Pettibon Chiropractic System - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Church · 06-24-2008, 09:15 PM

Let me first start off by saying I'm usually a pretty private person about stuff like this, but I'm trying to take a proactive approach to my problem, and I figured you all here would be the best help I could get

. Thank-you in advance!

So here's a background story first. I hadn't been to the doctor's in a few years due to me being stupid. Anyway, I go for a checkup one day, everything goes fine, then I get up to leave and he says "Can you stand up straight for me?". So I comply, then he notices I'm a little crooked, so he asks me to take my shirt off. Now I've know that I've leaned to the left a little for a while now, but I never really thought much of it. I went on webmd, read that everyone has a slight curve to one direction or the other, and didn't think much of it. Now I have someone telling me that I have to get xrays.
I get them done that day, the technician pretty much has a baffled look her face, and tells me this is the worse shes seen in a while. Keep in mind I'm 22, so I still consider myself pretty young, and my Superman complex is pretty much being eroded away as we spoke. I found out that I have a massive curve in my spine which is the result of Scoliosis. My doctor tells me at this point there is nothing I can do and I'll just have to live with this.
I really don't accept that answer, and decided to go research some alternative methods on my own. I know he wouldn't recommend a chiropractor since I've heard how much they dislike eachother's field of study. But yeah, I go see a chiro in my area, who is great and he makes me FEEL better, but I know its not really doing anything to correct the issue. I've been doing this for a few months now, and although its a good short-term fix, thats all it is. I am now looking into Pilates to help strengthen my back muscles for support.
A friend of mine (Seanland) tells me that he works for a chiropractor out in the USA that specializes in a certain type of chiropractic care called the Pettibon system. I've done some research into this and found that is has actually CORRECTED for the most part, people's scolotic curves in adulthood. This has really excited me, and I'm going to be contacting the leader in this field locally in the next few days for a consultation. I'm still skeptical, so I'd just like to ask him about it before I proceed with treatments if I decide to. I guess what I'm trying to ask, is has anyone possibly heard of/been treated with/had a friend thats been treated with/etc. the Pettibon system? I'd like to know as much as I can about this, but so far it looks the most promising.

The Pettibon System
Thanks!

Redlemon · 06-25-2008, 05:25 AM

I've never heard of it. But, the writeup looks pretty good. I see that he is not just treating bone alignment, but also reaching into physical therapy to strengthen weakened muscles, as well as some stretching to release shortened muscles. I also see that they don't take everyone, they screen to see if your curvature will likely respond to their methods.

I have a question - back when I was in elementary and junior high school, I remember health screening days at school. One of the steps was for you to have your shirt off and touch your toes, and the doctor would check for spinal curvature. But, I'm 17 years older than you, perhaps times have changed. Have you never had your spine checked prior to this? (If this is a recent change, I would expect that the Pettibon system would be more likely to benefit you.)

PonyPotato · 06-25-2008, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

I have a question - back when I was in elementary and junior high school, I remember health screening days at school. One of the steps was for you to have your shirt off and touch your toes, and the doctor would check for spinal curvature. But, I'm 17 years older than you, perhaps times have changed. Have you never had your spine checked prior to this? (If this is a recent change, I would expect that the Pettibon system would be more likely to benefit you.)

I received the same health screening in elementary and middle school. I'm only 22.

To the OP: I have never heard of the treatment system, but I have visited a "regular" chiropractor for major whiplash (reverse in the curvature of my neck due to a fall from a horse and again from a car accident). If you pass their screening process, I'd say go for it. If you find the treatments aren't effective or the pain management is inadequate, you can always stop.

Seanland · 06-25-2008, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

I have a question - back when I was in elementary and junior high school, I remember health screening days at school. One of the steps was for you to have your shirt off and touch your toes, and the doctor would check for spinal curvature. But, I'm 17 years older than you, perhaps times have changed. Have you never had your spine checked prior to this? (If this is a recent change, I would expect that the Pettibon system would be more likely to benefit you.)

They will not set you up with a plan, until a full set of x-rays has been taken.

I'm not doctor or anything, but, it seems that the finger test would be a rough way to estimate the curvature of the spine for such things as scoliosis (from left to right).. that would NOT really do anything for people with abnormal curves from (front to back) for such things like forward head posture..

snowy · 06-25-2008, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seanland

They will not set you up with a plan, until a full set of x-rays has been taken.

I'm not doctor or anything, but, it seems that the finger test would be a rough way to estimate the curvature of the spine for such things as scoliosis (from left to right).. that would NOT really do anything for people with abnormal curves from (front to back) for such things like forward head posture..

I don't know about that--the school exam caught my incredibly small curvature (it's barely there, and I never had to have correction for it, but they caught it, and the doctor confirmed it), and doctors diagnosed me with spinal lordosis and a forward head without x-rays. They're pretty obvious posture problems.

Personally, I would go to an osteopath before I would go to a chiropractor, because an OD has training in allopathic medicine and osteopathic manipulation; some even have knowledge of chiropractic. My osteopath was able to help me correct my posture problems via a multi-pronged approach: 1) manipulation to help with the pain, loosen the muscles, and relax me, 2) physical therapy to actually improve my posture, and 3) exercise/nutrition advice to help with weight loss/fitness. I maintain my good posture now with yoga, which has made me much more mindful of precisely how I hold my body.

One thing I would be hesitant about is that I was unable to find any studies done of the Pettibon system in peer-reviewed literature--I searched several academic databases on my university library's website and came up with nothing that specifically dealt with the Pettibon system.

Seanland · 06-25-2008, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onesnowyowl

I don't know about that--the school exam caught my incredibly small curvature (it's barely there, and I never had to have correction for it, but they caught it, and the doctor confirmed it), and doctors diagnosed me with spinal lordosis and a forward head without x-rays. They're pretty obvious posture problems.

Personally, I would go to an osteopath before I would go to a chiropractor, because an OD has training in allopathic medicine and osteopathic manipulation; some even have knowledge of chiropractic. My osteopath was able to help me correct my posture problems via a multi-pronged approach: 1) manipulation to help with the pain, loosen the muscles, and relax me, 2) physical therapy to actually improve my posture, and 3) exercise/nutrition advice to help with weight loss/fitness. I maintain my good posture now with yoga, which has made me much more mindful of precisely how I hold my body.

One thing I would be hesitant about is that I was unable to find any studies done of the Pettibon system in peer-reviewed literature--I searched several academic databases on my university library's website and came up with nothing that specifically dealt with the Pettibon system.

Let me re-word my statement.. the Pettibon Docs, use the x-rays for a more in depth analysis of the patient's condition. An x-ray will show things such as disc degeneration, calcium deposits. Take images of the spine in multiple positions to see where the stresses are and what caused them. It is amazing how much history can be picked up from these x-rays.

They won't provide treatment without x-rays.

There are studies, done by the Pettibon Institute specific to Scoliosis at:

http://www.pettiboninstitute.org/research/index.php

The Pettibon System is based on Spinal Rehabilitation, the doctors are trained specifically in the bio-mechanics of the spine.

I do not disagree with you about seeing an Osteopath onesnowyowl, I just believe that you should go to a PETTIBON DC first, not a conventional chiropractor.

I agree with your Yoga statement totally, that is a great way to maintain and your nutrition statements, without working it out, and being healthy, the progress will be limited, the better you "feed" the body, the greater the result.

I also am aware of some peer reviewed articles by Pettibon doctors, I will work on finding those.

robot_parade · 06-25-2008, 09:22 AM

The chiropractic profession is, unfortunately, littered with crackpots, so I'd be very careful if I were you. I couldn't find much of anything WRT to the pettibon method and scoliosis in peer-reviewed literature. The only positive case studies I could find are both directly from the 'Pettibon Institute' - clearly not an unbiased source. For instance:

http://www.pettiboninstitute.org/pdf/Scoliosis_CO.pdf

Quote:

Conclusion: Although mild to moderate reductions in Cobb angle measurements were achieved
in these cases, these improvements may not be related to the symptomatic and functional
improvements. The lack of a control also includes the possibility of a placebo effect. However, this
study adds to the growing body of literature investigating methods by which mild to moderate cases
of scoliosis can be treated conservatively. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether
curve reduction and/or manipulation and/or placebo was responsible for the symptomatic and
functional improvements noted in these cases.

So, three case studies, all showing some improvement in 'mild to moderate' cases of scoliosis after treatment, but with no controls or blinding at all. Not nearly enough data, especially WRT possible risks. To their credit, the authors of the paper don't tout this as a miracle cure.

So, if you do decide to go with this pettibon thing, do so with the idea that you'll be going in basically as a guinea pig. There's very little evidence that this stuff is effective, or even safe. If you're ok with the risk, and expense....

A pretty good explanation of why chiropractic in general is controversial. Especially read the 'Consumer Guidelines' section.

Church · 06-25-2008, 01:56 PM

First of, I just want to thank everyone for their responses, I'm taking them all to heart

.

I just spoke to the chiropractic doctor that recommended me to the pettibon system, and actually referred to me to a doctor in my area that he thought could better help me with it then any other one. What I learned from this phonecall is that Dr. Pettibon has been working on this method for 47 years now. He has actually been working closely as of recently with one of the doctors that actually developed the Harrington rod which has been for the last 50 years one of the leading treatments in scoliosis. Its scary to hear that 4% of the kids don't even make it off the operating table, and about 15% of them need to go back for a 2nd surgery in the 20s after the titanium rod on their spine has cracked. The doctor that invented this is actually calling it barbaric these days, and is working closely with Dr. Pettibon in his research.
I've been doing a LOT of research into this system the past few days, looking on the Pettibon website and off of it. I did find this third party study which I can't see it being related to Pettibon at all which provided positive results.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...medid=16409627

Anyways, thanks again for everyone's input! Its much appreciated

. I'll keep you up to date!

Church · 08-05-2008, 01:38 PM

Hey all, I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately in this thread, but this is basically on hiatus right now as it is going to cost me $3300 per year to do this program and its a 2 year course. I realize that its worth it and everything, but I really do not have the money to do this right now in my life. However I'll give you a rundown the new developments.

Basically, this program does and will work for me. When I went in for the introductory meeting where I sit down with the doctor and discuss things, he first looked at me quickly, and then put a weight belt on my waist. It is a total of 10 pounds. 7 pounds on my right side and 3 on the left. What this does is helps to even out my waist. Right after I put that on, he had me stand on a vibration board for 10 minutes. To get an idea of what this does, think of when you have a cup of brown sugar, and you want it to settle into the mold of cup, so you jiggle it around and it sits in on itself. Thats essentially what this was doing. The weights slowly pushed down on it and it evened out. When I went in, I had a waist curvature of about 33%. After this small treatment and further x-rays, it went down to 4%. From what I understand, this particular method is just used to see what kind of results the patient can expect from the program. So overall, I'm quite optimistic about the outcomes of, I just don't know when and if I'll be able to do it.

So thats pretty much where I'm at right now with this. Maybe if I get a better job soon, I'll be able to afford it, but as it is now, I'll just have to live with the pain and hope for the best.

thingstodo · 08-05-2008, 03:01 PM

I've been using a chiro for nearly 20 years. I go once every 2-3 months. In the beginning I had some serious problems you could see on an x-ray. One vertebrea was turned and tilted. I got that fixed and basically still go to keep everything in line. I moved several times and asked how to find a good chiro. I was told to ask the technique they use and when I find one that uses the Gunsted technique to try them. That direction paid off twice.

I also do plenty of core work. You need to work your back AND your abs which is why I say core.

Recently we switched MDs to a MD that is an ostepath that is also into relexology and kinestetics (spelling?). He is amazing - even better than a chiro. I thought I felt good before but I feel even better. They basically are MDs that study other things and work holstically, trying to help the body heal itself.

That's my 2 cents worth!

ngdawg · 08-05-2008, 03:19 PM

I don't have scoliosis but I do have a birth defect in my lower spine that causes a disk to slip.
When it slipped out two years ago, my doctor sent me for physical therapy. There was no manipulation of the spine, just exercises to strengthen the back muscles and make the disk slip back into place.
This spring it slipped again and my friend recommended a chiropractor. Now I go every two weeks. In addition to my back, he manipulates my neck (it goes forward due to poor posture in front of the computer), checks my arms and hands and massages my sinuses. If I skip a week, I'm a physical mess.
I was one of those "those people are quacks", but I'm a total convert now.
I hope you can find a way to go and get everything fixed-is there a way to make a payment plan?

Church · 08-05-2008, 03:23 PM

ngdawg: There is a financing company that they use, but I can't afford the $350-400 every month to do it.

Ayashe · 08-09-2008, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Church

ngdawg: There is a financing company that they use, but I can't afford the $350-400 every month to do it.

The entire thing sounds very interesting though I can see how it could be impossible for the majority of people to afford. Shame that most insurances won't touch chiropractic.

Church · 08-09-2008, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katyanna

The entire thing sounds very interesting though I can see how it could be impossible for the majority of people to afford. Shame that most insurances won't touch chiropractic.

My insurance doesn't have a problem with it, its just that it only covers $500 per year, and unfortunately I've used a good chunk of that at another clinic earlier on.

06-24-2008, 09:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
Church Tilted F*ckhead Location: New Jersey	Pettibon Chiropractic System Let me first start off by saying I'm usually a pretty private person about stuff like this, but I'm trying to take a proactive approach to my problem, and I figured you all here would be the best help I could get . Thank-you in advance! So here's a background story first. I hadn't been to the doctor's in a few years due to me being stupid. Anyway, I go for a checkup one day, everything goes fine, then I get up to leave and he says "Can you stand up straight for me?". So I comply, then he notices I'm a little crooked, so he asks me to take my shirt off. Now I've know that I've leaned to the left a little for a while now, but I never really thought much of it. I went on webmd, read that everyone has a slight curve to one direction or the other, and didn't think much of it. Now I have someone telling me that I have to get xrays. I get them done that day, the technician pretty much has a baffled look her face, and tells me this is the worse shes seen in a while. Keep in mind I'm 22, so I still consider myself pretty young, and my Superman complex is pretty much being eroded away as we spoke. I found out that I have a massive curve in my spine which is the result of Scoliosis. My doctor tells me at this point there is nothing I can do and I'll just have to live with this. I really don't accept that answer, and decided to go research some alternative methods on my own. I know he wouldn't recommend a chiropractor since I've heard how much they dislike eachother's field of study. But yeah, I go see a chiro in my area, who is great and he makes me FEEL better, but I know its not really doing anything to correct the issue. I've been doing this for a few months now, and although its a good short-term fix, thats all it is. I am now looking into Pilates to help strengthen my back muscles for support. A friend of mine (Seanland) tells me that he works for a chiropractor out in the USA that specializes in a certain type of chiropractic care called the Pettibon system. I've done some research into this and found that is has actually CORRECTED for the most part, people's scolotic curves in adulthood. This has really excited me, and I'm going to be contacting the leader in this field locally in the next few days for a consultation. I'm still skeptical, so I'd just like to ask him about it before I proceed with treatments if I decide to. I guess what I'm trying to ask, is has anyone possibly heard of/been treated with/had a friend thats been treated with/etc. the Pettibon system? I'd like to know as much as I can about this, but so far it looks the most promising. The Pettibon System Thanks! __________________ Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

06-25-2008, 05:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	I've never heard of it. But, the writeup looks pretty good. I see that he is not just treating bone alignment, but also reaching into physical therapy to strengthen weakened muscles, as well as some stretching to release shortened muscles. I also see that they don't take everyone, they screen to see if your curvature will likely respond to their methods. I have a question - back when I was in elementary and junior high school, I remember health screening days at school. One of the steps was for you to have your shirt off and touch your toes, and the doctor would check for spinal curvature. But, I'm 17 years older than you, perhaps times have changed. Have you never had your spine checked prior to this? (If this is a recent change, I would expect that the Pettibon system would be more likely to benefit you.) __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

06-25-2008, 01:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
Church Tilted F*ckhead Location: New Jersey	First of, I just want to thank everyone for their responses, I'm taking them all to heart . I just spoke to the chiropractic doctor that recommended me to the pettibon system, and actually referred to me to a doctor in my area that he thought could better help me with it then any other one. What I learned from this phonecall is that Dr. Pettibon has been working on this method for 47 years now. He has actually been working closely as of recently with one of the doctors that actually developed the Harrington rod which has been for the last 50 years one of the leading treatments in scoliosis. Its scary to hear that 4% of the kids don't even make it off the operating table, and about 15% of them need to go back for a 2nd surgery in the 20s after the titanium rod on their spine has cracked. The doctor that invented this is actually calling it barbaric these days, and is working closely with Dr. Pettibon in his research. I've been doing a LOT of research into this system the past few days, looking on the Pettibon website and off of it. I did find this third party study which I can't see it being related to Pettibon at all which provided positive results. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...medid=16409627 Anyways, thanks again for everyone's input! Its much appreciated . I'll keep you up to date! __________________ Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them. Last edited by Church; 06-25-2008 at 05:42 PM..

08-05-2008, 01:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
Church Tilted F*ckhead Location: New Jersey	Hey all, I'm sorry I haven't posted much lately in this thread, but this is basically on hiatus right now as it is going to cost me $3300 per year to do this program and its a 2 year course. I realize that its worth it and everything, but I really do not have the money to do this right now in my life. However I'll give you a rundown the new developments. Basically, this program does and will work for me. When I went in for the introductory meeting where I sit down with the doctor and discuss things, he first looked at me quickly, and then put a weight belt on my waist. It is a total of 10 pounds. 7 pounds on my right side and 3 on the left. What this does is helps to even out my waist. Right after I put that on, he had me stand on a vibration board for 10 minutes. To get an idea of what this does, think of when you have a cup of brown sugar, and you want it to settle into the mold of cup, so you jiggle it around and it sits in on itself. Thats essentially what this was doing. The weights slowly pushed down on it and it evened out. When I went in, I had a waist curvature of about 33%. After this small treatment and further x-rays, it went down to 4%. From what I understand, this particular method is just used to see what kind of results the patient can expect from the program. So overall, I'm quite optimistic about the outcomes of, I just don't know when and if I'll be able to do it. So thats pretty much where I'm at right now with this. Maybe if I get a better job soon, I'll be able to afford it, but as it is now, I'll just have to live with the pain and hope for the best. __________________ Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

08-05-2008, 03:01 PM	#10 (permalink)
thingstodo A Storm Is Coming Location: The Great White North	I've been using a chiro for nearly 20 years. I go once every 2-3 months. In the beginning I had some serious problems you could see on an x-ray. One vertebrea was turned and tilted. I got that fixed and basically still go to keep everything in line. I moved several times and asked how to find a good chiro. I was told to ask the technique they use and when I find one that uses the Gunsted technique to try them. That direction paid off twice. I also do plenty of core work. You need to work your back AND your abs which is why I say core. Recently we switched MDs to a MD that is an ostepath that is also into relexology and kinestetics (spelling?). He is amazing - even better than a chiro. I thought I felt good before but I feel even better. They basically are MDs that study other things and work holstically, trying to help the body heal itself. That's my 2 cents worth! __________________ If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves. Stangers have the best candy.

08-05-2008, 03:19 PM	#11 (permalink)
ngdawg peekaboo Location: on the back, bitch	I don't have scoliosis but I do have a birth defect in my lower spine that causes a disk to slip. When it slipped out two years ago, my doctor sent me for physical therapy. There was no manipulation of the spine, just exercises to strengthen the back muscles and make the disk slip back into place. This spring it slipped again and my friend recommended a chiropractor. Now I go every two weeks. In addition to my back, he manipulates my neck (it goes forward due to poor posture in front of the computer), checks my arms and hands and massages my sinuses. If I skip a week, I'm a physical mess. I was one of those "those people are quacks", but I'm a total convert now. I hope you can find a way to go and get everything fixed-is there a way to make a payment plan?

08-05-2008, 03:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
Church Tilted F*ckhead Location: New Jersey	ngdawg: There is a financing company that they use, but I can't afford the $350-400 every month to do it. __________________ Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.