Sore Back

[Handy Andy]

  Be 2 weels ago come friday, I threw my back out.  Had asked a neighbor who he was going to to get his back fixed, so I called his Chiropractor and he would see me in an hour.  After x rays and some kind of temperature scan of my back, he recommended 12 treatments.  Well, I'd probably agreed to about anything, the shape I was in so I said I'd go for it.  After he looked at the xrays, he put my back in with his little gun gadget, and whacked on my head and hips, said my legs were not the same length, and my head was crooked, but anyway he fixed the place that was cockeyed. It hurt for 2 days, then had to go back on Monday.  Well he whacked on my head and hips again and said to come back Wednesday.  On wednesday, after working on the head and hips again, he said turn on my back, and he grabbed hold of my head and jerked, and my backbone made a sound like an old rusty hinge, CREAK.
It hurt in my lower neck for 2 days, but now my neck feels like I can't quite explain, but it turns without grinding and hurting. So went back friday, a little more thumping on my back, not bad, thought I was well.  So Monday, next treatment and he started on my lower back. Hurt going home, better monday nite, and back today, fooled with the upper back, and it seems like it is getting well.  Never dreamed a chiropracter could help me so much.  And I'm about halfway through these treatments.  Jim

[Coon]

With a back condition like I have that amount of bone crunching would have had me permanently paralyzed three times over.  No way can I let a chiropractor even look at my back let alone touch it.  What works for some people don't always work for others.  I would have checked with my regular doctor first.  A bone cracker can often do more damage to the body than good.  Google Scheuermann's Kyphosis.  That is what I have and there is relatively little that can be done.

[SAW MILLER]

  I am with Coon.I know that a quack practor can help some people with a realignment but it only took three trips to really cripple me up bad.I then went for two MRI's and was sent to a nuerologist who told me I have a sequestered disk and to never go to a chiropractor again.
    As I am writing this ,my back Is hurting after two years and I now am considering surgery .
    The Chiropractor took xrays but only an MRI can show the damage that I had.Having said all of that,I am really glad it worked for you and you are getting some relief.back pain is no fun.

[Bibbyman]

I'm with you guys.... Except one time...

About 25 years ago I was trying to put drywall up on the ceiling on a little addition we'd built by myself.  I got a big sheet of 5/8 stuff up there and was trying to hold it up with my head and get the first couple of nails in.  I ended up with a big crick in my neck.  It staid that way for at least a week.  I couldn't turn my head and hit hurt like ....  You know.

My brother-in-law kept suggesting I go to the chiropractor he had been to.   I refused until I was hurting enough even breaking my neck and getting it over with would be a relief. 

So I go and the first thing he insists on was an x-ray.  I then get on the table and he's poking up and down my spine.  He says, "That pain going down your right arm.  Does it go to your elbow? To your wrist? To your hand? To between your index finger and the one next to it?  I told him for the past ten years I've had some pain going down my right arm and yes it ran to my hand.  He said the such and such vertebra was out.  And with that he knotted his fists up and gave by spine a hard push about breaking me in two.  AHAAAA!  That felt better!   

Now,  mind you,  I said nothing about the pain down my arm or anything else except for my ear was now growing to my shoulder because of the crick in my neck.

He took my head and "crunched" my neck also.  AHAAAA! Again!  He messaged my neck a bit and explained that it would still hurt for awhile because my neck had been badly out of align and the muscles had been straining to hold everything. 

Of course he wanted me to come back for follow up treatments and I did a couple of times until I felt pretty good and stopped going.  Then a couple of years later I went back with some similar back pain and he fixed me up.

We visited a bit while he was making his adjustments and I got to trust his judgments. He said a lot of people came to him for treatment that he recognized he couldn't help them and referred them to an MD or other appropriate heath care.

My uncle's family trusted another chiropractor in town and went to him for everything.  One cousin was going to him for months getting treatment.  Her condition worsened until it was an emergency and it turned out she had ovarian cancer. 

[Faron]

I am a former sceptic who has had to eat his words concerning chiropractors.  When one of my grandsons was little, younger than two years old, I think, he had terrible problems becoming constipated.  It was very painful for the little guy.  Nothing seemed to help much.  My daughter finally took him to a chiropractor on someone's recommendation.  I kind of snorted at the notion that that could possibly help.  The chiropractor gave him a treatment and told his mother he didn't need to return unless he had more problems. The kid loaded up a diaper on the way home, and didn't have any more problems for a couple of years.  He then returned for another treatment, and had the same results.  Now the thing is, he was too little to really understand what was going on, so this had to be a physical thing involving nerves to the bowel. 

I know some chiropractors overstate what they can do, and I would be careful going to them, but this guy did exactly what he said he could do, and in one trip.  I had to eat a little crow over that one, and was very glad to do so. 8)

[LeeB]

I had a cractopractor that I went to on a semi regular basis in Texas. The guy was pretty good and managed to keep me going when I needed. The first time I went to him I told him before we ever started that I didn't want or need xrays or any BS stuff. No problem, adjusted me for a reasonable price and sent me on my way. I went to him for years after that whenever I needed a cracking. Before that I went to a D.O. that my wife worked for. Had never heard of a manipulation. He made a believer out of me. At one time my regular guy was closed for vacation and I was in a bad way so I tried another lady in town. She did all the mumbo jumbo scrap that gives the rest a bad name, including 'adjusting my hemispheres' and charged me a fortune. Needless to say, I never went back to her. I've found one here in AR that does what I want without all the mumbo jumbo and pretty reasonable too.

[jrokusek]

Like LeeB said, consider checking out a D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) if you arent' sure about chiropractors.  Here's some info about D.O.'s:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Osteopathic_Medicine

I've heard mixed results regarding chiropractors and I do believe some are better than others.  I was having trouble with my shoulders cramping up and my neighbor (a chiropractor) told me to see a D.O. because there was little he could do with my muscles in such a knot.  The D.O. gave me a few muscle relaxants, tried to do a few manipulations on my back, and eventually sent me to a physical therapist.  Physical therapist did all kinds of stuff which helped greatly.  She told me to go see a male massage therapist.  I'm not real wild about having a guy rub me down with oil, but the reason she suggested a guy is because they have more upper body strength.  It was mildly painful (in more ways than one) but the knots came out one by one. 

[Bibbyman]

I liked the way the chiropractor that I went to did business.   He worked alone and had no receptionist or any office staff.  You paid, as I remember $12.00 a visit up front.  He gave you a receipt to turn into your insurance.  Wouldn't we all be better off if the health industry ran that way?

I think if someone has a condition they thing a chiropractor could help them and they really don't trust finding a good one,  maybe they should talk it over with their family doctor and get their opinion and may a reference.

[RSteiner]

My thoughts about chiropractors were that they didn't know what they were doing except for taking your money.  My wife had a problem with numbness in her arm so we when to the family practioner who refered her to a specialist who concluded she had some form of arthritis and perscribed medication.  This went on for 6 months with no improvement actually the numbness continued down to include her leg.

Then they sent her to another specialist who gave her another perscription and so it went for two years until she couldn't walk any longer.  In a fit of desperation a woman her mother knew recommended a chiropractor who was about 100 miles away.  At this point we would try anything.  At the first visit my wife was in tears from the hopelessness of the situation the doctor took her by the shoulders looked her in the eye and said I can help you.  The only thing is since this has gone on as long as it has it will take a few adjustments to get things right.

She did have to go back 5 or 6 times but after the first visit she walkd out of the office by herself.  The doctor felt bad she had to drive that far to see him and didn't charge her for a couple of visits.  The kicker came when I had a stiff neck for quite a while, it came from trying to hold up a heavy object with my head, a 4 speed transmission and transfercase.
I didn't tell him my problem if he was that good he could figure it out.  He looked at me and said I know your problem you have a stiff neck.  After what I thought disconnected my head from my body he said there you go you will not need to come back.  He told me a few things to do to insure a supple neck after that, its been 15 years.

Every situation is different, some are good some are not.

Randy

[ErikC]

 A couple years ago I started having a lot of back trouble. A horse kicked me on the hip and ruptured a disc. This has fused, but left the disc above at an angle so it is bulging. My back was so crooked you could see it across the room with a loose shirt!  Hurts pretty bad at times. As mentioned above by a couple of others, chiropractors are a no-go. But what has helped me a lot is accupuncture. I go pretty regular, it isn't painful, and I am much better. If I don't go for a while the difference is apparent. A couple of visits and back in the saddle. I make my living shoeing horses, running the sawmill, and operating heavy equipment, so although careful I'm not easy on it.  Might be something for a few of you with this kind of thing to think about trying out.

Erik

[ely]

i think there are a couple different types of treatment when talking about chirop. the guy i use is the type that only works with the vert. in the neck. i do not know the name. he does not crack bones and put you in odd shapes and such that i hear others do.
anyway i spent the first 30 years of my life not believing in their hokus pokus stuff they do. in my experience this guy does a service for me that works very well. and i will be the 1st to tell you that i was #1 sceptic forever. even the 1st time he worked on me i was thinking "man what a crock".........but when i stood up straight and walked out of his office i thought a little different.  that proved to me that chiro. are not faith healers, because i did not have any faith in him. :D

[ErikC]

 A little clarification.... I meant that personally they are a no-go, because of the disc problem, there is a risk of further damage. Many people have been really helped by chiropracters, and they are a much better solution that surgury or an addiction to pain pills. Manual labor keeps them in buisiness! A man can't work all the time and not need a little help once in a while.

Erik

[metalspinner]

While in college, my friend's BIL was in chiropracter school.  They were always looking for volunteers to practice on. :  The BIL and his classmates had a party one evening when my friend and I popped over.  In the middle of the living room was a portable table of some type for "volunteers" to jump on.  I made out of there pretty quick. smiley_horserider

[beenthere]

Yup metalspinner
That does sound like a party, all right.  ;D ;D ;D 8) 8)

[BBTom]

I have a very good Chiropractor.  Two weeks ago, I twisted in bed and caught my shoulder in such a way that I was in instant and intense pain. 

My first stop was my chiropractor. He put some ribs back in place and told me that he thought something else was going on, and I might consider an MRI to see just what it was.  After the second visit, he was certain that I had some issues that needed to be taken care of elsewhere. 

I got some xrays showing osteoarthritis in the neck, tomorrow morning I get an MRI of my cervical spine to see exactly what the problem is, and to see what can be done to fix it. 

I cannot work with this problem, even have to rest now and then when typing this, as holding my arms out in front of me seems to pinch the nerve even more. 

Wish me luck,  I am hoping I can get this fixed with some minimally invasive technique and get it fixed before I lose my business to neglect.

[OneWithWood]

Good luck, BB. 

[bugmeist]

I used to see a chiropractor 2x/week for 5 years running and then when I left the the machine shop (heavy lifting) and then the truss plant (more and heavier lifting) I continued going at least once a month.  My chiro was great and usually fixed me up but I always had to go back or I was a wreck.

5 years ago I saw an infommercial on an apparatus that lets you hang upside-down either partially (less than vertical) or fully (vertical). I bought one. I hang about 7-10 minutes each morning (on an empty stomach by the way) and if I'm feeling a bit sore when I come in after a hard day I hang again.  Haven't seen the chiro since, except to x-country ski with him.

It may not work for everyone but my problem was a wedge shaped disc.  When I did a lot of lifting my spine would compress, the disc would move out, hit the nerve and ouch! 
The chiro just adjusted my spine to open the space and moved the wedge shaped disc back.  Hanging upside down does the same thing.

[David Freed]

My family doctor from the time I was a baby until I was in my 20s was also a D.O. I was a very big kid ever since I was born. I started putting up hay for pay when I was 10; I was the second strongest weightlifter in high school in its 10 year history. My problem was my back strength wasn't keeping up with the rest of me, and I was throwing my back out a lot. I went to my D.O. so many times that I learned what he did for whatever area of my back that was out, and finally just started fixing myself. At 47 years old I still throw my back out every once in a while, and I can still fix myself most of the time, but it's getting a little harder to do. I think old age is trying to sneek up on me. Also even though I am still a big guy I'm not nearly in the shape I used to be.

[ohsoloco]

When I was younger I had to go to the chiropractor after a dumb stunt...standing on my head, and when I fell I knocked a vertebrae out of place  :  my shoulders were crooked, and I couldn't turn my head.  One adjustment and a few follow-ups straightened me right out. 

A few years ago I started getting pain around my hip.  Every once in a while (every few weeks or months) I would get that aching pain running down my butt behind my hip.  In the past year or so, the pain was becoming more frequent, and hanging around for a longer time.  I brought this up at my physical back in the fall.  Doc sent me for x-rays, but nothing looked wrong, so that was the end of it  :-\

Within the past few months the pain has also ran up the front of my hip, and it would never go away.  I got sick of the ache (for some reason I thought it would go away :  ), and sick of saying I need to call the chiropractor, so I finally called on Friday.  Had my first appointment on Monday.

He said my hip is rotated (I didn't even know they could move....when I think of hip, I think of the ball and socket part of it).  I laid on my side, and he kinda twisted me, pushing his knee (and lower body) on my knee, and pushing on my shoulder.  Did this for both sides.  The ache in the hip was still there, but he said I'll need to come back several times a week for a while since it's been out of whack for so long. 

Today I had my second adjustment.  Went home and worked around the house with the same aching hip I've had.  Sometime in the afternoon, it was like everything was where it should be.  The ache is gone for the most part, and when I crouch down, sit up/down, or whatnot, everything "works"...that hip has just not felt right for a long time. 

Tonight I was just thinking that I didn't realilze how much discomfort I've been in, until it was gone 

[semologger]

I went to one last year and he suggested about 30 treatments. Well at so much a treatment i would of had to spend alot of money i didnt have. So i went to my doc he had me do an MRI. Turns out i have bulgeing disc in lower back. My spine was all out of wack. Prob cause of my broken neck in earlier life. But i went to advanced pain center bout 5 hours away. they take a look at me. She put me on some med for it. No help. So next time she gave me a shot in my spine. Still no help. She wanted me to come back for an epadorall. Also she set me up with a nueroaligist. I never made it for those apointments i gave up on em and have just lived with the pain. Lately since i have lost a couple of pounds and got alot of exerciseing i feal alot better. My feet dont hurt as bad either.   

[Polly]

 8) 8)suggestion go and if it helps you dont go back until you think you need to good bone crunchers dont need exrays and all the other junk over the years i have been to both kinds also had back surgery two times one knee total replacement and both hips total replacement  i am waiting on weather to get a little better so i can set up my lt 40 and start sawing you all hang in their if they c ant fix you up nobody can good luck        8)

[BBTom]

Just an update on my ruptured disc, bulging disc, pinched nerve root problems.  I am back to work full time and feeling good with no pain.  Just have a little bit of numbness left in one finger.   My family doctor wanted to send me to a pain management doctor, and I refused.  I got a second opinion from The Cleveland Clinic Spine Institute.  Their recommendation was a McKensie Therapist.  I found one at a nearby nursing home, and she had me feeling less pain within a week, and pain free within three weeks. 

I highly recommend a Mckensie Diploma Therapist. They specialize in treating disc and spine problems.  Find one near you http://www.mckenziemdt.org/

[semologger]

Dang I just hurt my back today again. It shut me sown doing yard work that needed to be done. It hasnt hurt this bad in a while. All i was doing was yard work. I spoke to soon  in my last post.

I am going to look into your doc BB. What level is your bulging disc. I am an incomplete Qaud C 4,5 and 6. And my back lower back is what kills me.I forget what my bulging disc level is its at the base of my spine. 

[BBTom]

I have problems with C6 and C7 both on the left side, impinging on the nerve bundle going to my left arm.