[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chiropractor worth it? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/3/2009 9:29:55 PM EDT
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I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet.
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Quoted: I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. Have used chiropractors for years, have lots of back issues, been through it all. That said, anything but the emergency visit to get you from the literal "I can't move, I can't breathe", you know, the ones where someone has to drive you there and it takes longer to get in/out of the car than the entire appointment...are a complete waste of money. Chiropractors can do you some good, but that 3x a week shit is, IMO, purely for $$$ and an attempt to "legitimize" chiropractic as something other than a short term pain relief fix. That fix can be priceless though when needed. |
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Quoted:
I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. Go to another chiropractic office and get a second opinion. Dont listen to the naysayers, they work. My neck was thrashed several years ago and chiropractics fixed it. |
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I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. You need to find another one. Don't use the ones that advertise on TV late at night. Or the ones with a big ad in the phone book. Ask around. Somebody will know a good one. I visit one about every three months or so. He adjusts my spine and hips for me. Gets the pressure from my bulging discs off my scaroliliac nerve. If I do the stretching excercises and watch what I lift, I'm fine. I usually do something stupid to aggrevate my back like dragging a deer out or sleeping on the ground while camping. Me and my chiro compare guns and ammo during my visits. The last time, he pulls a Ruger out to compare to my Keltec... 
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Consider a physical therapist. I have no personal experience in the matter, but I do know a very competent PT that considers chiropractors witch doctors. What are the differences in education and practice between the two? As I understand it, the chiropractor is more of the quick-fix, tactical approach, while a physical therapist would be seen as more of a strategic longer-term approach. |
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They try to hook you up with several months of sessions and by that time your body probably would have healed by itself without any treatments at all. I did find some of the information on posture and the idea of some of the exercises to improve posture interesting, but you could go to a physical therapist or find that online somewhere. I wouldn't ever go to a chiropractor again, they're just not scientific enough. |
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Chiropractors "FIX" your pain.... Doctors prescribe medicine to lessen your pain. Which one would you rather see? THIS My father is a Chiropractor. What you mentioned above is what many of them try to do, which in my eyes is bullshit. If they actually know what they're doing, 9 times out of 10 they'll fix it in 2-3 visits IF that in 1 week. If I were you, I'd find a different Chiro. |
| Chiropractors are witch doctors, and M.D.s are dope pushers. Seriously, it depends whats wrong w/ you. Pinched nerves and bulged disks can often be helped by a good chiropractor. However, a good chiropractor will also prescribe exercises/Physical therapy and much of your recovery will hinge on how dedicated you are w/ your PT. A chronic problem may require long term care, but, several; months of treatment for a tweaked back seems questionable. The activator seems to work well for some people, conversely, a chiro that is too rough can screw up more than they fix. |
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Quoted:
I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. My GF swears by them but I'm not convinced. Seems like nothing more than a glorified back massage to me... 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. My GF swears by them but I'm not convinced. Seems like nothing more than a glorified back massage to me... Keep on believing that! They do work! |
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You couldn't pay me enough to go to one. How many people do you know who have gone to a chiropractor are cured and no longer go? OP:Like many others suggest, get a second opinion. Ask around to find someone, go by word of mouth on this one, that is what I did. Also, you could ask the chiropractor how long he thinks you will need the 3Xweek visits and how long he thinks that it will take to fix your "tweaked" back....honestly, the 3Xweek sounds a tad bit excessive just for a tweaked back.........maybe a massage therapist might be better for that back. Defcon:I saw a chiropractor for about 6 year following a serious car accident. It's been over 3 years since I've stepped foot in a chiropractor's office (the last 2.5 years of the 6 years were just maintenance visits that were spaced out every 3 months) |
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I love going to the chiropractor. Whenever my back feels jacked up I'll go in a couple of times and it really does feel a lot better. However, with my insurance I only have to pay about $10 every time I go. If it was several hundred dollars a week I wouldn't go unless my back was broken.
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. You just need to shop around and avoid the nut jobs.
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Quoted: You couldn't pay me enough to go to one. How many people do you know who have gone to a chiropractor are cured and no longer go?  I got better after about 9 months, and don't go anymore. I get adjusted maybe once, twice a year. IN your situation, OP, I think that is a rip off, and would either tell him that I come on my terms or find another one. Some of those guys are nuts, others are pretty straight up. |
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I know a General Surgeon who will tell you that a chiropractor helped to save his career.
He was operating on a patient when his legs went completely numb, and he was almost unable to complete the surgery. He was having some sort of back trouble. Went to several doctors, among them orthopedic surgeons, who told him he needed back surgery and would be out of work for at least nine months. Went to a chiropractor and the guy not only fixed him up but gave him professional courtesy on the billing as well. LC |
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Find a physical therapist (or physiotherapist), a DPT. They treat the same conditions that chiros do, the difference being that physical therapy is drawn from evidence-based medicine and chiro is drawn from the rantings of a pissed-off crazy dude who couldn't get into medical school. In the 1800s.
'Good' Chiropractors are just unlicensed physical therapists. |
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I messed up my back a few years ago, and after several cortizone shots it still wasn,t getting any better. The next step was surgery. I decided to try a chiropractor instead. I was going three days a week for several months, but he fixed me. I go back every now and again to get cracked. Anytime I get a kink in my neck shouder or back I get popped. I don't even go there once a month.
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Have you ever cracked your knuckles?
That is the same thing the chiropractor is doing to your back. He is relieving the gas that builds up between your joints. Chiropractors who use an "activator" are quacks IMHO. It's about the money. Stick with an old fashioned hands on chiropractor. Have you back adjusted once or twice & be done with it. Follow up with what they tell you. Usually rest and fluids following an adjustment. A sports drink is recommended as it relieves muscle tension too as it replaces depleteed electrolites. I'm pretty lucky in that my dear wife (used to work for a chiropractor) has the ability to push & adjust my back when needed. It is pretty easy, find the spot on the spine ABOVE were your muscles are tight and make a compression push. Sorta like doing CPR. |
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You couldn't pay me enough to go to one. How many people do you know who have gone to a chiropractor are cured and no longer go? can't say i no longer go, but my monthly pain meds run to the doctor is no more. and my chiro visits are down to about 2-3 time a year. mine has me up and walking again without muscle relaxers and pain killers |
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Quoted: Massage is also incredibly helpful. I've been getting therapeutic massage on my sore shoulder tendons now for a month. Makes a huge difference! Quoted: I recently did something stupid (cutting down a GD &##*$@*$ mesquite tree) and managed to tweak my back a bit. I made an appointment with the chiropractor to have things "reset" but of course by the time I got there things were back to normal. After the first visit he wants to do 3x a week therapy using an "activator" instead of the normal popping the back routine. Its going to cost a few hundred a week, is it worth it? It seems some of the chiropractors are still on the fringe of things, I'm not convinced the activator thingy will do much besides lightening my wallet. My GF swears by them but I'm not convinced. Seems like nothing more than a glorified back massage to me... |
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Quoted: You couldn't pay me enough to go to one. How many people do you know who have gone to a chiropractor are cured and no longer go? I havent been to one in over eight months. The last time I went I was so messed up that I couldn't even lift my 30lb daughter. Find a good one that's not trying to get your money. Mine showed me a bunch of stretching exercises that have kept me good. |
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i went to one once. i had tweaked my back and it hadnt gone away for a month so i decided to go. i think it was 70$ for the first time. that was the eval and actual work. she popped my back a number of times and then my neck. i felt better that day and a little better the next but it kind of came back. she said if it comes back to go again and she will only charge 35 for the session. i never went back i think your sig other or friend can pop a back just as good as them and get the same results. save your money |
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You couldn't pay me enough to go to one. How many people do you know who have gone to a chiropractor are cured and no longer go? I had back problems twice. Both times I was fixed in one treatment. He snapped my back in place and I was good to go. I would suggest that you go to chiropractor get an xray and discuss the alignment of your back and have him show you what is out of alignment. After discussion have him put it back in place. If he is not receptive to this find another. |
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The 3x a week is only supposed to be for a month or so then taper off. I have been previously for other issues and it was always one of those pop the back and neck and see you in a week. Last time I went for about a month a couple of times a week. After I stopped going I felt tons better. Having said that, my neck hasn't been right in years. I can turn well one way and not the other.
I used to go to a DO and he would pop my neck. If something else hurt the applicable meds were prescribed, wish I could find another guy. Last DO I went to for sciatica basically told me to suck it up and it would go away. THAT hurt like a son of a b. Then again, for the price of this guy I could pick up that new M&P I have been eyeballing, maybe my back wouldn't bother me much anymore... ETA: FWIW this guy was recommended by my father in law. Worked wonders for him. |
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Your joints get out of whack, they can be put back...
Thats why you snap and pop when he/she abuses you on the table. Do you need to go 3x a week? No. Does it help? yes. Improper lifting and physical exercise will get your body a little out of whack. They can treat that. |
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depends...
I know MANY people that go them....some continue to go to the ones that say" you need to come back weekly for "maintenance" and the people buy it- to the tune of 1000+ a year out of pocket (plus ins.) There is a local back craker that is HONEST- he will fix you up and say "come back if you want- or have any more issues..." walk-in ait a bit "NEXT!" pay 20 bucks. I know SEVERAL people that have twisted their back, you know, that one whre you hardly did anything, but you can barley move without screaming? I watched them go in there like this- barley walk, and come out without ANY pain...I would not have believed it if it was not friends. The doc STILL says - only come back if you need to. EVERY other chirpo he/wife went to wanted x-rays (very expensive) and multiple visaits, just to DIAGNOSE them....watch out- one even gave him a cold pack and charged him 80 bucks for it. |
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i just got back from one yesterday.. temporary relief but ill need xrays to see if there is any serious damage.. hand is going numb which worries me big time... a while ago i felt and heard a big "pop" in my neck and ever since then ive had pain and tingling in my neck and down my right arm..
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This shit again...  Your profession has an interesting past and many dollar-focused practitioners, let's put it that way... I hope you're one of the few chiros who actually practices based on science and not 'spinal manipulations can cure all' woo. To the OP: http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chirochoose.html |
| Had problems for years with pinched nerves in my back. I would have several pinches a year. Granted they would stop hurting after 3 or 4 days of suffering. Went to a chiropractor and let him set up what he thought was best. Cracked me a couple times a week for a few weeks. That was about 10 years ago. I think I've had one pinched nerve since then. Worked for me. YMMV |
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If you want to go to one, as mentioned above, find one that's refered by a medical doctor, or works in a larger clinic alongside medical doctors. These will be the chiropractors that know all the good tricks for adjustments, relieving joints, muscles etc. but not practicing any of the other quackery that sometimes comes along with it.
You could also look for a Doctor of Osteopathy. They're regular "doctors", go to medical school, work in clinics and hospitals just like doctors of medicine, are state licensed by the medical board etc. do internships, residency etc. However, they get taught the adjustment stuff that chiropractors know. My wife's cousin is a D.O., when to OSU medical school, and is the chief Resident at his hospital. But he's also real good at cracking backs. |