Good/Bad Experience with Chiropractors?

I love T.J's response - I wholeheartedly agree with everything she said. My daughters and I just got back from the chiropractor today. I'm 22weeks pregnant and my daughters are 6 and 4. We go once a month and anytime one of us is "coming down with something". My husband is a cop and wearing that heavy, uneven duty belt all day wreaks havoc on his back - we all love going and have had nothing but great results.

I have been to the absolute best and the not so great. The best is patient, listens to me when I tell him that something seemed to really work instead of something else, he spent time working on my problem areas, and he fixed my back in an acceptable time frame. The not so great one only got one chance because he forced my neck and sprained it.

The one I like had been many other things in life but mostly had raised horses. One horse had been really bad and kicked him and broken his back. He had an enormous amount of pain and tried Chiropractic care and had gotten hooked. He knew what deep, unrelenting pain was and how it can take over your life. He decided to become a Chiropractor later in life and had compassion and really had a unique outlook about the whole thing.

He tried several different approaches to my back pain. I had a ruptured disk in my neck, a calcified disk in my upper back , and at least one more ruptured disk in the very bottom of my spine to deal with. I have deep, tight, tense muscles that don't relax unless they are physically manipulated. Sometimes a very deep massage would work and I could feel my muscles let go, kind of like a rubber band breaking. This doc would take me into this room and put me face down on a table that is split, then he would do massage with Bio-Freeze, he would also do ultra sound on my back and neck during this part. Since this table was split part of it could rotate and drop to stretch out the back muscles. He would drop the end of the table with my hips and legs on it, when he started he could only move the table down an inch or two, by the time he was done in this room I was kind of like Jello in the back and neck muscle areas and he could drop the end of the table with my legs and hips all the way down to the floor. I always told him someone was going to open that door at an odd moment and think he had me assuming the position to get a shot in the rear...LOL. I would then go to a room that had several table set up and he would put 3 different EMS machines on my back and neck. He'd wrap me up in heat packets and give me a book to read. (I had a doc put EMS on me one time, turn it on on high and leave the room and go off to the other end of the building and I was yelling for help in a few minutes and he couldn't hear me) so to say the least EMS could easily scare me and this doc always gave me my "panic" buttons for each machine so I could turn it off myself if I got tired of it. He also checked on me every few minutes or the staff was always passing through the room asking if I was okay or needed anything. Then would come the manipulation part. By this time he could just lay me on my back, wrap a towel around my neck, loosely, and pull my head. My whole back would go in place, he hardly ever had to "crack" anything. Even the tiniest joints in my neck would be just perfectly aligned and I was about an inch taller. This worked well for me and within a few months I was down to just a time or two a month then eventually stop. He had a heart attack a few years ago and had to stop working but I will always know he was the best ever.

I honestly feel that because he listened to me when I told him that my muscles were weird and needed to be loosened first and that I had strong opposition to the EMS machines and was afraid of them, and he spent the time to get me relaxed on a very deep level, then did only what worked for me was what made him the most excellent Chiropractor I have ever been to.

I love my chiropractor. LOVE HER! I went to a few bad ones before I found her. What you want to look for is one that LISTENS to your specific pain and doesn't just start popping and cracking away. Mine does a little massage on the muscles surrounding the problem area before she does an adjustment. They should also take x-rays of the problem area before they do any treatment.
Each person is different as far as how many treatments they require. I had to go every other day for 3 weeks. It was a LOT, but it really helped. Now I just go back for "maintenance" whenever I have pain.

My dad has had back problems for years. He goes to his chiropractor once a month, I believe. Or anytime he's having trouble. He actually found out that he must have injured his back in some way when he was very young, and that has caused all of his problems!

I've been to a chiropractor on & off the past several years (off due to loss of insurance & lack of money lol). I hurt my neck one day a few years ago (turned it wrong and pulled a muscle, it hurt!!), which got me started going back to a chiropractor. I went once week for the first few visits to help work out my neck. But I think once a month to maintain your back/neck is about average. You can't just go once and think it didn't work. It takes several visits for you to notice it helping. After you go once a month for a year & then stop, you definitely notice a difference!! haha

It is good if they take x-rays of your back/neck. Not all of them do though, but I'm not sure of the difference. My chiropractor didn't take x-rays, and he works differently than my dad's does (who does take x-rays). I guess there's just different styles??

Give it a chance, my family looves them! haha

Your chiro will probably start with an examination and X-rays. After that they will tell you what treatment program they recommend. Depending on your issue the treatment could vary. The best ones incorporate physical therapy to strengthen your muscles that support your back so you don't have to keep going! Some also include massage, drop tables, an adjustment "gun" and accupressure.

Because your back is not in alignment you will have to "retrain" your back to be in alignment. Initially you may need to go 2-3 times a week but that doesn't last for long. You will then taper of to once a week, then once every two weeks, then once a month and so on.

There are amazing chiros out there and then there are wackjobs. The good ones focus on your treatment, the bad ones try to sell you all sorts of unnecessary stuff. If you don't feel comfortable, leave immediately. If you don't understand something--ask!

Some chiros will try to sell you adjustments in "packs" where you can save money. That's not a scheme and it doesn't mean they are a bad chiro. However, until you've had a few adjustments I wouldn't buy a pack. Plus a lot of insurance companies pay for it (mine does).

Different treatments work for different people. A friend of mine went to one and not only was it expensive but it made her headaches worse. She was stuck (with no refund) until she used up all the treatments she bought.

Just trust your gut, and I hope yours is a great one! They are amazing when they are good!

First, the responder who said chiropractors aren't doctors is wrong! Their title is Doctor of Chiropractic and their schooling is extensive! They spend as much time as an MD in school, just less time interning and more time actually practicing what they're taught. And their scope of practice is narrower, so they learn/know more about what they do overall.

I've gone my whole life and so have my kids. It's very safe and effective. Helps us get sick less often and be less sick when we are, because the spinal cord houses the nervous system, increasing the body's ability to heal itself and function at its highest level.

Exercises, stretches, and xrays are good. They are mostly taught how to read spinal xrays only so I'd trust them more than a radiologist because that's all they know!

At first you'll probably go three times a week, then two times, once, every other week, and then monthly for maintenance. Schedules are reduced based on pain level and objective findings. There are phases-pain reduction, retraining, then maintenance. I like to compare it to dentistry or the gym. You can brush your teeth everyday but still need to go to the dentist once in a while. And you can't expect to stay in shape if you don't exercise! I will go for life, because I will have a spine my whole life. And that spine will be subjected to carrying my kids, lifting, bending, twisting, car accidents, falls, etc. And because I want my body to function as best it can to handle those stressors!

Find one that makes you feel comfortable, that respects your limits financially, that does a good job. It's a rare doctor that treats you well when nothing is failing, that's the only time we see an MD. This way you'll stay well and need to seek actual help less, and stay healthier. Prevention is key! And not just masking symptoms, but optimizing wellness potential. I love my boss now, we work with patients' insurance, always cap their monthly payments, and allow people to walk in as long as they make it for all their visits that week. We are flexible, affordable, and all about working with you to make it work!

You're doing the right thing, and if they can't treat you, they will tell you. Ask lots of questions and you'll be fine! It's helped me and many people I know with back pain, headaches, allergies, colic, incontinence, neck pain, whiplash, arm/hand/foot/leg numbness, and many more!

Some will put you on a treatment program if you have pain or a problem, but otherwise, you will know your body and how often you'll need maintenance. If you don't feel better, then find another one. There are good ones out there so don't stick with one that isn't helping. Also, Chiropractors use different techniques so one technique may work better for you than another one. Don't let chiropractors say their technique is the best. I did great with the Gonstead Chiropractor but my husband hated it. He didn't do well with any chiropractor until we started going to ours now. Our chiropractor now knows several techniques so once he figured out which technique works for him, my husband has never been happier!

I used to have one that incorporated physical therapy as well. Since he retired I tried a couple and they were nothing like that. I even had one that no matter what the complaint was he did the same adjustment. Also you wind up going back a lot. I found a physical therapist that treated my back injury within 6 weeks, sending me home with excercises so it didn't happen again and that has been months ago. You need to be taught these excercises to keep a healthy body without paying for it.

I personally don't like chiropractors. My experience was bad (I was about 12, and was sat on by a big lady). Anyway, I think that since chiropractors aren't doctors or radiologists that they shouldn't be taking and interpretting x-rays or be used as general doctors for all ailments. The treatments also seem to go on and on.

I was much more comfortable with my acupuncturist. He treated me and sent me on my way, never asking for me to make another appointment, or anything. But maybe that was just the people I saw.

You ask questions that depend on your injury. Everyone is different and has different needs. You should probably do some google searches on your pain and learn more about your personal problem. What works for one, may not work for another, as the could very well have two different problems.