Should I see a chiropractor for my back?

[cantdrv55]

Last December, I was laid up for a week. This spring, I was laid up again for a couple of days. That time, I had an XRay and PT. XRay showed no spine issues. PT was really no help. I think taking it easy was what "healed" my back.

Took my family camping after Thanksgiving and tweaked my back again. I am not laid up but am walking, standing crookedly. Ibuprofen dulls the pain but it's still there. Thinking about seeing a chiropractor but not sure.

What do we think about them? My insurance covers 85% of the visits up to 25 sessions per year. Should I try it? Has anyone here been healed by a chiropractor? "Adjustments" sound a little scary to me?

[Geronimo '74]

Not scary at all.
Worth a try.
Some find it more helpful than others.
My chiro was a great help with my neck issues.

I would say do it, if you don't shoot, you'll always miss...

[Bill Douglas]

A physio might be a better (safer) bet.

I used to have a bad back+hip but I started dog walking up steep hills and trail running with the dogs once a week. Now my back is fine. I think joints and spine need a good stretch and bounce around.

[VincentVega]

Scary to me too. I went once, never again. I'm sure there are good experiences and good chiro's but I didnt find one.

Best bet, get strong abs and back. I know that doesnt help now.

[Rikao4]

like Vincent said..
it's a trust issue...
BL is one..I will not let him near me..
Dr. I know & trust knows some of the tricks..
so I was willing & able to relax's..
it worked for me..

Rika

[john70t]

A chiropractor will pop things back into place, but they will slip out again under stress.

Swimming strengthens all the sub-muscle groups and helps maintain alignment.

An inversion table will help stretch out the vertebrae along with everything else.

Acupuncture will help overall circulation, loosening, and balancing when done right.

Massage is good. Especially deep tissue/sweedish.

Rolfing (extreme massage) will hurt like hell, no question, but it breaks everything apart so they can slide normally again.

I've used the Korean Migun Thermal Massage Therapy Beds massage table bed at the local Natural Body Health and Wellness - Services. It rocks and I'm completely tenderized and feeling good the next day. There might be a place that rents them in your area.
I'm bummed because the center is closing in February, and Migun corp. is probably going to stop selling anything in the USA. Why? because the FDA won't let them repair their own equipment without permits and special training, wants them to track everything because it's medical equipment for recalls, and certification/etc adds another $500 to the cost of every new bed sold. So I've been told.

[UconnTim97]

A chiropractor did a great job on resetting a dislocated rib. As John said it will pop out of place a few times. It's pretty well set now after doing exercises to strengthen the area. I'm back to riding my bike and that has helped tremendously.

Give it a try

[sammyg2]

I know chiropractors work.
I've been going to one three times a week for 20 years!

Serial, it might help and it probably won't hurt.

[dennis in se pa]

I went to 5 different chiros before I found one that knew what he was doing. Keep trying different ones. There are a few good ones out there, you just "knead" to find them. That's a joke son! Don't listen to your regular doc when he says your back is OK. A good chiro will fix you up.

[wswartzwel]

How old are you? At 55 I have degenerative disk disease (normal aging of the back) saw a specialist, Had MRI's exray's and scans done.. was told surgery was not the best choice. I was in so much pain I wasn't sure if I could continue to work... PT did nothing.. Inversion table helped a little. I started doing some stretches that a Professor at the PT dept of our local college showed me.. I do plank exercises every morning, and I ride my mountain bike at least once a week... I now have zero pain.. and I can lift heavy things without pain. if I start sitting around and not exercising I can feel the pain from arthritis starting to come back... as long as I am active I am fine.

Hope you find a solution, as back pain is horrible.

[DanielDudley]

The first time I put my back out, we were loading a grand piano into a truck, and all teh guys let go of my end, which was the keyboard end. I should have dropped it, but it was worth a small fortune. After a week of pure agony, I went to see an old chiropractor, and he did what he called the ''million dollar roll''. When my back cracked, you could hear it in the next room, and it sounded like a pistol went off. I didn't see a chiropractor again for over 8 years.

There are some things they can help, and other things they cannot.

I do a series of stretches now that keep all of my muscles from pulling on my spine. Most people think that they need to stretch the back muscles, but often it is the inner thigh muscles and the inner stomach muscles that pull the spine forward. Once you are in pain, often certain muscles lock up, ''thinking'' that they are stabilizing your back. often they need to be ''talked'' into releasing. Ice and heat are great for locked up muscles. Ice is terrible for pinched nerves. Acupuncture can often unlock clenched muscles and relieve pain, but you need a very good acupuncturist if you are really locked up.

In the end, you need core strength and more importantly, evenly tensioned muscles and (more to the point) flexibility. There are stretches for all of the cardinal points of the compass. the trick is to hit all the major core groups.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

I never understood the popping of a "back "into place a story worth repeating
It is a cavitation much like popping the knuckles .
The back is a much larger in diameter than most people realize and it has to be considering what it does.
It lifts the body weight plus whatever other burden imposed upon it.
No one is going to move that thing, but its a feel good deal to some people when it is popped !
Back to the pain- I have found that HOT rocks and a real good massage is great for the pain.
Probably better for you than what any quack can do with his popping BS .
That said if you do have real back damage, you need a lot more than what a chiropractor can or will ever do for you .

Ignore him, since he thinks that a Chiropractor "pops" backs.


Go see a Chiro, they should spend an hour with you the first time, give at home stretching instructions, maybe some strengthening exercise, and should require an x-ray.
If they don't do that but try to sell you some pills or herbs or something, leave. go to another.

There are too many bad Chiros out there who put making money above care, but the good ones are gold. A good one wants you to get better, and will recognize when a situation is beyond Chiropractic care and will send you off in that case. A good one will have a file with various other doctors that they trust and will suggest if needed.

Full disclosure, my wife is a Chiro and we own a clinic. She's one of the good ones, and hates the bad ones for making her profession a bit hard to accept.

[MBAtarga]

If you can get referrals for a GOOD chiropractor, they will be your newest best friend. I've had the same guy for almost 20 years - and he is a miracle worker. I've been to others previously - and they were lousy, only interested in me coming in once or twice a week or so - forever.

My guy - I can go 6 months, 12 months or more -with no issues and no visits. But I can tweak something out of place, give a call and see him the next day. Might take another trip or two over the next few weeks, but then that's it until I do something stupid again.

[stomachmonkey]

I swear by Chiropractors.

Yes some of the sound you hear is due to the release of gases but that action also results in relaxation of the muscles surrounding the area which has enormous benefit.

I use an inversion table daily which helps.

I also take glucosomine/chondroitin/MSM

Does not work for everyone so it's considered snake oil by many but all I know is if I'm not paying attention and run out I start to feel it in as little as week.

[Moses]

A good chiropractor can work wonders. However....
Google "chiropractor" and "vertebral artery".

[Evans, Marv]

I once had a big problem with one of the nerves at the base of my neck/between the shoulders. Huge amount of pain, and it started with a coughing spell. I had pain shooting from my trapezius, over my left shoulder area & down & around the elbow, back of the fore arm and the little finger & the one next to it. I tried the doctor route and treatments with meds without any improvement. Decided to try a Chiro. Went to one near by, explained the problem, and he assured me 100% he could cure it. I had to pay for four months of treatments, three times a week up front - which I did. I went in three times a week, and he cracked my back. The treatment didn't have the slightest bit of effect. The last treatment I went to, I told him it was killing me and was met with silence. The pain finally went away after about five to seven years. Never again am I going to a Chiro.

[sugarwood]

Most people think chiros are snake oil quacks.
The only thing I've heard that consistently works is massage for relief and building core strength.
Most "cures" overlook the fact that it may have simply healed on it's own.

[sammyg2]

Many years ago I had serial back problems and tried several chiro-crackers.

One quacker showed me gas bubbles in my x-ray and said all my back problems would be cured if I buy a real strong laxative from him and take it every day! I said something about his mother and then left.

I eventually found one that was really good and provided temporary relief.

In the long run, repairing my back and taking care of it eliminated the need for chiropractic.

I look at it like taking an aspirin. It'll make ya feel better for a while and if that's all ya need, great!

But don't expect it to fix what's causing the headache in the first place.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

At 55 I have degenerative disk disease (normal aging of the back) saw a specialist, Had MRI's exray's and scans done.. was told surgery was not the best choice.

IMO of course:

Normal USA/AMA approved back surgery (aka "fusion") involves screwing a locking plate into adjoining vertebrae.
The thick muscular sheath surrounding the spinal cord is cut sideways, which severs all kinds of important stuff.
All three vertebrae are locked together with hardware!
Later on, the next two adjoining disks take up the additional stresses when regular work activities are continued.
Then the next two disks are usually bound to fail within five years.

The other option is the European artificial disk replacement which is relatively non-intrusive.
It has been used for many decades over there.
There were problems with earlier batches.
It sometimes doesn't last more than a decade or two. But I really don't know.
Only limited medical facilities in the US perform this procedure, but it might be something to look into.

Don't let one doctor steer you.

Also:
If the vertebral bone itself is damaged/crushed/shattered, there are techniques that will glue the whole thing back together within days without much pain.
This will put the entire spinal column back into vertical alignment.
The load will then be spread across the whole disk instead of pinching a corner.

[sammyg2]

Back surgery should always be considered a last resort IMO, I often wish I has sought out alternatives more vigorously.