Chiropractor? Physical therapy?

[jinx]

I'm not sure if it's that my hips/pelvis is out of whack, or my spine is bent from hip-carrying the kids, but something is screwy. Looks like one of my hips is further forward than the other. There's a chiro at school one day a week that I could go to, and my sister runs an MFR clinic that I know is 'good', I've taken both the kids there... so both are an option, although the chiro would be free and more convenient. Basically the question is; skeletal or soft tissue manipulation - which would make more sense? Or neither?

[Clodfobble]

Does it just look out of whack, or are you actually feeling pain?

[lookout123]

if it is a good chiro then go that route. if it is one that will just pop your neck slap your ass and collect your cash... keep looking.

i've got a damaged back, but won't go under the knife, so i have 1 massage and 1 adjustment per week. they kind of go hand in hand. if your muscles are messed up they can just pull you right back out of alignment.

[russotto]

You need a diagnosis before you can decide on a treatment.

[Griff]

What is the "Sense of the Cellar" on chiropractors? I have a friend who swears by his for relief from shoulder pain.

[Clodfobble]

As an adolescent, I had frequent recurring headaches, and my mother took me to a chiropractor repeatedly for them. Never did any good. The lady would usually just pop my back, and once she did this weird thing that involved squirting really cold water--or maybe it was even nitro glycerin--on certain spots on my back.

My general impression is they're quacks. But on the other hand, a friend of mine was pregnant, her baby was breech (facing the wrong way), and they'd tried all the typical ways to get the baby to turn around to no avail. She was recommended to this one chiropractor, who did some adjustment or other, and by the next morning the baby had flipped. I get the impression, though, that all chiropractor success stories are anecdotal.

[wolf]

I have never been to a chiropractor, but have assisted a friend in mocking his wife who swore by hers by saying "so, did he dance around you with beads, feathers, and a rattle?"

Of course, speaking as someone who does dance around others with beads, feathers, and a rattle, such treatment modalities do have value to the recipients.

Spiritualists and Shamans do the same job psychologists and psychiatrists do, using the same tools, and obtaining about the same results. -- E Fuller Torrey, MD (from his book "Mind Games" which compares traditional folk and magickal healing practices with modern psychiatry.)

[lookout123]

well, it boils down to the question of what result do you hope to have after your treatment?

me personally - i want to be able to turn my head side to side and walk without a limp. i hate ongoing appts so i used to avoid chiros assuming they just wanted to string me along.

then i went to a guy who was kind of new agey, hippy-ish and told him my concern. his professional recommendation was to allow him to do a head to toe adjustment once each year (fingers and toes included - we're talking really thorough) and then only call him if i felt pain or limited movement. his view was that his colleagues who require frequent ongoing appts, just want more money even if you don't need the adjustment.
i went his route and it was freakin' awesome. earlier this year i did some damage to my back that we are trying to rectify without involving a knife. should be about 3 more weeks and then back to 1 maybe 2 times per year.

if you meet a chiro that only wants to pop your neck or spine then run off to the next client, i'd keep looking though.

[jinx]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Does it just look out of whack, or are you actually feeling pain?

Mostly I can just see it. It's pops sometimes, but there's no pain.
I know countless people who swear by chiropractic for everything from pain to colds, but there's still that little part of me that fears being paralyzed by a quack.

[Happy Monkey]

Going to a chiropractor is like buying moonshine. There's a chance the guy has some skills, but you could just as easily be blinded. They can both get you drunk, though.

[Brigliadore]

Originally Posted by lookout123

i've got a damaged back, but won't go under the knife, so i have 1 massage and 1 adjustment per week. they kind of go hand in hand. if your muscles are messed up they can just pull you right back out of alignment.

I second that.

I have had major back problems for years. Starting in 6th grade when I was laid up for 2 weeks because one of my vertebrae had slipped out of place. My mom took me to a Chiropractor and he fixed it right up. I then saw him every week for a year and then every other week for another year. That was about the point when i realized that my back felt great for a day or two and then went right back to hurting again. The muscles were pulling the vertebrae right back out of alignment. I stopped going to the chiropractor as I had pretty much learned how to adjust it myself. I have seen a few others since then and I guess they were ok, but the fix they gave me was always temporary, so I don't bother with them any more.

If you do go see one I suggest you visit your doctor first and see what he has to say about it. It might be something that cant be fixed at this point. If he does say a Chiropractor can fix it then ask him who he recommends.

[Catwoman]

Osteopathic and Chiropractic techniques have largely merged over the years - as they are both holistic remedies their objective is to improve the patient without getting caught up in perimeters like a lot of physio's (ie. ooh I can't possibly massage that bit of shoulder I'm not an osteopath you know). Essentially they are the same but I would say if you're afraid of clicking things out of shape go to an osteo, if that doesn't work take a harder line with the chiro. Doing the same thing myself at the moment, and my friend is training to be a chiropractor. Whatever you do sort out back problems at the time, cost irrelevant, it is so important.