What's up with Chiropractors?
 

I've never been to see a chiropractic before, but a colleague at work suggests that many people who don't even suffer back pain would benefit from the work of a Chiropractor.

His reasoning is this, we have many falls from childhood up to adults and alignments of the vertebrae can fix these issues before they show up in pain and discomfort.

Does he have a point? It sounds reasonable. I don't really have back pain.

i saw a show where a mom put her hands on her ailing child and the chiro massaged the mom..stating the healing properties would go thru mom and transfer to the kid.

mom was cute..and chiro got to diddle her.. the way i saw it, there were three idiots in the room..the chiro, the mom, and the kid because he got mom's genes..

I did it for a while and I think it works. To me it's effective the same way that . . . excercise or stretching or drinking the right amount of water is effective. Except you pay $50 a pop.

Same as doctors, some are good and others not so much.

I had dislocated three metacarpals and the doctor said it was just a sprain and gave me a painkiller prescription. Went from his office to the chiropractor who saw the bumps and promply put them back and I went home relatively pain free.

Helped another friends daughter when her hips were misaligned. Made a huge difference for her.

We have a friend that says her chiropractor can cure cancer though. May have been the same one that was on vash's show.

Good points.

My colleague also said because these vertebrae are protecting the central nervous system, fixing alignment issues can solve other problems. He specifically mentioned his allergies went away after he was fixed by the doctor/chiropractor.

If it ain't broke....don't fix it.

woo but then you believe in woo
so it may ''work'' for you

Heh.

If your alignment is already good, you won't benefit. But then you probably wouldn't know, unless you got an adjustment. Catch 22... :)

And most people probably are out-of-alignment, and would never notice, unless there's actual pain/stiffness or lack of mobility.

So those folks would certainly benefit from a periodic adjustment - although I've never subscribed to the semi-spiritual qualities attributed to this by some chiropractors, there's no doubt that they can be very good at relieving back/neck issues either caused by damage or the body trying to do the wrong thing to deal with misalignment.

I've seen many chiropractors over the last 10 years, what with travelling, a degenerative neck condition and much back/neck damage from various misadventures. But none for the last 2-3. Which has to say something...

They can vary a heck of a lot. Like, from Jiffy-lube up to the very best - although they all charge much the same, and their offices/advertisements look very similar.

See if you can get a recommendation from someone that's seen plenty of them...

Personally, I prefer osteopaths; there seems to be less mumbo-jumbo, and I agree that, if the body is actually damaged, the approach of massaging the muscles the bones are attached to so that they're soft and relaxed BEFORE you adjust the bones/joints for their correct alignment seems to make sense (which seems to be the main difference between the two, when you discount the stuff I don't believe in much anyway).

Chiropractors are increasingly doing that as well, with either real massage, ultrasound treatment or massage tables before the adjustment.

I have had great success with chiropractic treatment.

I should go this week.


KT

The 80/20 rule applies here like everywhere else. I went to 5 different chiros over the years. The last one knew what he was doing, the first 4 were quacks. I don't go unless I am in pain. He says he does not take away the pain, he takes away the source of the pain. And that he does. Just like medical doctors, IT people and every other profession, only the top few really are really good at what they do.

About a dozen yrs ago, I was traveling in a car for 5 days looking at 160 +/- commercial properties for a potential purchase. I was in the passinger seat writing & preparing info & using it once at the site. Upon our return I had a huge pain in the neck. Muscle relaxers & other rx didn't work. My MD recommended a local chiopractor. I was sceptical. I went to about 7 or 8 visits and the pain was relieved. Haven't been back but I have no doubt that this form of medecine works under the right circumstances.

I'd try to find one who has admit privs. at a hospital and works with MDs, esp. orthopods or neurosurgeons.

Yes, they do exist.

The other issue is whether once an adjustment puts your spine into alignment -- will it go out again...

for that, yoga or tai chi should help.

Beware any who want to set you up on a "schedule"...if this is recommended when you have no symptoms upon intiial presentation, run!!!

My personal pet chiro. peeve is taking an x-ray that "shows" misalignment before manipulation yet no film is taken after to "show" better alignment...as if a lay person can make heads or tails of a relatively normal x-ray anyway.

Webb nailed it..

my BIL is one..a quack...
I would not let him touch my plants..

the one I have used.. with good results..
does 'adjustments' on folks that get knocked out in the hospital first..
he works with surgeons & ortho folks..
that they will work alongside him..
tells much..

shop around..

Rika

What do you make of his claim that his allergies were relieved after chiropractic care?

I've been seeing one regularly the last few months. Some x-ray comparisons to after my motorcycle accident two years ago - shows improvement. There was a slight curve to the left in my spine related to the soft-tissue damage I experienced all through my back.

After regular visits I must say that things are much better. Pain is greatly diminished, posture is better (it is not uncomfortable to sit with correct posture at length) and overall improvement. The chiropractor I see doubles as an ortho specialist (real MD) so I'm sure that helps.

allergies are not always permanent..
I suffered like crazy in Europe...
in TX's with lots of stuff to sneeze or hack up....
not a single event...
my Lady couldn't go near seafood for yrs..
it's a fav of her's now..

Rika

My sister ended up not needing to have her tonsils removed after visiting a chiropractor. YMMV

Many years ago I had a herniated disc. It would come and go, I was still working in the field and lifting was part of the job.

I went to a chiro and walked out crippled. I mean crippled. He torqued my body so much during the "alignment" that the disc broke the membrane and the disc pulp extruded, the piece of disc material went from the L3-L4 level past the L4-L5 level, almost to S1.
I could not use my left leg, urinate of have a bowel movement normally. I had to have a duoble laminectomy to put me kind of right. I went to one who claimed he could reverse cancer, I walked out.

So I'm gonna say NO to chiros. Plus, when I was going prior to the incident, they did not help.

Back in the day I raced motocross & of course crashed, Skatedboarded in swimming pools, ditches etc biffed it. When I first went to a chiropractor recommended by a friend I did not have back pain by was needing a tune up. In LA after crashes on PCH chiropractic along with acupuncture & deep tissue massage got me squared away with no pain or restricted range of motion. Most of the chiropractors that I have been to have been excellent & helpful only one or two were lame. BTW I have also seen it be amazingly effective on preserving mobility with serious conditions such as Huntington's Disease. D.O.s can be very good too especially if they are hands on with soft tissue techniques.