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Off-Topic Has anyone been helped by chiropractic care?

I hurt my back a few years ago and every once in a while I’ll irritate it. I’ve got a local chiropractor that does a good job of loosening everything up. I don’t think he’s the long term fix, but when something goes wonky he’s generally able to get me back on track.
 
Yes absolutely terrific, fixed the problem every time no worries.
After retirement I hardly ever needed the Chiropractor, maybe change of everyday activities were of benefit or my work desk and vehicle seat were the cause of the problems.
 
I think this could also be a question about what research has to say about this topic. So no, it is not all about opinions and experiences, it is also a question about what the research says.

I have gone to chiropractor some times and all the time is has given me immediate relief, but zero long term relief.
 
Anders said:
I think this could also be a question about what research has to say about this topic. So no, it is not all about opinions and experiences, it is also a question about what the research says
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We already made a deal to not post any well designed effectiveness studies on chiropractic treatment of scoliosis.
 
Yes, chiropractors have helped me significantly both with a "locked up" neck and with a aching lower back.
Adjusting my neck also helped a bit with a left frozen shoulder back in the day, but it never regained it's mobility, and that wasn't even great to begin with.
 
My wife has scoliosis and has at times suffered from severe neck pain/spasms.

While she is not exactly pain free since seeing a chiro regularly, she has not suffered from any spasms or severe pain.

She swears by her chiropractor.
 
I've had good experiences with the chiropractor I see a few times a year. Not so much with 2 others I tried in the last 8 years.

I first went to him for some ART (active release technique) manual therapy. He then helped me with some spinal issues I had. Some segments weren't moving properly so some had to take up the slack and were too mobile and easily got painful and irritated. He also helps with occasional SI joint issues. He almost never cracks anything, mostly uses the stim gun, soft tissue work and some manual therapy.

I find it helps to get a checkup a few times a year. Mainly keeps everything moving properly.

The guy I go see has worked with athletes (mainly triathletes and Iron man) a lot, him being one also. I think it helps that he knows sports and training, that way he knows what I'm talking about when I talk about my own training and sports participation.
 
silveraw said:
We already made a deal to not post any well designed effectiveness studies on chiropractic treatment of scoliosis.
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We're assuming that, when someone asks for personal experiences, they're also able to perform a web search on their own. I don't think posting a link to a study is completely out of line here, but it's also not what was asked for. We all change the subject to greater or lesser degrees on the forum from time to time, and sometimes those changes are productive and sometimes they start us down a slippery slope towards nothing constructive.

-S-
 
I have scoliosis and as a result have many imbalances. That I am trying to deal with.

I have seen chiropractors in past. And was in need to see one when I was not exercising and more overweight than today for relief from pain. (According to BMI standards) Since I started to exercise a few years ago, I don’t feel a need to go and see one.

I would prefer seeing a doctor instead. Well you might ask me, why don’t you see a doctor and get it done? Why do you choose to exercise on your“own” will. Unfortunately, I was not able to find two doctors agreeing on how to address my issues :)

I use OS resets and light TGUs to asses my imbalances and weaknesses and try to address them by exercise.

Well the only recommendation that is sound to anyone with any condition is to see a doctor… Good luck!
 
Yes, for a temporary fix. While it's helped me, I'd argue a vast majority of people do not need chiro care, even those that see a chiro regularly.

Several times during sports, I had hips that slid out of alignment and they put pressure on the nerves surrounding them which caused agonizing pain after the adrenaline wore off. Chiro care helped to move my hips back to good alignment temporarily and relieved the acute pain stemming from the nerve pressure, but strengthening the muscles that were weak around my hips and allowing my hips to shift out of alignment was the actual long term fix.

Doing glute raises, bird dogs, side planks, and a standing desk were 95% of the fix, while chiro care I attribute the other 5%. In other words, chiro care can work in the moment, but your overall strength and conditioning program will actually fix your issue.

That follows logical sense too, if you see a chiro for ten minutes and then go and spend 7 hours and 50 minutes folded up like a pretzel in an office chair, don't be surprised if you're stiff when you stand up.

Before having someone crack your back, I would start with figuring out if your misalignment is actually a problem. I wouldn't worry about a misalignment unless it's actually causing pain such as putting pressure on a nerve. The human body isn't a perfect symmetrical system and it doesn't have to be unless it's impairing movement or causing pain.

Then figure out why you're out of alignment. Is one side too weak leading to excess flexibility? Is one side much stronger than the other side leading to tightness?

Stretch what's too tight, and strengthen what's too loose. Emphasize the strengthening. Stretching is easy, but rarely works long term for an imbalance.

Disclaimer for needing to find a good chiro, preferably one who lifts or does sports, because there are a lot of quacks out there and none of the above is medical advice.
 
jp1742 said:
Doing glute raises, bird dogs, side planks, and a standing desk were 95% of the fix, while chiro care I attribute the other 5%. In other words, chiro care can work in the moment, but your overall strength and conditioning program will actually fix your issue.
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There are people out there who are chiropractors _and_ StrongFirst Certified Instructors who can help from both sides, as it were. I know a few and they are people whose patient I would be happy to be.

-S-
 
pedevowi said:
I've recently started seeing a chiropractor for poor posture and occasional back/ neck pain.

I knew I had Scoliosis but after getting x-rays it turns out I have a 30-degree curve in my spine and it looks pretty bad.

My neck is out of alignment as well and my shoulders and hips are uneven.

I'm wondering if this is contributing to my symptoms and if it is possibly an indirect cause. How can the body function properly if it is so out of alignment?

Has anyone else felt better after seeing a chiropractor? It is pretty expensive so I'm hoping it at least helps a little. So far no changes but I've only had a few adjustments.
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Hopefully this can be beneficial to you.

In 2017 I discovered I had two herniated discs (L4:L5 and L5:S1). Unknown how exactly but I haven't been kind to my body over the years (military, strength sports, martial arts, etc.). My sciatica was so bad I could barely stand for 10 minutes before having to sit down - only to sit down for about 10 minutes until it was killing me and I had to stand up again. Needless to say, not a happy camper.

Everyone was telling me surgery was the only way to fix it. Except a friend of mine, a chiropractor and physical therapist. Who also coached rugby at the time and ran his own KB gym. He wanted me to work with him. I said let's do it. No drugs, a few sessions a week, some static core work at home. I also added in the Original Strength resets done daily to the best of my ability. Eventually I could do some short walks and added a light weighted backback (flexion was my problem, so the extension of the straps and the weight helped).

It took 9 months but the pain eventually went down enough to where I was able to get back to training. Within 6 months I did my first GORUCK Tough. Since then I have had one flare up of several weeks but that was ego lifting a sandball at the BJJ gym. Otherwise I have been lifting heavy, running, rucking, swinging kettlebells, and other activities with no issues. I'm a believer.
 
I have been treated by several chiropractors over the years and my wife is a doctor of chiropractic who practiced for many years.

In my experience chiropractors comprise a huge range, from scam artist to the best medical professional you can imagine, which obviously makes it very hit and miss to find a good one. There are a lot of appointment churning rack and crack hustlers, and a lot of soft-headed new age voodoo priests, but also a lot of clear thinking skilled and dedicated professionals.

Also, IMO, a chiropractor is good to the extent that he or she is NOT invested in actual chiropractic adjustment as the main modality of treatment. I think there is good reason to be skeptical of traditional chiropractic (spinal manipulation cures everything), and that this is something the chiropractic profession needs to come to terms with.

However, chiropractors are able to employ a very wide range of modalities, including everything a physical therapist or massage therapist can do, and have much more extensive medical training than either. So in addition to addressing orthopedic issues, a good chiropractor can be a first line coordinator for general health (health care as opposed to "sick care"), referring out to appropriate MDs whenever indicated. My wife had many, many patients for whom she was their doctor, and they relied on her to guide them toward appropriate medical care, and help coordinate and communicate with MDs regarding their medical care (she is bilingual and had many Spanish-speaking patients).

I think of it as analogous to Crossfit gyms. Are there Crossfit gyms where people are training smart, getting great instruction, and not getting injured doing stupid stuff? Yes, but they're not the ones swimming in Crossfit Kool-Aid.
 
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