About Chiropractors

[artme]

SWMBO bought a visit to a chiropractor on Spreets.

Had X-rays, an education session and a spinal adjustment. For the first time in several years she was able to walk woithout limping!!:2tsup:

Spine re gressed overnight and she went back again today for another session.

She has been quotes over $$2 000 over a fair period to have al lher problems sorted as far they can be sorted. Seemed OK to me if it means an absense of pain and the ability to walk properly.

HOWEVER, a friend had the same treatment reccomended by a different bone cracker for about $900!!:o

My thoughts are that the friend may not have the same range and severity of problems.

Have others found such disparity with trearment quotes??

What do people think generally of chiropractic treatment??

[chambezio]

I think chiropractors do have their place in the well being of humans. If you are happy with his performance and results then I would continue. It is an unknown commodity as to how much and how long it will take to get to a point where you only have to go for "maintenance". Every body's frames are different and also everyone's problems are different. It also depends on how you look after your self between visits.
My bloke helped me after my back jumped out of gear while digging footings for our house on a Sunday I had to go out to his place on the other side of town (a trip of 25 miles) I am sure my wife found every pothole in the road to drop into during the trip ( I couldn't drive because of the pain) Ater he "fixed" me he said to walk to a particular gate before I got back into the vehicle. I rested the rest of Sunday and Monday and was Right by Tuesday
Between my wife and I, I am sure we bought him a new Merceedes but it was worthwhile!!!
I t will take time to "fix" your wife but I am sure you will feel better if she does

[mic-d]

Artme you could also look into osteopaths too. Herself has had great relief after all her horse accidents. I can send you her name if you like.

[Ironwood]

What do people think generally of chiropractic treatment??


I will never go to a chiropractor again.
Some years ago my Wife and I both started going to a chiro, I had a lower back problem, my wife had a neck problem, after x-rays, he started us on a regime of regular bonecracking.
We both went in at the same time each visit. He used to do exactly the same thing to both of us, even though our problems were very different.

After a few weeks of regular visits, my back was not getting any better, in fact I think it was getting worse, as I was starting to experience sciatic pain.

I stopped going to him and started going to a massuer who seemed to be able to bring tears to your eyes just by pressing in the right spots. After a few visits I started to improve greatly. In the end he had me as good as new (almost :-)

Since then I have also had good results with a Bowen Therapist.

[Scott]

As an Intensive Care Nurse for 10 years, my back is atrocious. Initially I went to a Chiro and after the initial xrays, come back again and again and again... well, in the end I was no better and many dollars worse off. As mic-d and other have suggested, please try an osteopath. Their focus is on getting you better and quickly without getting you you to come back again and again. They treat the ligaments, muscles and surrounding areas as well as the problem area. You simply cannot go wrong. They will charge you around $60-70 a session and you'll probably only need them for 2-3 sessions with maybe a follow up session if you need it.

I'm not going to pan Ironwood's suggestion (sorry) however I've been to see a Bowen therapist before and these guys are charlatans. 6 months training and your a Bowen therapist. I'm astonished at how their therapy can *supposedly* work.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I've had mixed experiences with chiros.

As a young teen I did something stupid that screwed my back. After a few weeks of doing my best imitation of an Orangutang, I was nagged into seeing a chiropractor.

After crunching my back (Ugh! I still remember those spinal twists! :C ) he explained that my muscles would need time to readjust to the treatment and sent me to a rest area, where I had to lay flat on my back for 1/2 an hour (I think) while a timer ticked down.

Then he took me aside and prescribed a course of exercises to strengthen my lower back to minimise recurrences. he also told me that it was likely that the damage done will cause future problems as I aged. (Sadly, time has proven him right.)

All was good for a coupla decades, until I took up laying flooring. :doh:

So I Orangutanged in to the nearest chiro, who crunched my back, took my money and kicked me out the door. More or less. I couldn't get out of the car when we got home! :o Gave him a ring and was told "Well, we'll have to set up a series of appointments for you then." :~

I'm not stupid. I went to an Osteo instead. And you know the funny thing? He told me exactly the same things that my very first chiropractor did!

Some people care for your health. Others just care for your money. It's that simple. :shrug:

[Ironwood]

I'm not going to pan Ironwood's suggestion (sorry) however I've been to see a Bowen therapist before and these guys are charlatans. 6 months training and your a Bowen therapist. I'm astonished at how their therapy can *supposedly* work.


I was very dubious after my first visit to one. But after some prompting from a work colleague, I tried another one a few months later, this one helped me quite a bit.

There are shonky's in every proffession, you just have to find the good ones.
I'm sure there are good Chiro's out there too, but I wont be spending my time and money looking for them.

Since I gave up Diesel Fitting, my back rarely gives me any trouble, when it does get a bit niggly, I manage it myself with some stretches and exercise. Doesnt cost me a cent either :2tsup:

[Dengue]

Never let a chiropractor near your neck. I read that there have been a large number of cases of strokes and paralysis resulting from chiropractic manipulation.

[Rattrap]

I also prefer to see osteopaths over chiro's for this exact same reason. I've been down a very similar road to this myself. The problem as it was explained to me is that the chiro does the adjustment of the spine however the ligaments are still out of alignment - they have their own channels that they are supposed to run in. What i was told happens is that over night or over a cpl of days after a chiro adjustment the ligaments which are still out of alignment pull the bones back into the position they were in before the treatment.
A good osteopath will massage the area to loosen the muscles & ligaments then putting these back into their correct position & finally finish with a gentle (far more gentle than a chiro) realign the spine itself.
If the back problem as been an ongoing issue as mine is their will be a tendency to the back to return to the dysfunctional position however i found that the treatments with the osteopaths to hold a lot longer & after a few treatments a couple of weeks apart each the treatments will hold, at least until i do some dumb ass thing that throws my back out again.:doh:

I've also tried Bowen therepists, found them quite good tho i found the treatment from an osteopaths to be superior & hold longer than the Bowen therapist.

[Foo]

Don't let them work on you without them first relaxing your muscles and be wary of them getting you to a point of almost right and then relapsing! :no:

[damian]

Chiros get very different reactions in different people. Me I'd never let one near me. One slip and there are quite a few people around who can tell you how much DAMAGE they can do. That and the forever comming back BS.

I injured my back rather badly in the 90's. I got physio which helped a bit but over time it got so bad there were times I just didn't have the option of getting out of the seat I was in, and the pain was tremendous. Note I've broken plenty of bones over the years and this was many times worse than walking on a fractured leg.

Eventually I went to a lady at Albany Creek who does a thing called neuro skeletal dynamics. It's one of those fruitcake hippie treatments that sometimes work and often serve only to lighten your wallet.

The ladies name is Sandra. I went because I'd had the thing described by a friend and there is NO POSSIBILITY of injury. So I sat down with Sandra and she said quite bluntly:

This is not faith healing. You don't have to believe.

I need 3 consults over 3 weeks, this is what it'll cost. If you've no appreciable benifit by then I'll send you somewhere else.

Music to my cynical ears. So I whipped out my money and off we went. I ended up seeing her for maybe 3 or 4 years off and on. Regularly at first then less and less. Within 6 months I could actually contemplate digging a ditch, whereas before mowing was becoming impossible. It was astounding.

Now: It does not work for everyone. She and the others who do it have thier own theories about energy and other hippie stuff. Fine if you believe it. What I think happens is she hits nerves which cause everything to relax and heal itself, but I don't know anything about biology so don't listen to me.

Pretty much you lie on your tummy with your face in a hole in the bed thing and she presses gently on your back with her fingers. Sounds like BS but you wouldn't believe how it worked. Like I said no manipulation so no chance of harm. I often fell asleep. Her rates are very reasonable and she also does bowen and acupuncture and stuff.

I am happy to give her number to anyone who emails me. Or look up Albany Creek Neuroskeletal. If you see her say Hi from Damian, and thanks. Much thanks.

2c.

[rsser]

As mentioned, there are better and worse practitioners in any profession. Don't tar the profession with the experience of one brush.

Chiros I liken to panel beaters or motor mechanics: you crash, a decent one will get you back on the road. I relied on them for decades to keep me at my sitting job.

But spines like to revert to a prior state, esp if you don't remove the predisposing factors (the law of facilitation).

Since then I've swapped to physios and have found two good ones. They know the research; they get me over a hump and most importantly they give me an exercise regime to deal with the law of facilitation. So cp. panel beating, this is about avoiding the crash in the first place.

And to add to your repertoire of options, in a crisis you can benefit from an anti-inflammatory and the research shows that Panadol Osteo (over the counter in a pharmacy) is for many as good as prescription NSAIDS without the side-effects.

Final comment: a good practitioner will be so busy that they'll only ask you back if it's absolutely necessary, and all other things equal getting an appt will take weeks.

[artme]

LOML's Back and knee problem is so much better you would not know she was the same person, and her propensity for migraines has almost disappeared..

I have a really bad lower back and some 3 weeks ago I was in screaming agony. I mean that! I have NEVER experinced such pain so Ana made an emergency appointment with the Chiro. I was immediately free of pain and could actually walk.

After filling out the informtion sheet the Chiro asked when I had been diagnosed with ankylosing ant as I had a worker's cmp. claim regected because I wasspondolitis and if I had had a blood test to confirm it. The answer to the blood test inquireery was "no". Now this was important as I had had a worker's comp claim rejected on the grounds of long term AS.It is now too late to do anything about it.I didn't, and don't have AS!!

Anyway, after almost three weeks of treatment I am much, much better. I can move parts without pain and have a range of movement I haven't had for years.

As things get better I will start a set of muscle strengthening exrcises for the back to help keep things in order.

[rsser]

Good news on two counts Arthur.

Appropriate exercises and routine physical activity have been of great help to me and a worthwhile investment in my future.

[John T]

I went to chiropractor for realingment on lower back L 3/4 he crunched my back,I finnished up in hospital for an opp 7 weeks flat on my back that was in 2002 still have a few problems but i am still able to do my wood turning
john

[Allan at Wallan]

In 1977 I was travelling as a passenger on a bus when the driver
inadvertently hit some concrete kerbing when entering a railway
station. The force of it threw me off the seat, across the aisle,
and onto another seat. The result: three busted ribs.

For twenty years I went to every chiro, masseur, physio and
bone bender that existed without any satisfaction. Finally a
friend recommended an osteopath and without any confidence
I made an appointment.

I now tell friends that I swear at him but importantly swear by him.

Rarely do I have to seek an appointment nowadays unless I need
a bit of a "tune-up". Within a couple of days I am ok again. I refuse
to see any of his offsiders as he is the only one I have confidence in.

Pm me if you need his details - he has his business in the Moonee
Ponds area. You will probably have to wait a couple of months to
see him though.

Allan

[Ken-67]

There are good and bad practicioners in all branches of alternative medicine and treatments, as well as in regular doctors, but I believe, before letting anyone touch your spine, you should get a consultation with an orthopaedic specialist to make sure there is no underlying medical problem that could be exaccerbated by manipulation.