd feeling happened to me two other times during my very early treatments. I feel that going to a chiropractor was the smartest thing I have ever done for myself.

I personally love my chiropractor. I have been getting my back adjusted for about 6 years now...and its great.

I feel much better when I walk out of the office, and I go for maintence adjustments about every 6 weeks. My shoulders get to the point where they go numb, and it feels like pins and needles. My lower back also gets sore, and sometimes it hurts to lay on my right side in bed b/c it strains my left hip area.

I just found out with my new chiro( have a new one since I had to move), who took Xrays, that my C1 vertebrae is slightly crooked which is causing a lot of my problems. Needless to say shes been working on fixing it and im feeling much better!

I think its just a matter of finding a board certified chiro that has no problems with them, and comes recommended if you can find one that does.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

I started going to a chiropractor a few weeks ago. So far, it has been great. The chiropractor I see practices orthogonal chiropractic. This involves no manipulation. At my first appointment, he took a series of cervical X-rays and found that I had a subluxation that was causing my neck pain. He took precise measurements and entered these into a machine. It is difficult to explain, but the machine has a stylus on it and you lie on your side with the stylus against the ear. The machine sends out a compression wave that shifts the axis that is out of place. I didn't feel anything except my face becoming warm. He explained that is the effect of the parasympathetic nervous system relaxing. Later that day I became sore and had some nausea.

I see the chiropractor twice a week for now to make sure that I maintain the correction. I wasn't sure about all this at first, but my neck feels 100% better. My legs were also misaligned and the correction took care of that. My knees even feel better. I would definately recommend this type of chiropractic care.

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