my first chiropractic adjustment

amyg

amyg

Cathlete
I went in to review my xrays today. I'm all out of whack! (Of course, what else would a chiropractor say?!) She did an adjustment for me, and wants me to come in 3 times a week for 4 weeks "to start off". I scheduled the appointments, but one of my friends keeps telling me the woman is a quack and doesn't know what she's doing. She says anyone who wants you to go in that much can't know what they're doing.

I'm not in pain from the adjustment, I just want to make sure I'm not doing more damage than I need to to my poor body! I want it to last me a looong time. I'm 28 so there are lots of years ahead, God willing.

Anyway, I'm nervous about the committment to go in that much. I do get "muscle work" (massage) at the same time. I just don't want to be making a big mistake!

Any thoughts?
 
I just did my first adjustment a few weeks ago. He had me come in twice a week for two weeks and now he's recommended that I make an appointment for two weeks from my last appointment.

In all honesty, if someone wanted me to come in that much, I'd probably find someone else. Maybe others will tell you differently but red flags go up for me.

JMHO
Sue <><
 
Amy,

Have you ever considered getting a second opinion from an MD? Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely think there's a place for chiropractic medicine, and indeed, I have been to one before, but I have to say that I really didn't think it helped me all that much. I too, was skeptical about a need for so many visits. (I should probably add a disclaimer here that I am a nurse married to a neurologist).

My MD gave me a thorough examination, with xrays and MRI scan. MRI scans are necessary to properly diagnose a herniation. It turned out I had a severe herniated disc. The first time this happened, about 15 years ago, I was fine after 6 weeks of physical therapy where I was treated with traction, heat, massage, then exercises and stretches as I progressed. They recommended a weight training program after I'd recovered.

I had a complete recovery and was fine until 15 years later. The next herniation required surgery because I ended up with a cord compression. I had about a 98% recovery from that (I have some permanent weakness in biceps and shoulders--I can do bicep curls with a 30# barbell so that's not so bad).

I'm not saying it's wrong to go to a chiropractor, I would merely suggest a 2nd opinion.

Michele
 
I get periodic chiropractic adjustments and I feel like they really help me. I have always been skeptical about the need to go in very often. I think it is a way for them to pad their bill. My experience is that most chiropractors want you to come in a lot at first and then they taper. If you feel uncomfortable with the situation, set a limit with her on how often you want to come in. That's what I do. Good luck!
 
A few years back, I went to a chiropractor. I went to see him 3 times a week for 4 weeks. After that, it was every other week. I don't know what your situation is, but I couldn't sit up without pain. He also suggested that I lose more weight and get more active. After the first adjustment, I was in a lot of pain. After a couple of months, I could sit without pain for long periods, and the exercise had strengthened my core. He used accupressure to align the spine. My doctor thought it was a great idea - better than surgery.

I know that I was in pain and was seeking an alternative to surgery. I feel that the chiropractic alternative was cheaper and healthier than going to the orthopaedic doctor for surgery. My insurance helped pay for the chiropractor. If you are not in pain or discomfort, you may not have to go three times a week. Think about what you believe is best for you - you may want to go to another chiropractor, or a massage therapist or another professional before you commit to this chiropractor.

Also, the chiropractor that I saw came highly recommended by several people that I knew and respected at the time. He also had an ideal location. Good luck!
 
She said this would be the "intensive" phase for the first 12 weeks, then after that I could decide if I thought once a week was good or once every 2 weeks. I think she is concerned about all my muscles and the resulting "tug of war" going on between her trying to correct me and my muscles wanting to be how they've always been.

I just don't want to end up worse off than I am already! :D My shoulder has completely stopped working, so she said to only use light weights for shoulders for a while. I was doing triceps today in Boot Camp on my back, bending my elbows, with 8 lbs and my left arm just whithered after only a couple reps. It was a little scary!

Then again, the thought of seeing someone who doesn't know what she's doing is much scarier.
 
I am really on the fence about chiropractic medicine. I have a dear friend who goes because the doctor guilts her into it and gets mad if she misses an appointment. He showed her some freaky x-ray of her misalignment and she is paranoid that she will become disfigured if he stops the treatment. He maintains that her periodic adjustments will allow her nerve cells to communicate better through her spinal cord and that as a result she will be less susceptable to disease, etc.

If her back feels better as a result of the adjustments fine but as far as anything else goes, I am skeptical. She is sick all the time!
I guess there are always a few bad apples.............
 
My weight is okay. I'm sure I'd be worse off if it weren't. It's mostly that I'm a law student, so my neck is always tilted down looking at a book. When I run, my low back hurts. And I love to run!

I can't take advil or ibuprofin, since it damages my kidneys. As a type one diabetic, I'm not willing to take that chance- especially if I have someone who can help me correct some of what's happening. (When I developed a stress fracture in my leg, I took NSAIDS and developed kidney damage. When I stopped taking them, the damage reversed, but it was enough for me!)
 
LOL, that seems so off that he'd make her feel badly for missing an appointment! Ick!

The woman I saw today is pretty laid back, she let it be my choice. (At least as much of my choice as it could be after seeing the xrays.) It wasn't a hard sell at all! But it was a little sneaky. I've worked for doctors who do the exact same thing with only the best intention. I'm hoping she's the same way- that she sincerely thinks my back/neck/shoulder pain will decrease with her help. If that's what she's saying, I don't mind at all.

My insurance covers a bunch of this, too, so I'm not out of pocket too much. Far less than I've invested in Cathe in the last year, that's for sure! :)
 
I think that my back was due to carrying around heavy law books and running around the country for clients. I think that strengthening my core really helped. By the way, take care of yourself while in law school. While in law school, I got sick from lack of exercise and lack of sleep and ended up in the hospital from exhaustion. Now, almost 15 years later, I believe that I take better care of myself than I did then. I hope that you are getting enough sleep.

If your arm is really to the point that you can't move it, either go to this chiropractor or to another. A lot of the medical doctors want to operate, or give you more drugs. Try a more natural approach before you take to drugs or surgery.
 
Ah, sleep...

Actually, this past weekend I knew I was taking today off of work, so I ended up taking a few naps and I think I understood more of what I read as a result.

It sounds like a terrible time for you in law school! I went to a part time program so I would have time to exercise and sleep. In my second year (out of 4), it isn't working too well!!

The more I hear stories that "you can make it through" the better I feel. LOL, I don't know if I *believe* them yet, but it's still nice to hear!
 
Amy, it sounds like you have alot of misgivings about this. If you want to go the chiropractic route, why don't you get a recommendation from someone you trust? Has one of your friends been to a chiropractor they liked? Maybe your MD can refer you to a good one--many MD's make referrals for alternative treatments. I think you need to be careful with your spine and I wouldn't have someone messing with mine if I had the least doubt about their abilities. What does your DH think?

Michele
 
I think my misgivings are about chiropractice in general. It seems like a kind of miracle cure, which always makes me wary.

DH is supportive, he's met her and had no problems with her. He doesn't think about this kind of thing like I do, though. I think I might be just trying really hard not to get my hopes up!
 
>
>If your arm is really to the point that you can't move it,
>either go to this chiropractor or to another. A lot of the
>medical doctors want to operate, or give you more drugs. Try a
>more natural approach before you take to drugs or surgery.

I just really have to refute this remark. I know alot of doctors and I don't know a single one that would recommend surgery if they didn't think you needed it. Have you ever heard of medical malpractice? No physician in their right mind is going to perform unnecessary surgery. There's already a severe shortage of physicians and surgeons in certain parts of the country because of the escalating cost of insurance. I really think you should be careful about these blanket statements. Most of the doctors I know are decent, hard woking, morally upright individuals and they're not looking for a way to line their pockets. Yes, there are bad doctors--just like there are bad attorneys.

Michele
 
Michele-

I think she just meant that the tendency is for doctors to operate, whereas a chiropractor can't/won't. And I think a lot of patients ask doctors for drugs, so a lot of them will kind of prescribe automatically to provide relief.

I've worked for a few surgeons, and they're AFRAID of patients who come in asking for surgery and don't want other less drastic treatment. Just like a lawyer might be afraid of a client who insists on going to trial. Trial is, like surgery, very expensive and not a guaranteed result.

But, like you said, the key is whether or not the doctor (or lawyer!) is "in their right mind".
 
I've had both a horrible chiropractor and an excellent one. The first did just like your describing and said I had a bazillion problems w/my spine and that I needed a bazillion appointments. I went to an orthopedic surgeon for both a second opinion and additional help and he said I had the spine of a healthy young person and that all my pain was soft tissue. He said I might even get some relief from a chiro, but that there was nothing wrong with my spine. For a while after that I avoided them (chiros), but recently I found one that specializes in kineseology and biomechanical movement and he rarely even does an adjustment and he has helped me tremendously. Get second opinions and "shop around".
 
What I find upsetting is the suggestion to stick with chiropractors (her remark was to stick with this chiropractor or find another) because doctors are only going to dope you up and cut on you. This is patently false. And you're right Amy, when people go to the doctor in a great deal of pain they just want it fixed, by whatever means.

I went to a neurosurgeon for my disc (some people choose orthopedic surgeons--I want a neurosurgeon for work that close to my spinal cord). My first incident didn't require surgery, the second time around I had a cord compression and there is no amount of chiropractic intervention that can fix that, in fact, it could have devastating results. A chiropractor can't tell you the severity of a herniation--that requires an MRI scan. So I would be a little afraid to have someone messing with my back without this knowledge.

Again, I have no problem with chiropractors in general. There is definitely a place for them in medicine. There's also a place for MD's, and they aren't all standing around with prescription pads and scalpels.

Michele
 
LOL I love the imagery of the docs all standing around with Rx pads and scapels.

She didn't tell me anything was actually wrong, and I didn't expect her to, to tell the truth. If she had, I'd probably be more willing to invest the time and energy (neither of which I have to spare!) on finding a second opinion. And probably I'd head to my doc too. I'm in an HMO type insurance dealy-bob, and when I told my Fam Pract PCP a few months ago I was having problems with my knee, she refused to send me to orthopedics. She said they would only see me if it would result in surgery. THEN the ditz proceeded to move my leg around in directions it does not and should not go to see if she could diagnose the knee pain. It was awful, and told me right then that I would not return to my HMO plan for anything dealing with biomechanics. I was so surprised that she was doing that!

The chiropractor did tell me some things, and show me a few ideas, of changes I can make to ease some pain. I don't know if they will work or not.

I do love the idea of 15 minute massages (comes with the adjustment) for each visit. I need more relaxation in my life, I know that! But as for the actual back stuff, I'm thinking of it more as "well-care". She hasn't told me my back is unhealthy at all, she says I've got great structure and strength. She knows how important exercise is to me, and we share the philosophy that you only get one body, so take care of it. I am just new to the entire field of chiropractice, so I'm not sure what the norms are. It sounds like there aren't a lot of norms.
 
I so agree with Michele. Sometimes chiropractors can make a situation worse. I have a herniated disc in my neck and I too went to a nuerosurgeon, physical therapy and finally had a cortisone injection by an anesthesiologist(?) I feel much better and can sit comfortably. I still have some numbness in my arm but very little discomfort. I was told the eventually I may need surgery, but the cortisone may do the trick. Surgery was never even suggested to me. Sometimes chiros are enough and my nuerosurgeon will refer patients to them if they think they will help. I was told in my case it may aggravate the symptoms. So it may help to see a doctor. Most doctors today are not anti-chiropractic.
 
I agree Broyles60. Everything I've ever read or experienced about Chiros just yells "scam" at me. I'm sure that some of them are helpful but most of them want patients to keep coming back after showing them how "misaligned" and "out of whack" their backs/necks are. I'm willing to bet my life that if I went to a chiro right now and got some pictures taken, they will tell me that I need an adjustment even though I feel no pain.
It makes sense to immediatly feel better after an adjustment because the act alone will send all kinds of endorphins into the blood stream making you feel great in the short term.
I've also read about chiros telling patients that they need to stop taking medication and even one told his patient to stop taking her anti-seizure meds and she later died because of it.
Also, I don't think they should refer to themselves as "doctors". They are NOT physicians!!! Most of them are alternative medicine people and I think they should be a little more upfront about that.
www.quackwatch.com is a good site to find out about medical scams.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some of them are good, but most just scare me!!
Carolyn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top