Am I right to fear chiropracter practice?

Nano-Passion

I've been having a nagging uncomfortable feeling on my neck, which I suspect is due to my bad posture. Around the same time that the symptom surfaced, my feet are chronically falling asleep and it hurts at times to the point that I have to avoid sitting on a chair. Whether that is a function of the problem of my neck is another question, but it could easily be a cause from the length of time that I sit on a daily basis. Though I do also notice that blood has a tougher time flowing through my body, and I'm particularly susceptible to having that "hanging upside down" feeling if I bend over at the waist.

At any rate, I think I might have to visit a chiropractor. I've been putting it off for a bit, I feel uncomfortable visiting a chiropractor as I've heard bad things about them. One person even died.

Is my worry justified or can I go with an easy mind?

Evo

Don't go to a chiropractor, go to a doctor and get a real diagnosis. You may have problems that need to be medically treated.

Darken-Sol

my girl went to the chiropractor for her neck now she seems hooked. shes spent about 800 in the last three months. for that much i'd just suffer. seriously i just stretch and work the muscles. doing construction has taught me how to take care of my body for cheap.

micromass

Please go to an actual doctor. The issues you are having might or might not be indicative of a deeper problem, but there's no way for you to know that.

Nano-Passion

Hey, not a bad idea.
Eek! That's more than my car expenses.


True, and I will in a few days.

Monique

Don't visit a chiropractor, but a doctor and follow that (unless advised otherwise) with physiotherapy: you'll get exercises to strengthen the right muscles.

Borek

I always wonder what chiropractors did to you all that you are dismissing them so easily.

turbo

It might be worth-while to consider consulting with an Osteophatic doctor. They are medical doctors with chiropractic training. I don't like going to MDs who always seem to have prescription pads at the ready for every ailment, so I compromise by seeing doctors who have a bit of balance in their training.

Evo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropr..._and_criticism

Borek

Seems like another cultural difference then. I know two chiropractors here (luckily I don't need their help, but Marzena does - and they both helped her on multiple occasions). Neither is a charlatan, they are both well educated and they both know when they can help and when they have to send someone to a doc.

I am not trying to say there are no charlatans in Poland, but apparently connotations are quite different.

I learned few days ago that in Switzerland chiropractors are part of the state health system and to become a chiropractor you have to study at the Medical Dept. of the University of Zurich.

Ryan_m_b

Chiropractic theory is an alternative, non-evidence based medicine based on the belief that the health of the body can be affected by manipulation of the spine. Essentially it's just another vitalist philosophy.

The problem with chiropractors IMO compared to other alternative medicine is that they resemble actual medical practices (e.g. massage therapy, physiotherapy) and as a movement have done quite well to integrate themselves into healthcare system as "complementary" therapies. Personally I think there would be great benefit in cutting chiropractors (along with every other woo peddler) out of any healthcare setting and emphasising evidence based complementary therapies like massage. Otherwise we're left with this mess of having un-evidenced medicines relying on just plain wrong science working side by side with evidenced based medicine.

NemoReally

A reasonably competent chiropractor or osteopath should be able to to distinguish between the things they can and can't do. My wife is an osteopath and has been the first point of diagnosis for several people with serious diseases (eg, cancer or MS), even when they've already been to their GP.

To set your mind at ease, just compare the number of people who've died as a result of osteopathic treatment with the number who croak under doctor's ministrations. As another interesting exercise, investigate how much of general medicine is evidence-based.

As in any profession, there are good people and not so good people. If you do go to an 'alternative' medicine practitioner, try and get a recommendation.

Ryan_m_b

I'd rather died as a result of a misuse of real medicine than die because I didn't seek proper medical attention (or worse died as a result of not seeking proper medical attention).
The extent of this varies the world over but yes it is frightening that so much pseudo-science has integrated itself into healthcare.
No, consult your doctor. I could click my fingers and get dozens of recommendations for anything from homeopathy to reiki and it wouldn't mean a thing compared to the wealth of data that shows these things are not useful medicines.

Borek

As I explained, there is a cultural problem here. Chiropractor translates to Polish "kręgarz" - but apparently it doesn't mean the same. At least in my experience. Kręgarz in Poland is specifically someone treating back pains with the spine manipulation and massage, no some voodoo.

It happens that it helps not only back - when Marzena problems started she felt a pain in the right upper part of the body (or was it left?). Head, cheek, teeth, arm. Initially she was treated for trigeminal neuralgia by one doc, later our dentist (I know it sounds funny, but that's how it was) suggested neck x-ray. Bingo - one of the cervical vertebrae was misplaced and some nerves were squeezed. She went to another doc, who told her to put an insert into one shoe and sent her for some physical therapy and exercises. That helped partially, but she still wasn't perfectly OK. Finally she went to a chiropractor. He told her to keep the insert, explained how to keep her arms while sitting and did some massage magic to her spine (several times), which finally helped. Not that she is OK for ever. She keeps exercising, but sometimes she needs to see him again. Last time when we went to theater and we had places on the side - she had to sit and look to the left for two hours. The same patter - teeth, arm, cheek and so on started, again some massage helped.

Yes, this is an anecdotal evidence, yes, it doesn't say it is always this way, yes, it doesn't mean it is the same way in every corner of the world. But don't be surprised I am surprised.

Evo

I would guess that

1) More people go to medical doctors.

2) More people go to medical doctors with fatal diseases than a crick in the neck.

And good information.

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...irostroke.html

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...ics/chiro.html

If you're not familiar with Quackwatch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quackwatch

Evo

There are so many journal articles citing either lack of effectiveness and/or injury due to chiropratic, there are too many to list, and most require subscriptions.

I'll give an example.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14622659.1#

Evo

That was from a blog. And it violated copyright laws.

It was to show there was no benefit from chiropractic.

It says home treatment is as good as chiropractic. That is misinformation, I'll post the actual stats later, I'm busy right now.

We're talking about the effectiveness and/or harm from chiropratic. It's misleading to try to compare the small chiropractic industry with the entire medical/pharmaceutical industries.