Do Chiropractors Hires Nurses?

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I've seen Chiropractor offices near my home, and I always wondered if nurses work there. Anyone know or work at one?

I agree about not having people hooked on narcs...I have very strong feelings on that as well, however, in regard to the "first do no harm issue"...I have also taken in scary cases. Such as the young man who is now a quad from a chiropractic "adjustment"...he is actually in a HALO brace so maybe there is hope for him yet....also several lumbar discectomies, s/p "adjustments...and remember, I am talking to clients all across America, so I talk to many of these dudes, I think it's more than just a couple who think they can cure cancer......I wasn't a big fan before I started doing this insurance medical review gig...now I am really turned off....Hey, if you want to be a doctor GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL YOU BUFFOONS~:jester:

I hear ya :) I worked neuro- horror stories are out there :( I don't think chiro is for anybody with a known problem where chiro can make it worse- I'm talking about those who have been x-rayed and assessed by an MD, and are looking for relief, when they can't find it elsewhere :) I don't like chiro as a first-line diagnostics/treatment :) The big thing in the 'if they do no harm' is the IF :D

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

There are two schools of thought for chiropractic.

Straight Chiropractic (the kind Diva RN might actually approve) that stick strictly to (the law according to the docs I know) spinal manipulation. No PT (ultrasound, hot/cold therapy, electrical stim). (The doc I know said if she wanted to perform massage, hot/cold therapy, etc she would have gotten a DPT instead of a DC). They do not adjust anything other than the spine (no shoulders, hips, ankles, etc.) The theory is that alignment can help you through the battles & stresses of life. This is the type of chiropractic that has often been objectively shown to have positive results in treatment back pain/problems. They might work in conjunction with a licensed massage therapist. I went to these docs after a serious car accident. I was actually discharged from active treatment for my back issues BEFORE my auto insurance requested an IME. (the invoices & scheduling crossed in the mail.) It was interesting when I went to the IME chiropractor as he was waiting for me to say that my docs had an infinite acute care plan, when in fact it had been determined that I was back at maximum function with minimal limitation for injuries directly related to the car accident. Acute treatment was no longer needed. Maintenance treatment was an option for holistic care but not at my auto insurance cost.

Then there are the "mixed" chiropractic. They offer cures for everything. My favorite is the claim to cure ADHD, autism, Asperger's, ODD, OCD, conduct disorder, dyslexia, various infectious diseases. Their office offers what are technically physical therapy services (hot/cold therapy, ultra sound, cold laser, electrical stim). Treatment plans are often extensive. It seems many patients have "disproportional" hips and/or some sort of scoliosis that only these doctors can see. I would really love to see objective, scientific evidence that their "treatment" can cure multi-drug resistant bacterial infections or atypical neurological syndromes like ADHD or autism.

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Specializes in NVRN, ICU, Critical Care.
Chiropractic is quackery.

It's sad how ignorant this statement is. Yes, many Chiro's abuse their patients insurance and MANY are taught what can be "theoretically achieved (in a vacuum)" and then apply that to the public. But a respectable Chiro is invaluable as a tool in preventative healthcare, and certainly not "quackery" as you put it. As a Massage Therapist I have worked side by side with chiro's for a while and watched as our patients lives have turned around. When bodily structures become aligned properly their blood flows efficiently, tisssue health improves, they experience fatigue less, their stress levels drop because their body is not compensating to realign itself under gravity and causing undue anxiety leading to a weaker immune system. Through first hand empirical evidence I have seen many patients health improve enough, from chiro/massage treatments, to significantly live healthier lives, kick their high bp meds and other stress/unhealthy lifestyle related proplems. Those who call this practice "quackery" are vomiting on the profession of healthcare practitioners and exploiting their own ignorance and neglect to inform themselves.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
There are two schools of thought for chiropractic.

Then there are the "mixed" chiropractic. They offer cures for everything. My favorite is the claim to cure ADHD, autism, Asperger's, ODD, OCD, conduct disorder, dyslexia, various infectious diseases. Their office offers what are technically physical therapy services (hot/cold therapy, ultra sound, cold laser, electrical stim). Treatment plans are often extensive. It seems many patients have "disproportional" hips and/or some sort of scoliosis that only n these doctors can see. I would really love to see objective, scientific evidence that their "treatment" can cure multi-drug resistant bacterial infections or atypical neurological syndromes like ADHD or autism.

Yes, these are the one's I just love...seen the Asperger's called in too, and also Bipolar disorder, they just don't get it when we deny their case. I feel sorry for the poor patients that are being taken by these crooks...and what's worse they are not getting the actual care they need..I am sure it's great when the MRSA takes over and causes overwhelming sepsis.

On the other hand...I wholeheartedly believe in massage therapy and accupuncture. I have RA, and OA and have had bilateral hip and knee replacements, I also was diagnosed with sarcoidosis a few years ago, also in my joints and lungs...I KNOW from chronic pain...believe me....:eek:...however, I only take NSAIDS and I do get frequent massages and try to get into the pool as much as I can.

Hey, I know, the next time one of my chiro guys calls in to precert something, I will see if he has a cure for any of my illnesses....why didn't I think of that before??? I wouldn't have had to have all of those pesky joint replacements:D:D

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In NY they do, especially in some integrated practices that have chiropractors, MD's, Licensed Massage Therapists, etc...BUT I did learn that as an RN you are NOT expected or even supposed to take doc's orders from a chiro so that situation could get weird quickly.

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When I was a kid (7 y/o) I'd done a back somersault and really wrenched my neck- so mom hauls me across the street to a chiro who had an office in his garage (this is in 1970, or there a bouts). He told me to relax- so I did, and he yanked my head so I thought it would pop off in his hands. I don't even remember if it did any good- just that it HURT :eek: I would never tolerate that sort of chiro again. (that's about the only sort there was back then :)).

A couple of years ago, I was looking for any pain relief (DDD, bone spurs in c- and t-spine, among other things) I'd had an MRI of my neck, seen the PTs, got the exercises, got a TENS (somewhat helpful) , couldn't take NSAIDs because of Coumadin, rheumatologist was a head case who needed medicating (chewed me out for a med I was on that had absolutely nothing to do with why I was seeing him- and didn't ask if it was effective for the neuro disorder it was prescribed for before he reamed me out for being on it... and got weird about it- creepy) , saw a pain guy for facet injections and epidurals (and a rx for methadone- which, as a past drug/alcohol rehab charge nurse made me cringe to even have a closed bottle of it- BUT when used correctly it does help a lot- and this pain guy had set-in-stone policies about no refills w/o being seen- w/methadone that was irrelevant because of being a CII- random drug screens, etc- so he was an ethical guy with the meds. But I didn't get any lasting relief from the injections- and since I was on Coumadin, I didn't like having injections into my spine- call me crazy- I didn't like that he didn't care what my INR was before impaling me !! :uhoh3:

So, I called a chiro that a friend of mine had seen, and really liked (and she was a mess from RA- had a lot of pain issues, and was a trustworthy source re: if someone was helpful. I had a few treatments, which were ok- but I never got any lasting relief. Still don't.

I never thought I'd see another chiro after the 1970 incident...but when ya hurt- you do whatever you can find to get it at least tolerable- I wasn't even looking for "good"- I just wanted the edge taken off. At any rate, this chiro was ok- gentle, used the little plunger-poker thing, and never went beyond what I could stand- I hurt already, and she didn't want to add to it. And she didn't- just didn't get enough results to make it worth going back more than a few times to see if it COULD help :)

And in keeping with the thread- there was no nurse in sight !! (besides this old duck sprawled out on the table thingy)

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
It's sad how ignorant this statement is. Yes, many Chiro's abuse their patients insurance and MANY are taught what can be "theoretically achieved (in a vacuum)" and then apply that to the public. But a respectable Chiro is invaluable as a tool in preventative healthcare, and certainly not "quackery" as you put it. As a Massage Therapist I have worked side by side with chiro's for a while and watched as our patients lives have turned around. When bodily structures become aligned properly their blood flows efficiently, tisssue health improves, they experience fatigue less, their stress levels drop because their body is not compensating to realign itself under gravity and causing undue anxiety leading to a weaker immune system. Through first hand empirical evidence I have seen many patients health improve enough, from chiro/massage treatments, to significantly live healthier lives, kick their high bp meds and other stress/unhealthy lifestyle related proplems. Those who call this practice "quackery" are vomiting on the profession of healthcare practitioners and exploiting their own ignorance and neglect to inform themselves.

I am a HUGE believer in massage therapy...just the laying on of hands is healing in it's own right...also very much into accupressure and accupuncture...but I am just really leery of the chiro angle...and can I ask you this, if the muscles are relaxed, as from several deep massages, won't the body realign itself? My orthopedic surgeon has a theory on the fact that muscles pull bone, relax the muscles, bone realigns...no chiro...

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Some Chiro. are just a joke; I said some.

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I believe that chiropractors can do good but it is difficult to find one that doesn't have it in their head that they can cure all. Honest to goodness I can only think of 1 in my area that just does straight up regular old chiropractic work without trying to convince people that he can handle anything. I worked for a chiropractor once and was really excited about it being a good experience. When I interviewed we discussed my views of medicine and chiropractic care and the chiropractor assured me that he believed that medicine had it's place. After working for him for a month I realized that it wasn't what he represented. I learned all the tricks from the inside and could then see what other chiropractors were advertising and how they went about it. I essentially had one day of training on taking xrays, doing spinal scans, electrical stimulation, and spinal decompression therapy. The chiropractor then went on and did diagnosis and patient teaching based on the xrays and spinal scans I had very little training on. I know there are bad eggs in every basket but honestly that seems to be the norm in my area for that industry. I was let go right before christmas by the office. He sat me down and I asked why I was being let go and he said that it was a business decision and I didn't need to know why. However I knew why and I just wanted to hear him say it. The day before I had been asked to pick from a large book of articles to pass out for patient education. He wanted me to hand them out to people as they were leaving. I told him that I would hand them out but I felt a little uncomfortable choosing what to do. Most of the articles were way out there and very inflammatory to medicine. I didn't say this to him but I did say that some of his patients might be put off and I was nervous about picking something that would be bad for business. Both he and the office manager looked at me like I was crazy and said they thought they were all fine. I honestly am not bitter about it because I was starting to feel very uncomfortable with my position but it really put me off regarding chiropractic care. I can't imagine what a nurse could do in an office like that. Most of the chiropractors that I have known are very at odds with medicine in general.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

Yeah, it's because they couldn't GET into medical school and don't let them tell you anything different!

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Yeah, it's because they couldn't GET into medical school and don't let them tell you anything different!

:hpygrp::cheers:

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Specializes in Psychiatry, ICU, ER.
It's sad how ignorant this statement is. Yes, many Chiro's abuse their patients insurance and MANY are taught what can be "theoretically achieved (in a vacuum)" and then apply that to the public. But a respectable Chiro is invaluable as a tool in preventative healthcare, and certainly not "quackery" as you put it. As a Massage Therapist I have worked side by side with chiro's for a while and watched as our patients lives have turned around. When bodily structures become aligned properly their blood flows efficiently, tisssue health improves, they experience fatigue less, their stress levels drop because their body is not compensating to realign itself under gravity and causing undue anxiety leading to a weaker immune system. Through first hand empirical evidence I have seen many patients health improve enough, from chiro/massage treatments, to significantly live healthier lives, kick their high bp meds and other stress/unhealthy lifestyle related proplems. Those who call this practice "quackery" are vomiting on the profession of healthcare practitioners and exploiting their own ignorance and neglect to inform themselves.

Sorry, but I'm not ignorant, have done a great deal of research on chiropractic, and I don't need YOU insulting my intelligence. I know the history of the movement, and it is entirely BOGUS. B-O-G-U-S, got it? If it works, it's because of either placebo effect or results that could have been achieved by any competent PT or orthopedic or sports medicine MD. Most "practitioners" of chiropractic are snake oil salesmen. Scammers. Absolutely to be avoided.

http://www.quackwatch.com/

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