Stiff

[Possum]

After a few knocks on the chookie I was finding my back was regularly aching, stiff neck and it was starting to get impossible to sleep.

At the suggestion of a work colleague I booked in to a Chiropractor this evening. WOW how things have changed. They got me to climb into the biggest pair of shorts and a white t-shirt which was clearly not made for big boobs Then proceeded to cover me in red dots and took pics. The computer then churned out a report complete with pics. OMG Im a bit farked up.
Then I was “placed” in front of a tv where they played an 8minute video of Americans raving on how great Chiro’s were

They want me to go back Thursday. My original plan was to go to the Chiro get realigned then maintain with sports/remedial massage.

Just interested if people prefer Chiropractors or Remedial/Sports Massage? And how often do you go?

[6maniac]

Did they eventually do anything to help ?

......... and a white t-shirt which was clearly not made for big boobs ..... Pics or etc ....

[vanrootn]

My advice is not to settle on the first chiro you see!

Lots of chiros I have had experience with want to book you in week after week.... Do not let this happen!

The chiro I go to now can tell what's wrong with me the second I walk in the door and when I walk out the door I feel 100%. No return visit necessary until I put my back out again...

He also does accupuncture and can combine the two treatments to great effect if necessary.

Shop around

[Jonnymac]

Never will I go to a chiro again. Thought I had a good one but basically just told me how bad I was and kept me seeing him twice a week for no result. I tend to agree they just like regular income every week.
I now see a gentleman who does cupping and acupuncture and will never see anyone else again talk about making a difference

[dilligaf]

Did the chiro thing for a while but found it a rip off. Was expecting a quick fix but never got it.
Occasionally go to a physio now. Cheaper and more effective.

[h.b.bear]

Another milion dollar question,personally i prefer chiropractors as my back is out more times than it is in but do agree with others that you need to find a good one as a lot just have you coming back and taking your money.My bloke has never taken x-rays he just knows as you walk in.Went to chinesse physio once,well fuck me i felt like i had been hit by a bus by the time he finished electric shock treatment,walking on me ,twisting and rubbing well never again Try a few different chiros before you wipe them totaly and dont go back to the one that put you in the white t shirt,sounds like a wanker

[the kid]

Osteopathy , much more sympathetic to your body .

[Jonno]

First thing to do is too establish if your skeletal system is in good condition as you can end up worse off and will give an idea of a potential cause.

I no longer use chiro's mainly because of the quackery, I use good massage therapists occasionally (hot rock is awesome) and it will take a while to find a really good one and go when I need too.


Imo most problems end up or start in the back area and that need to be investigated as to why, i was shown a good relief technique which is to roll up a towel tighly and place it on the floor, lay on your back ontop of it and without stopping for longer than 5 seconds I roll over it feeling each vertebrae then raising my arms up then over my head as I go. It works for me just dont stop too long, you wont damage yourself as long as your back is mechanically sound, mine is even though i have broken it twice.


In the end short term use of panadol is cheaper, and Ti Chi works long term when I am not lazy

[Nelso]

My advice is not to settle on the first chiro you see!

Lots of chiros I have had experience with want to book you in week after week.... Do not let this happen!

The chiro I go to now can tell what's wrong with me the second I walk in the door and when I walk out the door I feel 100%. No return visit necessary until I put my back out again...

He also does accupuncture and can combine the two treatments to great effect if necessary.

Shop around

Another milion dollar question,personally i prefer chiropractors as my back is out more times than it is in but do agree with others that you need to find a good one as a lot just have you coming back and taking your money.My bloke has never taken x-rays he just knows as you walk in.Went to chinesse physio once,well fuck me i felt like i had been hit by a bus by the time he finished electric shock treatment,walking on me ,twisting and rubbing well never again Try a few different chiros before you wipe them totaly and dont go back to the one that put you in the white t shirt,sounds like a wanker

As above. There a great ones and then there are quacks. A good one will use myofascial release using massage, dry needling (acupuncture), cupping, etc. before adjusting. The quacks will use all the gimmicks possible to convince you to spend up big and keep coming back. As with osteos and physios the trick is to weed out the shit ones and find one that knows what they are doing. The good physios, chiros and osteos all tend to do similar work these days (all do myofascial and neural release and all take a holistic approach to how the body works rather than the old days of focusing on one system) and the really good ones understand the strengths and weaknesses each method has and will work together. My chiro will tell you to go and see a physio or get a massage if that will get better results and has good communication with these people to refer patients to and have patients referred to them by these people continually. They have even referred patients to me to get exercise programs sorted to correct imbalances and they never tell you to come back for more treatments unless it's an issue that really needs following up.

I'd say, give this one a miss and keep searching for a better one.

Adding to Jono's advice, a foam roller is a great thing to peform self myofacial release and will go a long way to keeping things moving once your major issues are sorted.

[tim]

I've had a dodgy shoulder and back for years.

The thing that's fixed me up mostly was my mum who is a remedial massage therapist, along with Yoga.

This though couldn't fix up my shoulder. After that I tried physio and acupuncture to no avail, until I went to a "structural integration/massage therapy" (also called rolfing) practitioner for 2 sessions a month ago. Blew me away. They work similar to what Nelso's talking about with the fascia and muscles. It's probably a case of the right treatment for the problem, but if your issues are apparently with alignment might be worth trying. He gave me some simple stretches and exercises to do to create lasting change. Anyone in sydney who wants the details let me know.

*a bit like chiros apparently there's different styles of practice so it depends on the practitioner how much quakkery and how much science is involved

[aardvark]

I've seen a few chiros in my time. Some are great, some aren't. The ones that want to book you in for a"healthy spine plan", normally involving 10 plus visits and massive amounts of money are worth avoiding. As are the ones that crap on about "subluxations".

Don't write off the ones who want to do xrays. It's simple insurance for them, and makes sure there aren't huge underlying problems.

I see an old bloke who has been a chiro since the 70s. He cracks my back and tells me to go back when I feel like it. I only see him once a year.

When Sally was pregnant with Casey, one of her legs kept giving away. She went to the doctor, the physio, the aquatics physio etc. I eventually talked her into seeing Dr John. Within 2 days of seeing him, the problem was gone and never came back.

The other thing to consider, is that many people go to the chiro for the wrong reason, and it's mainly because they mistake muscle pain for spine pain.

[slaps999]

There are most definitely good & bad chiros. My chiro who I've used for about 25 years, fixes me, sends me away and tells me not to come back until the back is out again. Furthermore, he has given me his private home phone number & mobile in case I stuff my back on a weekend and he will come to my home and fix it. I'm betting there aren't too many like that and he is not too proud to refer me to other medico's, if the problem warrants it.

[Strika]

Osteopathy , much more sympathetic to your body .

Agreed Billy.

Also, that experience sounded like a very deliberate "Process" designed to deliver income to them more than a solution to you. Go find a good Osteo and you may find the solution.

[mohawk miss]

I have had spinal nerve damage for 20+ years.

earlier this year the muscle spasming got out of control and I was basically unable to walk. I went to the Honda Riders chiro who sent me for xrays and did a full exam before touching anything. He also asked me to notify my gp & pain management specialist that he would be treating me (they had no issues with that).

I saw Frank twice a week for 6 weeks and can see major, major improvements. I now see him once a week for the but the plan is for fortnightly visits before xmas. He uses the pnuematic table NOT "bone cracking". I can now do gardening AND be able to walk that afternoon - happy days

[Jonno]

What works is what works, as long as I am off ms contin or tramadol in particular it has to be good news. I may be still crazy but a whole lot less without the pills thankyou

No meds means going it alone and is way better than on them, big thing is for me I can ride much more than I use to

I hope yours is a success