Chiropractic Questions

[eits]

there are a lot of misconceptions about chiropractic out there. i'd like to take this chance to open this thread and field questions you people might have.

there are bad chiropractors out there, unfortunately. some are honest to God quacks who're out there only for the money. they're the idiots who think things like upper neck adjustments will cure cancer and whatnot. the good news is that they are a dying breed. most of those people are the older chiropractors who don't know the newer research and avoid all things medical.

today's chiropractic physicians work hand-in-hand with medical doctors for lots of problems. they're being more integrated into today's healthcare and it's because chiropractic care actually does work.

anyways, please no trolling or thread-crapping. if you do, i'll just ignore it and notify a mod. only serious questions, please.



edit: by the way, most of the negative view of chiropractic came from the ama (american medical association). for years, they spread a bunch of negative propaganda about chiropractic. there was a supreme court case about it... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...an_Medical_Association


UPDATE:

resurrecting this thread... bring it on.

no trolling, please. just questions that i can help answer. help me understand why you're against chiropractic.

 

[moshquerade]

Do Chiropractors have to take a state set amount of accredited Continuing Education courses in order to renew their state registrations/licenses every x-number of years?

 

[buck]

My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it. There is no way in hell that I can afford to do that much since my insurance only allows like 12-15 visits a year. I have since changed insurance companies, and I was wondering if going 12-15 will do any bit of good?

Second question.
I was told that I needed to start sleeping on my back since I have slept on my stomach all of my life. Since I stopped going, i never got to the session where he said he would give me some suggestions. I have tried sleeping on my back and I just cant get to sleep that way. I have tried doing it when I am EXTREMELY tired (and drunk for that matter). Any thoughts?

Thanks for the post.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
Do Chiropractors have to take a state set amount of accredited Continuing Education courses in order to renew their state registrations/licenses every x-number of years?

yeah, it's required to have a certain number of continued education in order to maintain your state license. i think every state has their own set number of hours and set number of years that they have for continued education.

continued education is mainly various seminars and state/local jurisprudence courses.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Ive heard that a good chiropractor can help with frequent migraines. What sort of info do you have about this claim? What is it that they can fix?

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: moshquerade
Do Chiropractors have to take a state set amount of accredited Continuing Education courses in order to renew their state registrations/licenses every x-number of years?

yeah, it's required to have a certain number of continued education in order to maintain your state license. i think every state has their own set number of hours and set number of years that they have for continued education.

continued education is mainly various seminars and state/local jurisprudence courses.

You'd think the old farts who don't want to keep up on the new medicine would be forced to get educated on it this way.

 

[digiram]

Myth: Cracking your back, neck, knuckles, etc. can cause problems in the future.

True or False?

 

[yowolabi]

I went with my girlfriend to a chiropractor, and quite frankly thought that he was full of shit.

He kept quoting some numbers that are supposed to be the optimum angles for the spine. He also told numerous stories/showed x-rays of people who had various sicknesses, and after adjusting their spine to this magical angle they all got better.

Was he representative of the typical chiropractor? If so, where do they get their information?

 

[bucwylde23]

Will it really help with my back pain? I sit at a desk 8 hours a day (not always, just when we're not busy) and drive 3+ hours a day and it's killing my back. I almost can't stand to sit at my desk anymore it hurts so bad.

I don't want to go if it's goin to become a regular thing where I have to go all the time. I just want to go in for a fix and then be good for a year maybe. I think my insurance covers like 10 visits a year or somethin like that.

edit: I guess my question is pretty similar to buck and dquan97's questions.

 

[dquan97]

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it. There is no way in hell that I can afford to do that much since my insurance only allows like 12-15 visits a year. I have since changed insurance companies, and I was wondering if going 12-15 will do any bit of good?

Second question.
I was told that I needed to start sleeping on my back since I have slept on my stomach all of my life. Since I stopped going, i never got to the session where he said he would give me some suggestions. I have tried sleeping on my back and I just cant get to sleep that way. I have tried doing it when I am EXTREMELY tired (and drunk for that matter). Any thoughts?

Thanks for the post.

Same question for me. Wife was diagnosed with alignment problem w/ her back and that her hips aren't level. Was told to consider a bundle of sessions lasting a year so she can come in 2x a week for 15mins. Is this really necessary?

 

[OutHouse]

hey, no love for CMT's???

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: moshquerade
Do Chiropractors have to take a state set amount of accredited Continuing Education courses in order to renew their state registrations/licenses every x-number of years?

yeah, it's required to have a certain number of continued education in order to maintain your state license. i think every state has their own set number of hours and set number of years that they have for continued education.

continued education is mainly various seminars and state/local jurisprudence courses.

speaking of which, I am behind on my CE credits. i need to get some seminars in asap.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it.

I came in for a habitual cracking of my neck and spine

I got the 2x a week song and dance

-Basically, I come in, and they hook me up to an overpriced Sharper Image massaging machine for 20 minutes. (doesnt feel that great btw)
-Then "doc" comes in and tells me to do a dumb exercise each week (roll your neck back 1 visit, roll your neck forward next visit, pinch your shoulder blades next visit)
-Asks if I'd like a "spinal adjustment". Successful in "cracking" me 1/4 tries.


So, about 5 minutes of his time, 20 minutes on a gimmicky machine, and he manages to milk my insurance company out of 400$ per visit.

I could do that with 50$ at Sharper Image and 3 minutes on wikipedia...

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: yowolabi
I went with my girlfriend to a chiropractor, and quite frankly thought that he was full of shit.

He kept quoting some numbers that are supposed to be the optimum angles for the spine. He also told numerous stories/showed x-rays of people who had various sicknesses, and after adjusting their spine to this magical angle they all got better.

Was he representative of the typical chiropractor? If so, where do they get their information?

thats the problem. seem sa field still filled with quacks.


I am sure Eits is great (i have talked with him via PM about some things in the past) and i would have no problems going to him. just seems a crap shoot finding a honest one.

but i have confidance in a few more years it will be good.


though i do swear by message thearpy! until my insurance changed i was going twice a week every week for like a year. it kept my pain down, i was more flexible etc.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Ones I have been to are worse than used car salesmen.

Oh you need to come in x times a week.
Don't forget if you feel stiff we can take a look.
Tell your family and friends about us.

Etc.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: yowolabi
I went with my girlfriend to a chiropractor, and quite frankly thought that he was full of shit.

He kept quoting some numbers that are supposed to be the optimum angles for the spine. He also told numerous stories/showed x-rays of people who had various sicknesses, and after adjusting their spine to this magical angle they all got better.

Was he representative of the typical chiropractor? If so, where do they get their information?

thats the problem. seem sa field still filled with quacks.


I am sure Eits is great (i have talked with him via PM about some things in the past) and i would have no problems going to him. just seems a crap shoot finding a honest one.

but i have confidance in a few more years it will be good.


though i do swear by message thearpy! until my insurance changed i was going twice a week every week for like a year. it kept my pain down, i was more flexible etc.

:lips:

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it. There is no way in hell that I can afford to do that much since my insurance only allows like 12-15 visits a year. I have since changed insurance companies, and I was wondering if going 12-15 will do any bit of good?

Second question.
I was told that I needed to start sleeping on my back since I have slept on my stomach all of my life. Since I stopped going, i never got to the session where he said he would give me some suggestions. I have tried sleeping on my back and I just cant get to sleep that way. I have tried doing it when I am EXTREMELY tired (and drunk for that matter). Any thoughts?

Thanks for the post.

first question:
it really depends on what your doctor found when he examined your spine and the kind of history you gave your doc. the rule of thumb is that you will typically need to be seen for as many months as the number of years you've had the problem. 15-30 mins is kinda typical of a GOOD chiropractor. the chiropractors i'm wary of are the ones who spend about 2 minutes with a patient and are filthy rich. to me, that isn't enough time to spend with a patient.

two times a week is about average for a newcomer. the reason is because you have little things called adhesions in the discs between your vertebrae. they come from those motion segments being facilitated or fixated. the problem with that is that is blocks those discs from getting the nutrients and hydration it needs to be healthy and to not degenerate. degeneration of discs causes lots of problems. another problem is that your spine has to compensate for the fixated segment, so another motion segment will move MORE than it should in order to compensate for the motion segment that isn't moving enough. that causes degeneration and potential herniations because the ligaments holding those bones become too loose.

the popping you hear is the air leaving the joint capsules at the facet joints. here's a picture of the joint capsules:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/d...144/facetjoint9-BB.jpg

in order to put motion into the segment in order to free break up the adhesions inside the disc and to cause it to increase the amount of imbibition in the disc (when new nutrients and water go in and old used up byproducts come out), you need to put motion into joint, which will cause the pop.

you gotta be careful about popping your own spine, though, because certain bones have certain misalignments. in order to put them back to their proper place, a trained/experienced chiropractor has to do it. even if you know how your vertebra is misaligned, you biomechanically can't get the proper force and line of drive in order to set it back.

the reason why your doc wanted you to go for a while was because it usually takes a few weeks in order for your body to get used to your misalligned bones to being put in their proper place. after those few weeks/months are over, a chiropractor will typically ask you to come back once every month or two just to keep it in check. it's kinda like going to your dentist every couple months in order to make sure your teeth are healthy... your chiropractor wants to make sure your spine and overall being is healthy.

whew... second question:

sleeping on your back is the best. if you're too uncomfortable doing that, it's ok. just make sure you've got a good bed and that you don't always have your head turned to one side while you're on your bed. sleeping on your stomach is the worst... if you can, try sleeping on your side. put a pillow between your legs for added comfort. make sure you have just one pillow under your head... not two. don't sleep without a pillow. make sure it's a good pillow. if you can afford it, get a neck pillow... it's not necessary, but it adds for comfort.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: LS20

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it.

I came in for a habitual cracking of my neck and spine

I got the 2x a week song and dance

-Basically, I come in, and they hook me up to an overpriced Sharper Image massaging machine for 20 minutes. (doesnt feel that great btw)
-Then "doc" comes in and tells me to do a dumb exercise each week (roll your neck back 1 visit, roll your neck forward next visit, pinch your shoulder blades next visit)
-Asks if I'd like a "spinal adjustment". Successful in "cracking" me 1/4 tries.


So, about 5 minutes of his time, 20 minutes on a gimmicky machine, and he manages to milk my insurance company out of 400$ per visit.

I could do that with 50$ at Sharper Image and 3 minutes on wikipedia...

That sounds about right. I had a pain in my neck once, and got that same song and dance. I think the quack got in trouble for insurance fraud. Serves the dipshit right.

 

[Throckmorton]

Which medical schools have chiropractic programs?

 

[FoBoT]

Q: Is it true that chiropractors worship SATAN?

A: ?

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: dquan97

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it. There is no way in hell that I can afford to do that much since my insurance only allows like 12-15 visits a year. I have since changed insurance companies, and I was wondering if going 12-15 will do any bit of good?

Second question.
I was told that I needed to start sleeping on my back since I have slept on my stomach all of my life. Since I stopped going, i never got to the session where he said he would give me some suggestions. I have tried sleeping on my back and I just cant get to sleep that way. I have tried doing it when I am EXTREMELY tired (and drunk for that matter). Any thoughts?

Thanks for the post.

Same question for me. Wife was diagnosed with alignment problem w/ her back and that her hips aren't level. Was told to consider a bundle of sessions lasting a year so she can come in 2x a week for 15mins. Is this really necessary?

depends on the distortion. a year of 2x/wk seems excessive to me. a couple months and a heel lift (if that's what's causing her hips to be unlevel) seems more reasonable to me. tell her to get a second chiropractic opinion.

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: buck
My back has started hurting and I went to a chiropractor to get it looked at. I basically got the song and dance that I needed to come in 15-30 min 2x a week for "a long time" as he put it. There is no way in hell that I can afford to do that much since my insurance only allows like 12-15 visits a year. I have since changed insurance companies, and I was wondering if going 12-15 will do any bit of good?

Second question.
I was told that I needed to start sleeping on my back since I have slept on my stomach all of my life. Since I stopped going, i never got to the session where he said he would give me some suggestions. I have tried sleeping on my back and I just cant get to sleep that way. I have tried doing it when I am EXTREMELY tired (and drunk for that matter). Any thoughts?

Thanks for the post.

first question:
it really depends on what your doctor found when he examined your spine and the kind of history you gave your doc. the rule of thumb is that you will typically need to be seen for as many months as the number of years you've had the problem. 15-30 mins is kinda typical of a GOOD chiropractor. the chiropractors i'm wary of are the ones who spend about 2 minutes with a patient and are filthy rich. to me, that isn't enough time to spend with a patient.

two times a week is about average for a newcomer. the reason is because you have little things called adhesions in the discs between your vertebrae. they come from those motion segments being facilitated or fixated. the problem with that is that is blocks those discs from getting the nutrients and hydration it needs to be healthy and to not degenerate. degeneration of discs causes lots of problems. another problem is that your spine has to compensate for the fixated segment, so another motion segment will move MORE than it should in order to compensate for the motion segment that isn't moving enough. that causes degeneration and potential herniations because the ligaments holding those bones become too loose.

the popping you hear is the air leaving the joint capsules at the facet joints. here's a picture of the joint capsules:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/d...144/facetjoint9-BB.jpg

in order to put motion into the segment in order to free break up the adhesions inside the disc and to cause it to increase the amount of imbibition in the disc (when new nutrients and water go in and old used up byproducts come out), you need to put motion into joint, which will cause the pop.

you gotta be careful about popping your own spine, though, because certain bones have certain misalignments. in order to put them back to their proper place, a trained/experienced chiropractor has to do it. even if you know how your vertebra is misaligned, you biomechanically can't get the proper force and line of drive in order to set it back.

the reason why your doc wanted you to go for a while was because it usually takes a few weeks in order for your body to get used to your misalligned bones to being put in their proper place. after those few weeks/months are over, a chiropractor will typically ask you to come back once every month or two just to keep it in check. it's kinda like going to your dentist every couple months in order to make sure your teeth are healthy... your chiropractor wants to make sure your spine and overall being is healthy.

whew... second question:

sleeping on your back is the best. if you're too uncomfortable doing that, it's ok. just make sure you've got a good bed and that you don't always have your head turned to one side while you're on your bed. sleeping on your stomach is the worst... if you can, try sleeping on your side. put a pillow between your legs for added comfort. make sure you have just one pillow under your head... not two. don't sleep without a pillow. make sure it's a good pillow. if you can afford it, get a neck pillow... it's not necessary, but it adds for comfort.

Awesome info! Sounds like what I can do is start going at the end of this year and use up my 12-15 visits and then use the next years at the begining so they roll together. I wonder if that will work? Either way, thank you for your thoughts, it makes more sense now.

I will try the side sleep and see how that works out. Thanks again.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Ive heard that a good chiropractor can help with frequent migraines. What sort of info do you have about this claim? What is it that they can fix?

there was a cadaver study done at johns hopkins where they ended up finding a connective tissue bridge between a couple muscles in the top of the neck and the dura. the dura = the connective tissue that covers your brain. so, the studies showed that when the muscle gets tight or if the vertebra the muscle inserts into is misalligned, it pulls on that fibrous connective tissue bridge and causes tension on the dura, which causes enough of a pressure differential in the skull which causes the migraine.

also, most "migraines" aren't migraines at all... they're cervicogenic headaches, which means that it's caused by problems in the neck, whether it's bad biomechanics, degeneration, muscles pulling and causing tension, etc.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: moshquerade
Do Chiropractors have to take a state set amount of accredited Continuing Education courses in order to renew their state registrations/licenses every x-number of years?

yeah, it's required to have a certain number of continued education in order to maintain your state license. i think every state has their own set number of hours and set number of years that they have for continued education.

continued education is mainly various seminars and state/local jurisprudence courses.

You'd think the old farts who don't want to keep up on the new medicine would be forced to get educated on it this way.

i think that they go, but they're so set in the old way of doing things that they just don't care. i dunno... all i know is that i'm glad they're on their way out.

 

[jlee]

My chiropractor is awesome..specializes in sports injuries/etc & muscle stuff. I usually end up going once every couple of years..my back was all out of whack last time I went. It doesn't hurt my upper back to run anymore, so he must've done something right!