Chiropractors what’s your experience?

[Daedius]

My sister goes to one often enough, she's a riding instructor, and it works.

[Ghostpanther]

Not my experience at all but maybe US medical care is different, I can not say.
In any case, I would not want to be "treated" by someone that does not really know what they are doing.

Like gas mileage, your experience may be different. I have known personally of normal family doctors and dentists I would place into the " Does not know what the hell they are doing" category.

[Z-Man]

I've gone when recovering from an accident and when there is obviously something out of place.

The only chiropractor I've really likes was the one who treated things purely as a physical injury. Take x-rays, fix it, treatment ends in a couple months and he doesn't want to see you again. He was the goto guy at the local bodybuilder gyms - those guys are constantly hurting themselves and need stuff fixed now so they can get back to work. The energy flow chiros who want to see you three times a week for years on end obviously aren't getting anything done.

What's really hard to find is a good massage therapist, one who's willing dig in with the elbow and really put the pain on you.

[Aggrophobic]

Like gas mileage, your experience may be different. I have known personally of normal family doctors and dentists I would place into the " Does not know what the hell they are doing" category.

Then I'd report them, if you have any way of doing so.

[frogger237]

Had a pinched nerve once it was so bad I could barley move. Chiropractor ended up fixing it in like 5 minutes.

[vindicatorx]

It's utter quackery.

How do I thumbs up a comment again? Well, agreeing with this comment.

[zenkai]

My experience with them for back issues is to prescribe muscle relaxers and anti inflammatory medicine. Then they offer back surgery if it gets bad enough. They mainly treat the symptoms , rather then the root of the cause.

Exactly or they want to burn the nerve endings on your back.

pain can be a good thing, it tells you not to move something or you will inure it more.

[RadasNoir]

I used to think that chiropractors were quacks, and those that think they can cure ANY problem via what they do probably still are, but both my mom and my sister swear by them. They suffered back and shoulder pain for years and all actual doctors seemed to be able to do for them was give them pain meds and suggest surgery. One finally suggested that my mom visit a chiropractor, and she recommended them to my sister, and they've felt better than they have in a long time.

So yeah, I can't speak from personal experience, and I'm still a little leery of it myself, but it's hard to argue with results. And considering how much pain they could be in sometimes (enough to visit the hospital, on occasion), I don't really think it's a placebo effect, either.

[Zogarth]

It seems to depend a lot on country and such. Chiropractors in Denmark need to go through a 5 year education at the minimum, and have extensive medical knowledge. They are often rather respected, and there are a lot more safety regulations than in other countries, such as required scans and such before treatments, and the title of chiropractor being a protected title.

[grandpab]

I went to one for a few months. It definitely made a difference.

[Z-Man]

Exactly or they want to burn the nerve endings on your back.

pain can be a good thing, it tells you not to move something or you will inure it more.

I'm dealing with something like that now.

My options from the medical centers are:
- injection into spine to burn out the nerves in my abdomen
- surgically implanted pump to keep me dosed on painkillers
- surgically implanted electrical wire in my spinal cord

At this point, I'm fine with letting the "quack" chiropractors and massage therapists and acupuncturists have a swing at it. Everyone falls back to what they know, and the "drugs and surgery" specialists will almost always come up with drugs and surgery. (Emergency room doctors can be an exception - they deal with a lot of crazy stuff, and I've had a few come back with some crazy ideas that actually worked.)

[A dot Ham]

It's utter quackery.

Pretty much this.

Those that I know that have gone, they chiropractor seems to create the necessity for repeat visits. A dull pain, becomes a crippling problem, that requires standing appointments/adjustments.

[Santoryu]

Forcibly manipulating the spine without prior CT/MRI scans is extremely dangerous and can result in tetra- or paraplegia. I would absolutely discourage anyone from going to a chiropractor.

[PACOX]

Get some really good pressure relieving neck/back pops. Stretch, workout, better than popping pain meds but time confusing and I wouldn't do it if insurance didnt pay for it.

[Gaimen]

While I think an adjustment done by a qualified DO medical doctor is useful I think some of the chiropractic things to be a bit extreme. If the issue really is joint alignment then getting things in line can help but if it is not than it won't.

If it's true sciatica then chiropractics won't help since that nerve really doesn't start until the spinal nerves enter the gluteal region. If you have a radiculopathy caused by spinal nerve compress then alignment might help but you never really know until you try.

[NoRest4Wicked]

My wife's first epidural was botched and they injured her back. For years now, she has been having a lot of issues with her L5 locking up, pinching her nerves and simply being unable to move for days. She started going to a chiropractor the last time this happened, and it's practically changed everything. Every visit she has helps her back, what used to take her weeks to fully recover from is days.

[RaoBurning]

Worst case scenario, they pop your neck and you have a stroke. Best case, you spend more money than you would have getting a nice massage. Most of the positive evidence in favor is anecdotal, and their pedigree in peer review is basically non-existent. In my experience, they also tend to be kind of pushy about their side products, usually drummed up through some MLM or another.

[boyzma]

My experience and opinion? Quack, quack, quack and a double dose of quack. They are more dangerous than anything else. I went to one years upon years ago for a messed up shoulder. They did the damn zappy pad and thought jamming their thumbs into massive knots of tightened muscles and making you scream was "treatment." They don't tell you when you're done with treatment...mine basically said "Well....you've had x amount of treatments....think you're good now?: Quacks. About 10 years ago I got rear ended and once again messed up that shoulder. Get this...the hospital told me to come back in a day so they could refer me to a chiropractor and I could get more insurance money....I kid you not. Seeing as the hospital was worthless I did go to the quack and once again got same crap treatment...but did not do the insurance fraud thing as suggested. So last year same shoulder gave me trouble again...went to my doctor who referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who did actual xrays and an mri to find out that shoulder was totally screwed and ended up getting surgery on it. Chiropractors are crap....plain and simple.

[zenkai]

I'm dealing with something like that now.

My options from the medical centers are:
- injection into spine to burn out the nerves in my abdomen
- surgically implanted pump to keep me dosed on painkillers
- surgically implanted electrical wire in my spinal cord

At this point, I'm fine with letting the "quack" chiropractors and massage therapists and acupuncturists have a swing at it. Everyone falls back to what they know, and the "drugs and surgery" specialists will almost always come up with drugs and surgery. (Emergency room doctors can be an exception - they deal with a lot of crazy stuff, and I've had a few come back with some crazy ideas that actually worked.)

I would definitely try that first, make sure you go to one who has a good rep and actually uses xrays. The guy I went to was so good he told me that at some point in my life I injured my right ankle, and I had sprained it when I was 18 playing basketball. I tell you after 2 months of not being able to be on my feet for more than 5 minutes and having terrible sciatic never to 0 pain, made me a believer.

Also get a Tens unit, its cheap and it does help.

Back pain sucks man, I feel for ya, hope you can fix it without surgery.

P.S. this won't fix it but maybe it will help, avoid breads and eat lots of greens (to reduce inflammation), inflammatory always my pain worse, it's part of the reason I quiet eating bread.

[NoRest4Wicked]

My wife's Chiropractor did a full set of x-rays on her, and referred her to the local hospital for an MRI before they started treatment (since they're office doesn't have one). I guess YMMV, but they have been great with her.