Chiropractic

I'm not sure all chiropractors are so territorial/greedy/closed-minded. The awesome chiropractor who I went to was recommended to me by a friend: during the course of treating her, he not only sent her to an osteopath and a physical therapist, he also sent her to an accupressurist and a massage therapist.

I'm not saying all chiropractors are open-minded and selfless, just that there might be some variation among them. Just as there is variation among MDs, DOs, PTs, and other health professionals.

 

Stupid question.... whats the difference?

 

I have known 2 people that went to chiropractors. Both people said it sort of felt good at the beginning but the effects dimished after a few months or so. Of course the chiropractors for each person recommended that they keep coming back for "adjustments" pretty much forever. It is after all a business. You're never really cured of what ails you because the chiropractor isn't actually doing anything. Seeing a chiropractor is just a very expensive way to get a placebo effect.

One of my aunts was a nurse in a spinal rehabilitation unit at a major research university medical center. Many of the patients that she was helping to rehabilitate had injuries CAUSED by chiropractors.

Do you really want someone who couldn't even make it into medical/dental/pharmacy school doing potentially hazardous manipulations with your body? I sure don't.

Just do yoga. You'll be surrounded by hot young chicks as a bonus.

 

^ but many are married to hot women so something is working for them

YMMV
--- merged: Feb 25, 2013 at 5:50 PM ---
the above was in response to Plan9

 

+1 to hot women at yoga. The sexy part about hot yoga is you can take your shirt off and show off your sweaty hairy nipples. They'll steal sideways glances like they do but you'll know deep down that they all want to harvest the salt from that chest fur.

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What were we talking about?​

 

For what it's worth, many people who go through medical school aren't as well educated as some chiropractors. The problem is that chiropractic is pushed to patients as something to be "routine" rather than something temporary for rehabilitation. Physical therapists also don't go through as much schooling as MDs, but we are taught in many modalities and to do the problem solving that applies appropriate treatment to a given issue.

ralphie250, a good physical therapist will do an exam on you to find out what the main cause of your back pain is, then apply the appropriate treatment for it. A chiropractor may do that exam, but they will apply the same treatment regardless - spinal manipulation - and not do many of the things that are proven to treat certain kinds of back pain, such as stabilization exercises. The manipulations may help with some problems temporarily, but they can't rehabilitate chronic back pain. Manipulations are most effective for acute pain (<10 days of pain) without instability as a cause, yet most people seeking out chiropractors go for chronic pain and end up continuing to go back because they don't do treatment that yields long-term results.

A physical therapist will do an exam, apply the proper treatment for the underlying cause, and treat you temporarily under a specifically designed plan of care. You will be expected to buy in to your own treatment, however, and do home exercises and stretches as appropriate. It is not a "quick fix," but it is a long-term one.

 

One of those people actually has medical training...


I have two herniated disks in my lower back, and much sciatica occasionally ensues. The physical therapist I consulted gave me some stretches to do mainly this one:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-pDoR5fWII


You can also go to youtube and search on exercises and stretches for sciatic pain, and there's a lot of good info on there. I'd consult a real doctor first. ( disclaimer achieved )


I also do a lot of these, seems apropos: T NATION | Yoga, Yes Yoga, For Big Bastards

 

My chiropractor shared exercises with me, too. And told me that the goal was to not have to see him anymore. They're not all witch doctors and scam artists.

 

Bend your leg and raise it to table/desk level Plop it down and get comfortable with your balance. Then, keeping your back straight, bend down with your other leg slowly. You will feel the burn.

 

Is these exercises supoato hurt this bad??

 

Yep, you feel it. Sometime excruiatingly.
If you keep doing it slowly, a few times a day, you will stretch those hipster muscles that seldom move when we sit a lot and youll feel better.

 

When I was going to a chiropractor things were getting better. I have done some of the exercises and sometimes its better and sometimes it's worse. So I have just learned to live with it

 

I'm a huge fan of chiropractic, my wife & I have benefited greatly from chiropractic care.

When I was in my late teens/early 20s one of the young women who lived in the same apartment complex was in chiropratic college. She was always looking for guinea pigs...oops, volunteers...on which to practice.

 

Just to throw feces at the fan: What's the harm in going to a chiropractor?

 

And the women, can't forget the women

 

Men in yoga pants </shudders>

 

Battle of the Bulge