Are chiropractors con men/women?

[goodal]

I don't really mean that literally, but it never fails that when I have a back problem it takes at least two visits to fix the problem. He/she also does their best to convince me I will never walk right again unless I see them consistently for a month "and then we'll see". To date, they have always fixed the problem after a couple of visits so why the heck would i keep going? They obviously know what they are doing but I think there is some voodoo going on there. Oh and something else. No matter what hurts, or where, they have to do xrays and then perform the same 3 procedures. Pop the neck twice, push on the back twice and twist the body twice.

 

[kevo_55]

They aren't called quack-o-practors for nothing.....

 

[snickerd3]

I've always been leary of chiropractors...but it more mainly from my fear they will tweak something the wrong way and I'll be paralyzed.

some people swear by them for curing allsorts of maladies but it is a little voodoo for me.

 

[blybrook PE]

I don't know if they "all" are that way. I've had good luck with my local one and I still get treated as a regular, even though I only go once every 3 months now (if that often). I was 3 times a week for 4 months before I was completely out of pain and able to have a "straight" back again.

I know that the x-rays tell them where the spine is misaligned the most and that's where they'll concentrate on getting things fixed first. The reason for multiple visits is that the adjustments made are minisucle in size and the alignment may be so out of whack that it will take a while to get things realigned properly. Sure, it may take one or two visits to get out of pain and have the problem area feel "fixed", but the issue is still there and it will be easier for it to return if pieces are not fully returned to the proper position.

My first Chiro visit was in 1996 after a car accident. Went for 6 months, then stopped until I threw my back out 2.5 years ago. Went again for 4 months and now I'm once every 3-6 months or so. I was shown a bunch of exercises to perform to keep my muscles properly tightened around my discs so that I didn't have to go back as often. So far, so good.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I've been debating finding one to help with my back. I tweeked it while digging the trenches for the sprinkler system over a month ago and it hasn't quite felt the same since. I'm finally starting to wake up in the morning without pain, but I don't think the problem is necessarily "fixed" yet.

 

[snickerd3]

this summer we lost the only chiropracter in town...probably the only one for several towns...they moved to FL

 

[Capt Worley PE]

In the past, when i've tweaked my back, I went to a physcal therapist. Worked well.

 

[Kephart P.E.]

Heck some MD are quacks. However, there is a fundamental lack of scientific proof that any of these manipulations of your skelatal system improves health in anyway shape or form.

Research the history of chiropractors and you tell me what you think.

I might be biased as a good friend is a PT, but a chiropractor would be the last place I would go for back or neck pain relief.

 

[MA_PE]

They aren't called quack-o-practors for nothing.....

I've never been to a chiro.. and have no plans to ever use one. I've often heard of them referred to as "witch doctors".

 

[engineergurl]

My BIL is a PT and he has always told me to steer clear of them... Mr.ArmyMan has back problems (happens when you jump out of plans for 17 years) and sees a Physical Therapist on a regular basis and that has seemed to help significantly

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

I've heard comparing a Chiro to a PT is like an Architect with an Engineer. You always find yourself visiting the 2nd one to fix everything the first one did...

 

[goodal]

I only go when I tweek something and thats about every 4-5 years. They have always "fixed" the problem, but I get the same story from them everytime "you've got to keep coming back or it will get tweeked again". I think I can handle it getting tweeked again if again is every 4-5 years. My chiro is so devoted to his craft that he convinced his wife to have all there kids at home, naturally, because drugs and doctors are "bad" for you.

 

[blybrook PE]

If you can go 4-5 years between tweekings, then it's worth it to only go when necessary. There's no point to go back for one of their "regular" schedule systems.

I'm probably going to move my visits to more towards a year between and mainly for minor alignments. At $35 / visit, it's not too bad of a deal for random visits.

 

[MGX]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/feb/22/simon-singh-british-chiropractic-association

My opinion was formed after following this court case.

 

[EM_PS]

One I went to before could never really crack my back very well, so I only went in when my neck needed to be cracked, which he could do quite well.

New one is actually a former PT, pretty stout guy, so he really gets my back pretty good though still not 100% everytime. Insurance covers 24 visits a year, so I go 2x / mo. Wouldn't say I swear by them, but I def prefer how I feel w/ reg visits than before when it was sporadic visits.

 

[guitarjamman]

I had a lovely case of scoliosis as a child and wore a back brace for years to help straighten my spine. After a few years of growing to fit the brace it was able to come off and I was told by my doctor that a Chiropractor should be visited every few months to keep everything in line. Are they voodoo witch doctors? Not sure, but I have benefitted from every visit I made/make.

I can always turn my head all the way without lower back pain after a visit, can look all the way up without upper back pain.

The reason that they always say to come back every week or two is because they are trying to overcome muscle memory. If you had bad alignment for years and started to see a chiro, they will pop and place everything back the best they can (the reason for aches after a visit) but the muscles around the bones and joints are used to being out of alignment. After a few days, the muscles will pull back to their relaxed state and disconfigure. Go back, get fixed, have muscles pull everything out of whack.

Now the problem I have come across is that after 20 years of seeing a chiro, the muscles still pull my spine out of whack. But the relief I get from a 15 dollar visit every other week pays for itself.

 

[engineergurl]

okay... so with Physical Therapy, you are re-training the muscles... which are causing the problem... just saying...