What do you think of chiropractors?

angelbear · Nov 1, 2003

I honestly believe my chiro has kept me mobil for about 2 yrs now. It is also thanks to him that I got my fibro/possible lupus dx. He was doing a mild manipulation on my back and when he stood me up my vision went fuzzy. He immediately took me into his office to be more comfy and he personally called my GP who couldnt see me immediately so he and my chiro had me sent to the ER. Turns out I had fluid pressure of the brain. After much testing and many appt with Neurologist and internist Dx was of fibro and possible lupus. My MD is very good at working closely with my chiro. That to me proved he was good he knew immediately when something was beyond his scope and took immediate action. So there you go I am Pro good chiro's.

PilotJim68 · Nov 1, 2003

Originally posted by fr33shot
is it possible to get some kind of certification or whatnot to be a chiropractor and still be a nurse? Like .. once I finish my CNA could is there a class or something I could pick up and take to let me be able to do that? That'd be awesome! :)

*Michael.

Michael,

Chiro's go through extensive training to get their license. As a matter of fact, they go through the same education (time wise and anatomy wise) as a medical doctor and a little more in regard to their field. They are highly educated individuals but I find it ironic that you ask such a question as there is in fact a Chiropractor in my Nursing I class. He said he wants to learn the more caring aspect of medicine and also looks forward to our E.R. rotation.

LeesieBug · Nov 1, 2003

My mother SWEARS by her chiropractor. SHe keeps trying to get me to go, but I don't have the nerve....seems scary to me. Plus it IS expensive, since my insurance does not cover that type of thing either.

Someone mentioned above that the military DOES offer chiropractic to family members...well, I think SmilingBluEyes is right on that one. There are quite a bit of things that they do NOT offer to family that they do soldiers. My friend (active duty mil. family) needs a hearing aid and is bustin' her butt trying to find a social service agency that will help her pay the 2800 bucks for it, while her husband is risking his tail in Iraq for the next year! (sorry to get a bit of topic...that just burns me)

One of these days I guess I'll take Mom's advice and try out the chiropractor.

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 1, 2003

Leesie is right....I CAN get referral for chiropractic care from my primary NP or Dr., as a dependent, but TRICARE won't reimburse me for it once I visit. Just cause I have ACCESS like my active-duty husband, does not mean they will PAY once I have gone there. I can't afford it, so I don't get to go, and neither do my kids. I think it needs to be changed, frankly. I know of no chiro's at the base hospitals in my area, either, so that is not an option. The closest they have is D.O., which around here function mostly as M.D.'s dispensing pills, not wholistic care/advice, unfortunately.

Gold_SJ · Jul 10, 2011

I personally think they're amazing they don't just do bones but muscles as well. I have three herniated discs and suffer occasional sciatic pain and numbness in my right leg when the sciatic/numbness occurs or I strain my back and have lower back pain which if you've experienced it, you know the sort I mean, laying in bed with your legs up on pillows privately dying.

One to two sessions and it's gone, totally gone, the sciatic, numbness disappears and gradually does the expanse of my back pain (that can takes weeks/months). I'll always have pain if I bend or exert myself and he told me this straight up. He gives exercises to stregthen your core and good realistic advice eg. losing weight, sports to do and not to do.

But like people say I'm sure there's bad and good ones out there like every other profession. I just have to say Chiropractors to me are amazing truly have made my life better and much more painless. So I shall advocate for them :)

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2011

a chiropractor can be good, bad, or indifferent; can advertise what chiropractic is accurately or not; can meet, not meet, or exceed standard of practice and licensure; can promise the moon and the stars and "treat" you indefinitely while you take your normal occasional remissions as proof of efficacy; can be a good enough diagnostician to recognize when something needs referral to a specialist stat; can make somebody stroke out because of not recognizing or seeking to rule out symptoms of carotid insufficiency before manipulating a neck; i've seen all of these.

around here insurance classifies chiropractic care with physical therapy, which means patients usually get 8-12 visits approved and then if that doesn't work they need to see a real physician or start paying for it themselves. tends to weed out the bogus ones, except for those whose patients are the true believers. there are those who don't really understand that migraines don't come from cervical vertebrae, although you can get headaches when you have neck strain (take a look at where your trapezius starts and ends, and you'll see why kevin youkilis, red sox third baseman extraordinaire, had really bad headaches for awhile after being hit by a pitch between his scapulae). there are those who don't realize that the numbah one cause of backache is not "subluxation" but muscle strain, and who would rather feel better by a passive expensive touch than go to the trouble of actually strengthening their core.

a really excellent chiro (and i have worked c two in twenty-five years) makes a patient become more active, makes the patient responsible for working an effective home exercise plan, encourages healthy behaviors, and sets and enforces time limits on treatment.

most important, though, is the diagnostic savvy to refer out conditions beyond the scope of chiro care. i took a lady once to a chiro for a work back injury; i was very impressed by the careful h&p he took before he ever examined her, noting that her pain was worse when she went to bed at night, didn't change that much with movement, and although she had been trying to be active, was worsening. he felt strongly that she had some sort of malignancy in there, and we sent her to a spine surgeon, and sure enough, she did. no longer a work comp case and i lost here there, but anytime i had a patient that needed pt for a minor back injury i sent them to him from then on. he was a genius at sussing out unhealthy behaviors and making people say, almost without knowing it, "gee, yeah, i could do that, sure," after he tells them they will be better in eight weeks if they do this and that and he won't see them any longer because he is confident they'll be fine. and they are.

that's a good chiro.

voraciousj · Jul 10, 2011

I love my chiropractor...he's saved me more times than I can count!

I have arthritic hips at the tender age of 30, so I go see him often!

nuangel1, BSN, RN · Jul 10, 2011

i am sure there are good and bad ones.but i swear by mine .he works with my pcp .i have severe cervical stenosis c4-6 and 2 disc bulging with 2 bone spurs.my spine is a mess .i tried PT. with my injuries 1 work 1 mva .but for me chiro worked better and got me back to work.yes i did need nsiads and muscle relaxers at times also.but it

worked for me.i am able to continue to work in my ed.i use chiro for flare ups only .because my insurance only covers 12 visits per year and i can't afford it out of pocket.last year was my back year before my neck.my chiro reads my xrays mris etc very knowledgeable and very well trained.he was recommended to me by my pcp.before the chiro touches me he takes a thorough hx ,meds activities what makes it worse ,etc

elthia · Jul 18, 2011

My dear stepdaughter was having GI upset, I believed it was due to stress and an unhealthy diet. Her mother, upon whom I shall try very hard not to pass judgment, but is the custodial parent stated I am a quack, an idiot, and have no idea of what I am talking about.

Mom took DD to a chiro, after pushing on her belly, and recommending a water pillow, he then announced she had lead poisoning and needed chelation therapy. NO bloodwork, or any other labs were down. After DH threatened to take her back to court. Mom dropped the chiro, and took DD to a children's hospital, where she went numerous tests, including upper and lower GI series, surgery even was discussed only to be dx with stress and sent to therapy with orders to stop eating so much fast food/junk food. It's been a few years, and Mom hasn't said anything, but DD has not c/o GI upset since a few months after starting therapy.

The same chiro then made waves, when we had a pt admitted, pt had n/v/d, and part of the H/P mentioned having been dx with lead poisoning and receiving chelation therapy. This was a migraine pt. I was charge nurse, so I knew some of the story, but I didn't read the chart to find out if levels were drawn to check for lead poisoning.

allnurses Guide · Jul 18, 2011

I once applied for a job at a chiro clinic.

Truly, one of the most bizarre job interviews I have ever been through.

I will not go into it here, but after what I saw and heard... oh hell no!!

It was nuts!!

But it could have just been that office.

I hope.

Rob72, ASN, RN · Jul 18, 2011

Personally, I would go for a yoga or tai chi class first, and learn your capacity for self-manipulation. Carotid dissection and spinal compression are the most serious common complications.

As noted, there are good and bad, as with any group, but a certain personality/performance type are strongly attracted to this profession, not always for the better.

chorkle · Jul 19, 2011

My father, then a semi-retired farmer (and highly-educated in a former lifetime), said the attraction to him of the local chiropractor was that he could get seen that day, when he had a problem. If he called an M.D.'s office, he said, he could get an appt. in a week, or two, maybe.

My experience with a chiropractor seemed to be of the variety where one is charged for an office visit to have done what one could do by oneself at home, if the chiropractor would explain that--and then be scheduled for 8 weekly followup visits.