What is your feeling toward chiropractors?

Question

I had terrible, terrible lower back pain about a year ago. So much so that I could barely move without wincing in pain. My father recommended I see a chiropractor. After two weeks, my back was much better, and started seeing the chiropractor once every two weeks to a month. Last week my husband began complaining of the same problem with his back. I sent him to my chiropractor. But his back seemded to be getting worse with muscle spasms. He went to his GP, who gave him a lecture about chiropractors and how they only offer a temporary fix. He said nobody and move or shift the spine (agreeably). Then he told my husband all he had was muscle spasms, and prescribed him some muscle relaxers. NOw--aren't those just a temporary fix as well? Is there a natural way to heal the back that is permanent? My uncle prefers acupuncture. My aunt prefers biohealing. What is your take?

Answer 1

Well if you are having back pain because something in your back is out of position and pinching a nerve, then obviously perscribing drugs to numb the pain and relax the muscles is a permanent solution which fixes the root cause. Oh wait, that does seem very correct.

Basically, there are a few things to consider. Different chiropractors have different levels of skill (much like osteopaths). Depending on the state your back in, fixing it can be as simple as moving one vertebrae back, or might require a huge undertaking. It's case specific. Depending on the nature of the injury and the skill of the chiropractor, the ammount of work you need can vary immensely. Some people walk out of the office feeling better, some get nothing. The statement is not proof of the quality of the profession, just the fact that human variation exists. Normally allopaths when confronted with the problem will do one of the following: give you drugs so you don't feel the problem, reccomend extremely invasive surgery (which normally just partially fixes the problem and lets it reccurr about ten years later), or throw their arms up in the air and tell you nothing can be done.
Back problems are a pain to deal with, and chiropractors happen to be the main field in the country that focuses on addressing them.

As far as your problem goes, the human body has a tendacy to want to revert back to how it was, even if that baseline is bad, and nerves like to hold to onto trauma and tension. As a result, especially if the physical habits which brought the problem on are still reccuring after a treatment, the problems in the spine will come back at it shifts back to it's messed up allingment. Addressing this problem can require a variety of different factors, including multiple visits, cutting the physical factors out of your life that cause the problem, and simply seeing a chiropractor skilled enough to handle your problem.

Your story seems to illustrates the fact that variations exist and no one correct approach exists. If anything, I would advise taking your husband to a different chiropractor to get their opinion,before you judge the entire fields effectiveness. What worked for you might not necessarily work for the next person.

Hope you find that helpful!

Answer 2

Everybody bodies are different from each other, therefore, two people may have the exact same symptoms, but the cause of the problem is not the same. Chiropractic adjustments work for most people, if the treatment is tailored to their specific problem, and it works better if rehabilitative exercises are prescribed along with the adjustments. Your MD is right in that the spine does not move or shift, and most chiropractors know that as well, but that is not how spinal manipulative therapy works. Your husband probably has a job with much different physical requirements than you; such as sitting in a chair all day or heavy lifting and repetitive movements.

As far as how do I feel about chiropractors. I am one and I have to say that for the most part I like us, but there are some of us that I wish would just shut up and go away. These are the ones that try to sell care plans to people, or try to push their philosophy down patients throats.

Answer 3

Actually, his doctor had it the wrong way around....a Chiropractor helps to get your joints back into the way they are supposed to be, which makes you better over time, whereas any prescription a doctor gives you is just to fight a symptom (which ignores the underlying cause of the problem), which is really a temporary fix.

However, if you shift your joints out of alignment after an adjustment, then you will undo some of the repair that a Chiropractor does..... just like getting infected undoes any repair that a doctor may do. They both deal with helping different types of damage done to the body, really.

The ideal for the general population is to have a few different doctors with different specialties. A medical doctor for when you get sick, a surgeon on backup for when you need surgery, a homeopathic/natural doctor to help regulate nutrients into your body, a chiropractor to help correct any problems that need joint manipulation, and any specialists you may need (OB/GYN for women, etc).

Answer 4

I love chiropractics. Chiropractics has cured my sciatica, helped with allergies and sinus infections in myself and has helped my family members and a few friends with many ailments. I took my daughter to my chiropractor when she was only a few months old because she couldn't seem to be able to hold her head up - and she was quite old enough - the chiropractor did a tiny adjustment very carefully and - just like that - she could hold her head up straight - never had a problem since and she just turned 5.

Chiropractics is a natural way to heal the back permanently.

Your allopathic doctor, in my opinion, didn't know what he was talking about. Here's the trick though. A chiropractor or physical therapist needs to teach the patient some exercises that will strengthen the muscle groups surrounding the vertebrae that are sliding out of place, otherwise they will continue to slide out of place.

Acupuncture would complement chiropractics nicely and I'm unsure what biohealing is.

I wholeheartedly believe in chiropractics and will continue to see a chiropractor for the remainder of my life.

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Answer 5

To me all seem pretty temperary. All in a way relieve some of the pain and depending on you to which is better. My chiropractor worked well on me and I do not visit regular but he helped me realize some things I was doing wrong and help me to stop doing them. My gp will give me muscle relaxers but did not do as well. I do not feel popping my bones hurt me but some of the side affects of the muscle relaxers and alchol that I drink do bother me.

Answer 6

Normally it should have gone away. The adjustments they do are small ones and a little at a time. Maybe you pulled a muscle instead. That would be out of there hands and into the hospitals to see what is wrong with it.

Answer 7

Quack, quack quack.

Answer 8

they have helped me