Chiropractors...

[widebody911]

Last Friday I tweaked my lower back playing doubles beach volleyball. I've done this before: I get the spazzy-twingey pain, take a couple of days of rest, ice, stretching, etc and it eventually gets better. I spent a good part of the weekend medicated and flat on my back. By today, I'm still sore, but I'm feeling a little better.

The g/f suggests that I go see her chiropractor, who has apparently worked miracles after a minor car wreck she was in a few years ago (the sheer force of the collision cracked the rear bumper cover of her Saab clean in half!). She even had a coupon good for a Free Life Changing Chiropractic Exam (a $50 value). No, seriously - it said that - ver-bait-'em [sic]

Let me be very clear up front, I'm skeptical right off the get-go. I had an interesting run-in which a chiro years ago, which I'll detail later.

So I made an appointment and went in this afternoon. The staff was super-duper friendly, like scary friendly. Like "welcome to our cult" friendly. Other patients who walked in the door were greeted by name with over-the-top cheeriness. I fill out the patient info questionnaire, which was a Scan-Tron style sheet, which I thought was very efficient.

While I'm waiting, I'm poking around the at the reading materials available and looking at the various posters. The have pamphlets on how to use chiropractic care to cure hearing loss, weight gain, eyesight problems - even breast-feeding issues! Another detailed why babies who are delivered via C-section need chiropractic adjustments because of the trauma involved involved in being ripped out of their mother's uterus; I always thought that squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of something the diameter of a coke bottle would be more deleterious to the contents of said watermelon-sized-entity, but I guess that's why I don't have "DC" after my name.

At this point, my BS meter is starting to glow.

I'm ushered to another room so they can get my vitals. This room is full of skeletal models, and the walls are full of pictures of car crashes. After taking my basic vitals (tech: "Wow, I can barely get the BP cuff over your arm!" ), I finally get to the first part of my exam, where I tell the "doctor" where it hurts, and she pokes and prods, tells me to lift this and that, etc, etc. She takes a couple of X-rays, using equipment that I swore was used as a prop in a something you'd see on MST3K; the build plate said 1983. The X-ray room is full of anatomical whiplash diagrams, which made it appear that getting rear-ended is only slightly better than a trip to the guillotine; these diagrams show huge wedge-shaped tears in the tissue, like the poor guy pissed off a lumberjack.

I had to take my BS meter out of my pocket and run it under cold water.

So the they develop the films, and eventually Doc comes back and says "It's just what I was afraid of; your pelvis is tilted to the left, which has caused a lot of wear in the [technical term] and you have bone loss and pitting in the [technical term]. I'll have to take some measurements to see exactly how much. "Oh. Can I see the pictures?" "No, I don't have time right now. Would you like to begin treatment today?" "Well, what are you going to do?" She then tries to explain the treatment in "car guy" terminology (because she knows I'm into cars) except her knowledge of cars is probably no deeper than "I put gas in it and magic happens." She then says "We're not going to fix it today." WTF? I ask "So what are you going to do?" She sez - starting to get testy - "We can begin treatment today." "Um, how can I consent to treatment, if you won't tell me what you're going to do?" (more testiness) "I don't have time to go over it right now, but we have to start getting your spine in line, like tuning up a car engine, so it will run better." "Um, no thanks. I can't consent to you poking around if you're not going to tell me what you're going to do." At this point she gives up "Ok, have [receptionist] make you a follow-up appointment and we'll go over it then.

The receptionist is waiting for me like the bridgekeeper at the Bridge of Death; I was trapped into making a follow-up, which I did out of morbid curiosity. I got a schwag bag with a book on the wonders of chiropractic treatment, and not one, but two pamphlets on how to get your insurance company to pay for your treatment, and one of those gel packs you put in the freezer, which I gave back because I already have nicer ones.

My BS meter exploded at this point and I quietly tossed it in the bushes on they way back to my car.

I don't think they really want much to do with me, as I made it clear that this wasn't covered by my medical insurance, I don't have an ambulance chase on retainer, I wasn't wounded in an industrial accident, I wasn't crippled in a horrible touch-typing incident, and I already had a clue as to how to fix myself. I'm almost the perfect non-patient.

[GH85Carrera]

Gee what a surprize.

I don't have a problem with a chiropractor doing some basic manipluation. I do have a problem when they claim to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, or infections.

[Aurel]

There are all sorts of chiropractors...my first experience was basically like yours: big practice, that advertises, and once you get sucked into it, they put you on a machine and do not do much. I left after a year or so. Then my lower back pain came back, and I found a new guy next to my work. Great difference. First off, he has no employees, he is the healer and does all the work himself. First I saw him every week for a month or two, and he really got rid of my back pain. Then, he was honest to say I only had to see him once a month, to maintain my back. We have a good relationship, and it has been most helpful.

[Jandrews]

Great story! I actually went to a bonecrusher about 10 years ago when I had an (unbeknownst to me at the time), severely ruptured L4-5 disc. They worked on me for a couple of months and almost killed me...like I would go home and couldn't move for two days!

Finally got an MRI and had the laminectomy to repair the damaged disc. I have been great since that surgery, but I do have bouts of arthritis and the periodic tweaking very similar to what you describe. These periodic tweaks are brutally painful, and affect my mid-back more-so than my lumbar back where my surgery was. I have had multiple times where I will just be walking along and feel like I get shot in the back with a cross-bow! It is almost unbearable pain (like ready to pass out) when it occurs, and then stays sore for about 2-3 days with significant pain. Advil doesn't touch it, but I don't have a good source for black tar heroin!!

I think this is some sort of really bad muscle spasm, but I don't really know what causes it. Hearing you say you stayed medicated flat on your back in bed reminded me of what it feels like when this happens. I don't know what the fix is for this, but I don't think it would be chiropractic. Maybe some sort of back stretching or Roman Chair exercises?

Good luck. Back pain sucks!

JA

[john70t]

Chiroprators work on pushing a joint back into position, but they don't fix the underlying problems of the tight muscles/nerve inflamation/joint wear/movement habits/etc. which cause the problem. I'm guessing that a lot of those patients were in the circular Cali workers comp/corporate/legal game, where getting the patient back to work in a amenable position is the very last on the list.

I'd suggest:
-Sleep flat on the floor with your calfs on a couch, or whenever possible.
-Lots of water, vitaminC, and routine aspirin to thin the blood.
-Eat lightweight veggies to lose weight and remove GI difficulties from affecting movement.

Back problem often solve themselves over time with better habits(and natural spinal fusion), so I've heard. Good luck.

[Evans, Marv]

I went to one a long time ago for a pain from a pinched nerve on the left side at the base of my neck. I was in hopes a chiropractor could help. He said he would absolutely eliminate the pain, but needed time, so I had to pay for 3 months of treatment up front - which I did. Went in twice a week & got "adjusted." On the last "adjustment" I told him it was still killing me. He didn't really respond. I was out the 3 months cost of "treatment" and was the same. Never do that again.

[Geronimo '74]

I guess not all of them are like you describe, mine certainly isn't!
He happens to be the brother of my ex GF.
He runs a succesful practice in Antwerp, so he must be doing something right...
Very laid back, no BS, no overfriendly join the cult type stuff, he won't cure diabetes, but he can cure headaches or offer at least some relief and he can treat (some, probably not all) ear infections, even for infants!

When I was dating his sister, in the beginning I was sceptical too, but his dad (also a DC) opened my eyes when he treated me for a sore neck, INSTANT relief!
And it sure beats popping painkillers and muscle relaxants!

My advice: go see another DC, one that is there to help his patients, not only to make money.

[Bill Douglas]

I think an osteopath is a safer bet. Less BS, and less likely to give you permanent damage.

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I think an osteopath is a safer bet. Less BS, and less likely to give you permanent damage.

Less likely to give permanent damage?? The manipulation of the skeletal structure is practically the same for the two...
You are referring to that, aren't you?? Sorry, but you are wrong.

Less BS??
Please give me your definitions of chiropraxy and osteopathy and explain to me where they differ in quantity of BS....


I do not agree with your post at all. (with all due respect for all osteopaths, the OP might very well get good results with an osteopath as well)

[azasadny]

The "subluxation theory" that Chiropractic is based upon has never been proven. It's a modern-day snake-oil.

[Geronimo '74]

I hope you stay healthy and upright forever.
If not, please, by all means, take all the pills you think you will need.
Fact is, that despite the unproven (still doesn't mean it is untrue) subluxation theory, countless people have had good results due to one or the other chiropractic treatment.
Unproven does not mean BS.
It helps for many people.
That should be all that matters.

[cgarr]

My back always feels better once I remove my wallet!

[widebody911]

I forgot to tell you my previous chiro story...

Years ago, I dated a chick who was a receptionist for a chiro office; it was a husband-wife pair of bone crushers. This guy was a quack of the nth degree. I traded some PC & networking work for chiro work, so I wasn't out any real cash. I had a blown-out knee, which he claimed to be able to fix. He did all his mojo on it, to no avail; it turned out I had a torn ACL (completely torn). He said "I knew that! If you [jargon here] it will stimulate the growth of a new ACL." People would even bring their animals in for adjustments; I dropped in take the g/f to lunch one day and he was adjusting a horse in the parking lot.

But this guy captured the High Crown of Quackery (or the Ultimate Win) by convincing my g/f that he could make her boobs grow via chiropractic treatments. He did all manner of "treatments" - some I knew about, some I'm probably glad I didn't know - to this end. He even did this "treatment" where he taped tiny ball bearings to various places on her boobs to "stimulate acupressure points." She told me he had other patients to which he'd done this. Gotta give the guy points for chutzpah; he could sell snow to Eskimos.

[javadog]

I can't say that I am a fan of these guys but I did use one once. I was on a trip and managed to get something in my lower back out of whack, to the point that I couldn't walk, stand up, sit down, or do anything. Major, first-class pain and agony.... A flight home was not looking possible. I managed to get in to see one of these guys and in about a minute he had whatever was wrong with me fixed. I paid him cash, he accepted a much lower payment and it was some of the best money I've ever spent.

Haven't needed one since but I'd use one again in a heartbeat, if I had that same problem.

JR

[DanielDudley]

I think they are good for specific types of problems. I say this from personal experience.

Sorry that they haven't worked for you. I also know guys who won't take cars to mechanics, because ''You can't trust them.''. I am sure that this is partially true.

[Paul K]

Originally Posted by javadog

I can't say that I am a fan of these guys but I did use one once. I was on a trip and managed to get something in my lower back out of whack, to the point that I couldn't walk, stand up, sit down, or do anything. Major, first-class pain and agony.... A flight home was not looking possible. I managed to get in to see one of these guys and in about a minute he had whatever was wrong with me fixed. I paid him cash, he accepted a much lower payment and it was some of the best money I've ever spent.

Haven't needed one since but I'd use one again in a heartbeat, if I had that same problem.

JR

+1. I've been so crippled up I could barely walk- on several occasions. After popping pills, massage, etc. I finally went to a chiropractor & was walking upright immediately.

Without a combination of traeger massage & chirorpractic adjustments I'd be screwed.

[widebody911]

I've heard similar one-visit miracle stories, and I'm open to trying that, but how do you find these guys? All the chiros I seem to come across are from the remora genus.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by widebody911

I've heard similar one-visit miracle stories, and I'm open to trying that, but how do you find these guys?

I found mine through a referral from somebody that had used him before.

JR

[azasadny]

I chalk up any "positive experience" with Chiropractors to the "placebo effect" and the fact that most people will "feel better" after havuing hands laid upon them. I'm not saying that the traditional medical system is 100% perfect and I do not believe in taking medication for every ailment. Both of my Dr's are Osteopaths and I really like their approach. Minimal meds and emphasis on "lifestyle changes", which has worked for me. Where I live (SE MI), many Chiropractors tend to claim they can "cure" autism, breast cancer, impotence, eye and ear problems and even bedwetting. Again, no method of medicine is perfect and you have to find what works for you, I just personally prefer someone who's graduated from a traditional medical school. Just my .02 worth...

[regency]

Years ago, working for a insurance company as a claims adjuster, I got my fill of "Chiropractors". Case after case after case.........they ( DC's) would simply run wild with treatments. Finally, at the settlement conference, the atty would "blackboard" all of this treatment expenses to justify their view and value of their case. The DC's would discount their so-called bills eventually and the cases would settle. The claimant would then get ready for the next scam. Glad to be out of that line of work.

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine