Opinions On Chiropractors

[Darb77]

Ok I hurt my back about three weeks ago in my upper trap area/neck area. I went to my family doctor and he gave me some muscle relaxers and while it helped some I still am not where I should be in terms of healing.

I have hurt this same area probably 6 times in my life. It just kinda happens when I am lifting and I dont know how to avoid it really. The times I have hurt it I was using good form and actually have hurt while doing several different exercises. It is kinda like a weak spot or something in my back. I also have been having some lower back pain and it feels like things are grinding and popping.

I went to the chiro today for the first time ever and they really worked me over! I heard cracking in my back and neck to the extreme. He took X rays before hand and said I was pretty out of wack. He also said my hips are crooked and I shift to the right alot. I have always felt this way actually when I squat and do leg exercises. The chiro cracked my neck and back and then another guy did a deep tissue massage on my trap/neck area and also worked on my elbow some. He really massaged me hard! it wasnt exactly pain-free lol.

I gotta admit.... I feel a hell of alot better after just one time. Of course they want me to come back in some more and told me it is a "gradual" process. They work on alot of bodybuilders in my area and even sell supps at the place.

What do you guys think about chiros in general? I am still skeptical and have always heard it is a scam. Have they helped any of you guys alot? Wanted to hear some opinions!

Thanks!

 

[Michaelthomasj]

Scam? Absolutely not! These are doctors and they are experts when it comes to the spine and everything involved with it. Now with every profession out there; you will have good chiros and bad chiros. You need to find a chiro that has a sport background etc. I sware by chiros, and I have had so much relief and healing from mine. I moved to SC from NY and have missed my chiro a lot. I am moving back to NY soon, and he is top priority when i get back.

Anyway it sounds as if you found relief from this dr.. so stick it out and see what happens

 

[Darb77]

Thanks for the opinion! I am actually excited about going. I have felt out of wack with my whole back/body for some time now. I know the guy that did the deep tissue stuff was a pretty big guy and is big into lifting. They seemed like great guys and didnt even charge me for the first visit and they probably worked on me for an hour and a half.

I have just heard so many negative things about them and people calling them "quacks". I was pretty suprised when he said my hips are crooked..... I have felt that for a long time now. Maybe this will really pay off in the long run. Cant hurt to try I guess.

 

[bmcjames]

I had bad experience with chiropractors personally.
One of them was a good friend of mine at the time, knew the guy for about 3 years, built his viper race car, etc....

Basically long story short. I had a blown l4/l5 disk but the chiro (my friend) said that he could work me 4x a week and after 4 months it would be 100%. Well I went through that 3x a week and 4 months later and over a grand missing from my bank account... IT WAS STILL THERE AND HURTING. At that point I went to a Orthopedic surgeon, next week was MRI, then 1 week later I was schedule for non invasive surgery. Took about 4 lays in bed and then I was back on my feet feeling 100% again.

Its up to you, Personally if it was just a sprain or something like that I would say use the Chiro, but if not I would say get it fixed and be done with it. I was 22 years old at the time and there was no way in hell I was going to accept life as having the back of a 60 year old.

EDIT, yes he was highly involved in sports. Lives in one of the richest parts of Houston, his main clients are Astros players, boxers, and Texans players.

 

[Darb77]

Yea my issues are mainly just minor low back pain with the exception of the upper trap/neck are that I hurt while doing the low row hammer machine. Im not expecting a miracle but I am hoping it helps! When I work out it loosens up and feels great. I mainly have pain while just sitting around and going through every day life.

 

[bmcjames]

Well you don't sound as bad off as I was.

I literally went from being totally normal, to when the back popped, within 8 hours I was limping around like Quasi Moto, dragging my left leg. EXTREME pain every way imaginable. It was like this for the 4 months that I went through my chiro's "help". I couldn't drive standard because it hurt to much to push in the clutch, sitting in a chair hurt, laying hurt, everything just hurt.

 

[dieselman2388]

Chiropractors are not scams at all brother. If you are out of line and you need to see one do not hesitate problems with the spine just compound over time. A lot of chiropractors are starting to get into muscle rehabilitation now too which I think is cool because the body is suppose to work in harmony, you cannot have a strong squat for example without a strong spine/tendons/hips/muscles etc.

 

[QuietStorm]

personally, I think chiro's are quacks. personal experience. bad back injury and im absolutely certian that prick made it worse. i have to live with it for the rest of my life.
my advice:
stay the hell away from chiro's and only trust your back to an orthopedic doctor.

 

[Darb77]

Interesting......some are really for them and some really against.

 

[Big Dave Smith]

I work for one. There are varying levels of quality. If you have certain issues, they are a life saver. Other issues can be aggravated by them. I get free adjustments. I KNOW they help me. Instant pain relief. I also, against their advice, got an inversion table. It also is a must have for deadlifts and squats.

The quack thing comes from the fact that doctors are on one side and chiros are on the other. The truth lies in between. Chiros have to make money, so even good ones become scammers by having to convince you to come back twice a week and sell you bullshit homeopathic remedies. If they all worked together, that'd be true medicine.

My boss is a little too anti doctor, but 90% of his approach is honest and healthier than popping pills... But I would like my vicodin and muscle relaxers when I get injured!

 

[Nssca]

Chiropractors are the biggest waste of money in the medical industry.
Lets look at it in very simple terms: You play Chiropractor when you crack your knuckles. Do you feel better? No. you need to crack them more...the more you crack them. It does nothing for the well being of your hand...it does nothing... ZERO... Got to a Physical therapist or a massage therapist...
You can get your girl friend or wife to crack your back and it does the same thing a Chiropractor charges you hundreds of dollars to do....WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY

 

[Ashop]

Ok I hurt my back about three weeks ago in my upper trap area/neck area. I went to my family doctor and he gave me some muscle relaxers and while it helped some I still am not where I should be in terms of healing.

I have hurt this same area probably 6 times in my life. It just kinda happens when I am lifting and I dont know how to avoid it really. The times I have hurt it I was using good form and actually have hurt while doing several different exercises. It is kinda like a weak spot or something in my back. I also have been having some lower back pain and it feels like things are grinding and popping.

I went to the chiro today for the first time ever and they really worked me over! I heard cracking in my back and neck to the extreme. He took X rays before hand and said I was pretty out of wack. He also said my hips are crooked and I shift to the right alot. I have always felt this way actually when I squat and do leg exercises. The chiro cracked my neck and back and then another guy did a deep tissue massage on my trap/neck area and also worked on my elbow some. He really massaged me hard! it wasnt exactly pain-free lol.

I gotta admit.... I feel a hell of alot better after just one time. Of course they want me to come back in some more and told me it is a "gradual" process. They work on alot of bodybuilders in my area and even sell supps at the place.

What do you guys think about chiros in general? I am still skeptical and have always heard it is a scam. Have they helped any of you guys alot? Wanted to hear some opinions!

Thanks!

I think a good knowledgable one can be very benficial. They have helped me many times.

 

[Snooze]

those who said waste of money and they are quacks, my chiro did more for my pinched nerves than any MD did. i think the problem is the educational requirements and there are a lot of non qualified chiros out there..just like md's.
i go to one that specialize in sports medicine. professional athletes go to this guy so they must not think he is a quack either.

 

[concreter]

Being in the concrete trade for 25yrs, at 6'2", tall for bending over all day and lifting things from 5lbs x 1000 reps plus others up to 300lbs with no handles while twisting and turning I'd say there a life saver..Theres been times where I could not sit for 2 weeks [only stand or lay]. and after seeing so many with the 4" scare from surgery on there spine I am glad there is such a practice. Dr's only want to cut. Still dead lifting 500+ after 50 visits in 25 yrs, No Pain...

 

[Moen]

You can easily do the cracking yourself by lying on a bed or table with one leg off of it and then twisting while holding your breath. That is ofcourse if you want to do that since basically every real doctor will say it's very bad for the spine (the twisting motion).

 

[Thor]

Well...

My chiro is great, he is very inexpensive and is one of the best out there(imo) he has helped me tremendously,as long as I go just once a month I am fine and working in construction still at 50 years old I would be so hurting without him.

 

[myosin]

This

I work for one. There are varying levels of quality. If you have certain issues, they are a life saver. Other issues can be aggravated by them. I get free adjustments. I KNOW they help me. Instant pain relief. I also, against their advice, got an inversion table. It also is a must have for deadlifts and squats.

The quack thing comes from the fact that doctors are on one side and chiros are on the other. The truth lies in between. Chiros have to make money, so even good ones become scammers by having to convince you to come back twice a week and sell you bullshit homeopathic remedies. If they all worked together, that'd be true medicine.

My boss is a little too anti doctor, but 90% of his approach is honest and healthier than popping pills... But I would like my vicodin and muscle relaxers when I get injured!

I'm an ICU nurse with a heavy background in kinesiology... before going into nursing I researched a lot of the different health fields. As BDS said, I think it really varies and you just have to be very careful with who you go to, or at least, who keep seeing. I get tired of the whole MD vs DC thing, both have merit, and, both can be quacks or mis-informed, "out there", etc.

Health problems and how to treat come down to basic options- treat the cause, or treat the symptoms... both of which MD's or DC's may do... the better option being to treat the problem.

My suggestion- if you are still interested in using DC, find one who will address the problem... maybe a muscle imbalance, etc.

With my research before going to nursing, I found that Naprapathy was a field I almost chose as they deal with just that, the problem. They do a lot of soft tissue manipulation vs just adjustments (again, maybe a muscle is too tight or too weak which is what is causing the problem, etc).

The only reason I didn't go into the field is that, at the time at least- I don't know about now- is they weren't licensed, so, they could not bill insurance companies. BUT- MANY chiropractors are also Naprapath's. The DC's I talked to who were also ND's said that they actually practice more as an ND but use their DC status to bill. Maybe try to find one like that.

 

[Pushinw8s]

I could not survive without my Chiropractor. I lived with back pain for YEARS, and had always heard they mess things up even more. My back pain felt better the same day I had my first adjustment. I have been seeing my Chiro for 5 years now, and could not live without him.

 

[j-bird]

Just like any profession some are good and some (most, IMO) are bad. Sometimes you can benefit from a chiro and sometimes you can't (and sometimes your back would stop hurting after three weeks even if you did not got to the chiro; yet if you had been going, you attribute your back healing to the chiro even though it would have stopped hurting on it's own. Pretty much ALL will tell you to keep coming back even when they should refer you to someone else like PM&R or orthopedic surgeon.

Check out chirobase.org
Especially look at the educational experiences of some of these guys...

Also, they are getting into "muscle rehab" because the subluxation theory has been disproven and they want to have something efficacious to keep patients coming back for more

Edit: just re-read my post and it seems very critical. I DO think chiropractors can be beneficial in some cases, but many of them do not practice ethically and what they have to offer should, in many cases, be a small part of a persons treatment, not the whole thing. But unfortunately that probably will never happen bc MD's never refer pt's to chiro's and chiro's (other than ethical ones) do not refer to MD's

 

[utex45]

Ok I hurt my back about three weeks ago in my upper trap area/neck area. I went to my family doctor and he gave me some muscle relaxers and while it helped some I still am not where I should be in terms of healing.

I have hurt this same area probably 6 times in my life. It just kinda happens when I am lifting and I dont know how to avoid it really. The times I have hurt it I was using good form and actually have hurt while doing several different exercises. It is kinda like a weak spot or something in my back. I also have been having some lower back pain and it feels like things are grinding and popping.

I went to the chiro today for the first time ever and they really worked me over! I heard cracking in my back and neck to the extreme. He took X rays before hand and said I was pretty out of wack. He also said my hips are crooked and I shift to the right alot. I have always felt this way actually when I squat and do leg exercises. The chiro cracked my neck and back and then another guy did a deep tissue massage on my trap/neck area and also worked on my elbow some. He really massaged me hard! it wasnt exactly pain-free lol.

I gotta admit.... I feel a hell of alot better after just one time. Of course they want me to come back in some more and told me it is a "gradual" process. They work on alot of bodybuilders in my area and even sell supps at the place.

What do you guys think about chiros in general? I am still skeptical and have always heard it is a scam. Have they helped any of you guys alot? Wanted to hear some opinions!

Thanks!

Find a chiro that does ART therapy also. I injured my back years ago and always have on again off again issues in my lower back. I found a chiro that does ART and specializes in athletes. Turns out most of my issues are due to having tight hip flexors and psoas muscles. He works me over about every couple months...bam no more issues. He has also cleared up shoulder and neck issues when they come up. But I think the combination of working on the muscle fascia along with adjustment fixes issues long term.