Chiropratic Treatment

[manlymatt83]

My chiropractor says yes. Everyone I know swears by it. But some people, including a few billboards, insist it causes stroke.

What are your thoughts?

 

[AbAbber2k]

Some procedures, particularly those involving the neck, have certain risks... though you're probably more likely to die tomorrow in a car accident than have a chiropractic induced stroke. Otherwise you're just as safe in the hands of a GOOD Chiro as you are in the hands of a GOOD surgeon or whatever. Quack Chiro's exist, but there are fewer and fewer every day as the field has come a long way from where it started out (cure-all alternative medicine). Talk to people who have had chiropractic treatment and try to find someone good, as opposed to just walking into the nearest clinic or accepting the first doctor referral you get.

I work with a Chiro (and had him work on me a little) who actually does more soft tissue work than actual joint manipulation (probably because he deals in sports injuries more than anything). He knows his shit and he's very good at what he does. Definitely given me new found respect for the field. If only they were all like him.

 

[brikis98]

I'm no doctor or expert, so I can't comment from a scientific perspective, but from what I've seen, chiropractors seem to be very helpful and safe. Many of my family members and friends have gone to them and typically have only good things to say. Not everyone that went was "cured", but there were certainly no horror stories of any kind. I'm sure there are crappy chiropractors out there, but that's true of just about any profession.

Personally, I've gone twice. The first time, I went for a few weeks to get adjustments done for a neck/trap injury I had. It was a bit scary to have the guy doing stuff to my neck, especially with all the lovely popping/cracking noises, but it helped enormously. The second time, I went to a chiropractor who used ART (Active Release Techniques) to help me get over a rotator cuff and upper back injury - I wrote about my experiences in this thread. The injury just would not heal on its own and seemed to get worse when I rested it, but the ART stuff had me back to 100% in ~6 visits.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I actually just read a research article on this. It stated that something like 1 out of several million treatments may actually cause spine damage. However, to put that into scale, it also mentioned that that was about the number of treatments administered across the world from 1960 until now. I was also reading that different research has different information. Most research said that there was no statistically significant correlation between chiropractic treatment and stroke. There was one or two that said there was a very small correlation, but nothing that really effected expected lifespan. It'll be a hard article to find, which is why I'm summarizing it, but I would definitely find a chiropractor from a reliable source. Ask your general practitioner or your friends that swear by it. Don't just find a random one and gamble. I think that's where it can get a little dangerous. Plus, personally, I will refuse to see a chiropractor that also dabbles in alternative medicine just like I would refuse to see a normal doctor for the same reason. The back is something purely medical in my book. I don't want them to try to talk me into alternative medicine as the primary method of care.

 

[Jeffg010]

I swear by them. I had the worst shooting pain in my lower right side of my back about 4 years ago. Felt like a dagger was in my back when I would stand up or sit down. I was desperate for anything to stop the pain so I made an appointment. When I got there they stared with some kind of device that they rubbed on me to cool the muscle. Then the doc laid me down on my stomach then put her knee on my leg, she then grab my right arm pulled and it sounded like a stick flipping along a picket fence. She switched sides and did the same thing but hardly any cracking. I got up and there was no pain. I was still careful sitting and standing because the fear of the pain would come back. I saw her 2 days later she did the same thing again to me very light cracks and after the 3rd time I felt really loose and called them said I did not need to go back. About a year half later my back was hurting again same side and hip was hurting too she did the same crack and then was looking at my legs and seeing if they were the same length. She did some other cracks and about 3 appoints after that was feel awesome. I have not been back. I had back problems for a long time nothing that I could work though but still some pain. Since I seen the chiropractor this has been the best my back has ever felt.

 

[nervegrind3r]

while I dont believe you will go to a chiro and get a stroke, here is my experience earlier this year:

I had a tendency to sleep on my stomach, and once in a while, I would wake up with severe neck pain. It was so bad one time, I had trouble moving my neck for about 10 days without severe pain, could not even get to work. So I checked out a chiro this year after a recommendation from brother in law that has had bad back and neck pain for years. He said when he went on a regular basis, he felt better than usual. So I went to the chiro he recommended. He took xrays and did some examining, and said my neck was in bad shape, but I was at the stage where "he could still help me and bring back the natural curve of my neck in time." There was no magic selling or hocus pocus, and I took him to be very upfront and honest. The plan was for me to come in 3 times a week for adjustments (@ $30 copay), for an undefined period of time, but hinted about 6 months to a year at least. On a side note, I have since heard from friends that their chiros have asked them to commit for at least a year (like a gym membership) to come for regular visits, but thats another story.

So, I starting going I felt better after the first visit, in which he adjusted my neck, and popped my back. Second visit was different, and we both knew it. He did something and my jaw went numb about 10 minutes after I left his office, and lasted for about 20 minutes (not kidding). I told him and he said he would do something a little less intense, and he stayed true. He adjusted me again and popped my back a few days later, and continue like this for weeks, and he would check alignment, etc one in while, and no more numbness. We talked about my neck and back, stretches I could, what I can expect, etc etc. All the while I am going, I never really felt that much better better, but I continued to go with an expectation that in time I would feel much better and these small adjustments were necessary, so I stuck with it.

Then the numbness came again. My LAST 3 visits were exactly like the 2nd visit; after the adjustments, my jaw went numb again. I called him after each visit to left him know. On the 3rd the last visit, I knew something was wrong because I would feel he put too much pressure or something, and it was a noticeably different sound than my other visits. Same thing happened on the 2nd to last visit, called him again to let him know, and the same on the last visit. That was it for me with the chiro. I had a talk with him face to face, not yelling and saying he sucked or anything, but told him what I felt and how I did not feel this was safe anymore, and would not be coming back. He was upset to hear this (like me saying he did not do his job well) but insisted if I did not want to go to him anymore, that he would recommend another chiro because he thought my neck was in bad shape and could still be corrected. After all, he went to a chiro as well and would try to find something that used a different technique. After going to him for about 4 months, I thought it would be best not to.

In all honesty, I gave this a shot, but got really scared when the numbness set in after the last 3 adjustments, and he could not say why, or do things differently. In all honesty, I really wanted to do this to improve the way I felt and gave it a shot, put forth the time and money as well, but it was not beneficial at all to me. I will say however that after a few weeks of stopping my visits my neck and back felt significantly better, better than I ever felt when I getting adjusted.

On the flipside, others I know say they have had great success with chiros. I asked my friends friend, a chiro of 8 years if/why he truly believes in what he does (btw, I never had him try to adjust me because this of my previous experience) and he said he went to one since he was young, and his mother went to one when she had very bad neck pain as well. He also said he has helped some people avoid surgery but giving them adjustments. I had no reason to doubt him, but after my experience i did not want to give it a second try. As mentioned before, this kind of care is alternative medicine. I really went into this with an open mind, did everything that was asked and then some, did my own research, but it did not work out for me, so ymmv.

On a side note, I made some changes which have helped my neck and back pain go away for the most part:

I dont sleep on my stomach (very hard because I did this for so many years)
I use a mckenzie cervical neck roll under my neck when I sleep (it helps so much)
I dont slouch when I walk or sit, but instead suck in the gut and stand tall
I stretch my neck and back

Also I have recently bought a neck pump and inversion table, and can hopefully benefit from them.

 

[eits]

yeah, it's completely safe.

risks of chiropractic are extremely low. about one out of two million experience a stroke... and most of those patients have a family history of stroke or a medical history that would predispose them to an increased risk of stroke (diabetes, high cholesterol, blood clots, smoking, etc). there's also a risk of fracture, typically rib fractures or lumbar transverse process fractures. those are more likely to happen than stroke, but still, the rate of occurrence is low. it depends on the expertise of the chiropractor and whether or not they're careless with patient care. there's also the risk of a vertebral artery dissection or partial occlusion, but that's rare and occurs mainly with older generation chiropractors.

the main thing is to do research and go to someone who's been recommended, by either your friends or a doctor who trusts them. you don't wanna go to just anyone. also, stay clear of anyone who thinks chiropractic is the cure-all for diseases.

most prudent chiropractors will take a medical history of sorts on and x-rays before adjusting you... this is to make sure that you don't have any risk factors that could cause them to break a bone or ligament or cause you to have a stroke. a good chiropractor takes precautionary measures to cover his ass and to make sure he doesn't get any bad press by being negligent.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: nervegrind3r
On a side note, I made some changes which have helped my neck and back pain go away for the most part:

I dont sleep on my stomach (very hard because I did this for so many years)
I use a mckenzie cervical neck roll under my neck when I sleep (it helps so much)
I dont slouch when I walk or sit, but instead suck in the gut and stand tall
I stretch my neck and back

advice everyone should live by... minus the mckinzie cervical neck roll... only some certain individuals should use that, imo.