Does chiropractic really ever fix your back?

[lovetobehome]

I had a minor back injury, just strained something while picking up a drawer. Went to a chiro, and he took xrays and says overall my back looks good, some minor stuff needs adjusting. Working out is very painful and makes it worse. This is my lower back. Anyway, he told me about 6 sessions and I should be good to go. We are on the 8th, and it seems no better to me. He assures me the continued adjustments will heal it, but I am skeptical. Meanwhile, I am paying $40 per session. What is your experience? Did chiropractice really help? Is there something else I can try?

[OrganicAnn]

Is he doing more than adjustment? What's it called ultrasound (?) where it vibrates in the affected area. Applying ice. I found that all three together help.

[lovetobehome]

He asks me to use ice 20 minutes, twice a day. No ultrasound, but I could do that if I want to pay more. I know nothing....

[Jean in Newcastle]

A chiropractor will align your spine. But if you have muscle trauma and/or tightness then it can pull it out of alignment again. You sound like you are having muscle problems if it is painful when working out. I would suggest epsom salt baths which help to relax the muscles. You should also take anti-inflammatories to stop the inflammatory response.

[lovetobehome]

Yes, he says I have muscle tightness...I will try epsom salts. Should I keep going to get adjustments twice a week?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes, he says I have muscle tightness...I will try epsom salts. Should I keep going to get adjustments twice a week?

 

I wouldn't. I go to a chiropractor once a month and find it very helpful. But in your case, I would work on the muscle tightness first. Once things stop being inflamed, then I would go for one final adjustment. (But of course this is only my gut feeling of what I would do.)

[OrganicAnn]

I'd try the ultrasound and do less adjustments since alone they don't seem to be helping. Ice. Epson Salts is also a good idea. They now have a muscle relaxant that won't knock you out. If you want to go to your doctor for it.

[Cheryl in NM]

How long ago were you injured?

 

What has been frequency of your chiro visits?

 

According to my chiro, an adjustment won't help a strained muscle. She's super careful with me when I go with sore muscles. Her rule is ice after an adjustment if it doesn't seem to hold, but heat for injured muscles.

 

Did you injure muscle or ligaments or spine? There are some unscrupulous chiros and they are nice so you don't suspect them.

 

You might want to skip an appointment or two and see if you feel better. You might want to visit another chiro.

 

My chiro recommends monthly adjustments forever to maintain proper health. Her theory is that if the spine ain't happy, the body ain't happy. Of course, she only charges $25, never tries to sell me supplements or other "therapies" and just adjusts my back.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that my chiro says to take something for inflammation when I have a muscle injury. There's a product called Zyflomend that will help with inflammation if you don't want to take ibuprofen or tylenol.

Edited May 4, 2011 by Cheryl in NM

[treestarfae]

Take magnesium it relaxes muscles. I would spend the money on a deep massage once a week. Good chiros will work but it shouldn't take that long. Chiros will take you for a ride.

[lovetobehome]

It has been probably 6 weeks, and I am itching to workout again, but everytime I start doing anything (like, anything...not working out, but say moving stuff around in the attic or whatever) I get pain again. I am not that out of shape, and not overweight, and not all that old. :-) But I am feeling like it. I want to be able to work out again!

[treestarfae]

If it's a muscle spasm get someone to put direct pressure with their thumb in to the seized muscle. Hold there until it releases. It may take a few minutes or more.

[Beth in OH]

They now have a muscle relaxant that won't knock you out.

 

Can you tell me the name of this drug? My Dr. prescribes Flexeril when I have spasm problems in my upper back, and I hate taking it. I'm a foggy/sleepy mess the next day.

 

To the OP: When I have acute pain, I have to use muscle relaxants/epsom salt baths/anti-inflammatories to get things calmed down before I can do physical therapy/chiropractic or whatever successfully. If my pain has become more chronic, I go to the physical therapist to work on the underlying muscle imbalances. I'm headed back to PT now, in fact.

[joannqn]

I agree that you need to look at both the muscles and the spine. Muscles can pull a spine back out of alignment.

 

I used to be skeptical about chiropractic treatment, but I firmly believe in it now. If I could afford to go, I would go multiple times per week for months to allow them to fix my spine. I have many areas that are messed up...places that are curved but should be straight and places that are straight that should be curved. It would take a lot of frequent work to undo the damage. Since I can't afford it, I only go in when my headaches are too severe because an adjustment usually cures the headache.

 

My experience includes my chiropractor curing my stomach pain. My GP told me I had heart burn and told me to use Mylanta...just swig it from a bottle. So, I did several days a week...for two years. Then I saw a gastroenterologist who gave me a prescription, telling me that if it worked it would tell him something and if it didn't work it would tell him something. I never took it. My chiropractor, however, was able to cure them. Turns out my lower back was messed up. Now I recognize that my lower back hurts with those stomach pains. An adjustment gets rid of both.

 

I also get headaches that are as bad as migraines (I get those too) but aren't migraines. An adjustment, sometimes two, will get rid of them when nothing else will touch them. It's my C2 vertebra being out.

 

A single adjustment cured my first child's colic. It returned 3 weeks later but another adjustment cured it again. Turned out her neck was out...and I know from experience that your neck being out is very miserable (migraine-like headaches, nausea, and vertigo for me). We figured out what we were doing to cause her neck to go out, and she never had colic again.

 

Now, why do I go back even though 14 years of adjustments haven't completely fixed me? Because I've never been able to really go as often as it would take to bend my spine back the way it should be. I've seen before and after x-rays; it is possible but it takes a lot of work to do. The way my spine looks, it's obvious to me that I can't expect long term results from just a few visits, nor can monthly (or fewer) visits possible fix me. At least they get rid of the pain for a while though.

[Starr]

You don't get to work out until your muscles are healed. You can gently start some back strengthening exercises and walking. You are probably causing it to take longer by working out, moving stuff and all that. It does make one crazy but you will get better. It's hard to evaluate the chiro if you are continuing to strain it.

[OrganicAnn]

Can you tell me the name of this drug? My Dr. prescribes Flexeril when I have spasm problems in my upper back, and I hate taking it. I'm a foggy/sleepy mess the next day.

 

To the OP: When I have acute pain, I have to use muscle relaxants/epsom salt baths/anti-inflammatories to get things calmed down before I can do physical therapy/chiropractic or whatever successfully. If my pain has become more chronic, I go to the physical therapist to work on the underlying muscle imbalances. I'm headed back to PT now, in fact.

 

I think it called Skelaxin or something like that.

[HiddenJewel]

If you get a good chiropractor, it will work without the adjustments going on unendingly. However, nutrition and taking care of yourself figures into the picture. Also if your hormones are out of balance, your adjustments may not hold as well either.

[KidsHappen]

It really depends on exactly what the problem is. I have lower back problem due to SI joint issue, fibromyalgia, bad posture and extreme muscle tightness. I see both a massage therapist and a chiropractor. She works the muscles, he works the bones. I go once a week when the pain is bad and once every two weeks when I am doing good. No, I don't expect that they will ever heal me but I do know that they are key to lower my pain and helping to keep flare ups to a minimum. Whenever circumstances prevent me from going that frequently, it always gets pretty bad and then it takes awhile to get it back in good shape again. Unfortunately, I have known very few people who have ever suffered a back injury and completely recovered. It is one of the top pain issues in America. Things I have learned is sitting it the worse thing you can do for your back. It puts the most pressure on your spine. Anti-inflammatories help. Ice really helps. An occassional hot bath is ok and a drink in the evening relaxes the muscles some. There are some specific exercises you can do for different areas of your back but it depends on what area needs the work. TENS machines can help and massage chairs or table too.

[Rosie_0801]

Does a mechanic ever really fix your car?

 

When starting chiropractic care, you should expect xrays to be taken, and twice weekly adjustments for a few weeks, then weekly adjustments for a few weeks, then less frequently.

 

You should expect to feel better after the first few, and worse for quite a few after that. Your back is used to sitting in a certain position and Really Won't Like being told to do things differently, so it will grumble and grumble until it gets used to it.

 

You need to give your bod time to adjust. I also think working out at this stage is not going to be the best idea. While you are in this transition period, can you change to swimming? Since you work out, you've realllllllly trained your muscles into the wrong position, so I'm not surprised they are complaining so loudly. It will get better, but new habits don't form quickly and with this particular problem, willpower doesn't seem to help :tongue_smilie:

 

If you have curves in your spine, it can take years to make a major difference. I had to get new xrays done when we moved down here, because the ones I had were 6 years old. In that time, fortnightly adjustments had greatly improved my middle back, which I thought was pretty good considering that included two pregnancies, two bouts of breastfeeding and considerable amounts of time slumped over prams and sharing beds with uncomfortably wiggly people. (If I won the lotto, I'd buy a taller pram!) And, as the others have said, nutrition and stress of any kind will have a negative impact. My chiros can always tell when dh and I have been arguing. :glare: Or if I'm more sleep deprived than is to be expected of the mother of small children. Or if I have been self medicating with chocolate :tongue_smilie:

 

I only take my kids once a month as a general rule, though I took dd more often when she was toilet training. I still need to go fortnightly, but I'm not having such big problems now I am no longer pregnant or breastfeeding! I would certainly have made better progress had I been doing Pilates, but exercise isn't my favourite thing to do at the best of times and it doesn't even make it onto my list when I'm sleep deprived. :tongue_smilie: It's going to be great when they learn how to be quiet in the mornings!

 

Rosie

[anabelneri]

Two things majorly changed my lower back pain (I'm sorry if I sound like an advertisement, but it's hard not to sometimes)...

 

1) An osteopath who does spinal manipulation. Not all D.O.s do it, but there are a bunch who do. They try to help get the muscles to relax so they stop pulling your spine out of alignment. It's not a massage, and there isn't any cracking or anything... it's very gentle. I went from being on significant amounts of medication to entirely off in 48 hours after treatment.

 

2) Learning how to stand, sit, etc. properly. "Properly" is very different from what most of us were taught. I took a class at this local place (http://www.balancecenter.com/) and it has helped immensely. Every time my back starts to go out again, I review what I learned in class and it all goes back into alignment. We were given a book called "Ageless Spine, Lasting Health" in class, which if you can find it might be useful. Another book that I've been told teaches the same info is "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back".

 

Just more ideas!

Good luck!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I would suggest a good physical therapist. They will give you exercises specific to your area of pain, and most will do some massage.

 

I had an amazing PT before we moved. When I first started my back felt like it had little pinpoint bruises all over. Within a few weeks I could finally enjoy the massage.

[Princess Peach]

Like any doctor, you have to find a good one. My chiro fixed my scoliosis without surgery. I had the adjustments, plus exercises to do at home, plus ultrasound when it got really bad. You should also have a treatment plan. He should have it all mapped out, at least tentatively.

[G5052]

I'd see if you can get into physical therapy.

 

We've tried various chiropractors and approaches, and at a certain point found that physical therapy solved the problem better.

 

Taking Pilates is really the only thing that has "fixed" me consistently though. A lot of my physical problems are muscle weaknesses and imbalances.

[Hikin' Mama]

the chiro I went to was wonderful at helping relieve my back pain. I only went a few times.

 

A few years ago, I reinjured my back (not sure how :glare:) and I went to a chiro who I think just kept making it worse. It would be feeling better and then I'd go in for a "maintenance" adjustment, and it would be bad again.

 

Now I work on strengthening core muscles (I never do crunches; I've read they aren't good for women--YMMV) by doing a variety of exercises. The butt is a major core muscle, btw. I use a core routine in a book called, Women's Home Workout Bible. http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Home-Workout-Bible-Schoenfeld/dp/0736078282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304509178&sr=1-1 I tried The Core, by Peggy Brill, but didn't like it as much.

 

I also ice my back if it hurts when I wake up, or if I'm doing a lot of yard work, or something similar.

 

Good luck; back pain stinks!

[Halftime Hope]

what has helped me more than anything with several different back injuries (neck, thoracic, and tailbone) is the adjustment followed by electrical stimulation treatments in the chiro's office. The stim treatments work the muscles, making them contract and relax, and he says (I really don't know whether it is true or not) that the action causes the muscles to move, releasing toxins and imflammatory agents out of the cells so healing can begin. Whatever the reason, the stim is what *really* makes a difference for me. Not ultrasound, not deep heat/laser.

[Tess in the Burbs]

well, it has helped me in the past but never really fixed any issue. And honestly, one time it made it worse. At that point I went to the orthopedic Dr who said nothing was wrong with my neck. So back to the chiro I went. We did the tens unit (sp??) too. And at one point I was going daily due to pain.

 

What I have been doing is working out to strengthen my neck muscles to help hold my C1, C2 in place. I haven't seen a chiro in 8 months and some things do need to be adjusted but overall everything seems to work itself out in a few weeks. I have had the same amount of issues without chiro help.

 

If I could afford it I would go a few times a month to help my body adjust better. However, often those adjustments add to my muscle pain and I have found by strengthening my muscles in lifting weights I am no worse off. I still have my episodes of intense pain but the chiro never got that pain to go away instantly.

 

If money is an issue consider finding physical therapy to get you a list of exercises to do to help strengthen your back/neck or whatever is bothering you. I went for my back only 3 times and then did it all at home. Although that ultrasound on the back was nice.....anyway, you can help yourself a lot at home.

[NCMom]

My dd had an knee injury last year that ended up giving her knee, back, shoulder and ankle pain. The chiro fixed her. :D

 

But...she had ultrasound, massage therapy, adjustment once a week for 2 1/2 months AND he gave her a ton of exercises to strengthen and stretch the area. He worked with her through each exercise, talked about shoes, helped her practice good posture sitting and walking, etc. She had to get better shoes and do a lot of other things (stand up straight!, stop sitting weird! etc.). She had to ice on a schedule, then use heat later - it was all written out for her.

 

Now she goes once or twice a quarter. Maybe you need a more holistic approach?? I would also get the book The Core by Peggy Brill. Great exercises for strengthening your core!

 

hth,

Georgia

[LisaKinVA]

No answers... I went to a chiro once after the birth of my first child. He said there was nothing he could do. Oh well!

[SquirrellyMama]

When I hurt my back I had to go 3 times a week for the first 2 weeks and then 2 times a week for a couple weeks and then down to one time a week for another few weeks and then I went to monthly.

 

My hips kept going out of alignment at first. Once we got them stable I was able to go once a month. I keep going because I stopped at one point and it happened again.

 

Good luck! I know how painful back injuries are.

 

:grouphug: