What do you think about chiropractors

[thedendrochronologist]

Just that really.

For the past 18 months I've seen one for a chronic low back problem with no specific cause. (Exhausted nhs options)

Chiro worked but disliked business model of this one practice(pressurising for 22 sessions and a "plan")
Or it won't work". Stopped going after a while. Worked 60%. Nice practice beautifully clean and branded but super gimmicky.

Back seized again so painful. went to a differ one with a different model. He is wondrous and back is easing already he said at between 3-4 sessions and a top as and when.

I adore mine, go every four weeks after an initial month of twice a week appointments.

She diagnosed tilted pelvis within 5 minutes of meeting me (GPs said it was because I sat a desk / was overweight / needed to move more) I developed a sore knee and again, during a routine appointment she's diagnosed it given me stretches and within 3 weeks the pain is gone.

I use a mctimoney chiropractor a couple of times a year- more if I’ve a specific injury - and she is amazing - always tell me exactly what she’s done and advises some
exercises to help with whatever is wrong. My partner went to a different person who wasn’t nearly as good - no feedback or advice !

Bunch of anti vax charlatans who peddle half arsed theories.

Scientifically chiro has been shown to be effective to treat lower back pain and nothing else. The subluxation they talk about do not exist. And they can not treat asthma or all the other nonsense they claim to treat. I consider them quacks for that reason, as many say they can treat a range of things. I used to think it was harmless enough until I heard about chiros sneaking into hospitals and cracking newborn babies backs (asked to attend by parents but banned by the hospital). I believe there have been cases of babies necks being snapped too. All highly unethical.

If you do go down that route, as another poster has said, do not let them anywhere near your neck. My husband ended up in hospital with dissected vertebral artery following manipulation, terrifying to say the least.

That describes most ultra-left wingers.

I LOVE a chiro appointment,but I don't think it offers anything other than a short term relief. Osteopath was much better for my lower back issues.

@MinnieJumbo
I, like many others, don't misunderstand it as quackery. I know that it was founded by a spiritualist, is based on crazy theories and has caused serious harm to some people who have undergone chiropractic adjustment.

https://quackwatch.org/chiropractic/general/

https://theconversation.com/a-neuroscientists-view-spare-children-the-manipulations-of-chiropractic-quackery-427

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-evidence-shows-that-chiropractors-do-more-harm-than-good/

So I was a cynic . However I injured myself twisting a moving a peace of furniture. I couldn’t bend over or turn over in bed.
he diagnosed a SIJ problem and manipuled me. At the end of the session I had less pains and a bettter range of movement.

I’d now give it a go for a lower back problem

@EndlesslyDistracted sorry to derail but please can I ask what physio exercises worked for your piriformis? I’ve been struggling with this for 3 years, with sciatica and cramps. Desperately trying to fix it!

I went to a chiropractor a few years back ...I've got a slight curve in my spine and it causes neck and lower back problems.

I was expecting miracles I guess...but I found it sooooo traumatic!!!

I've got a relatively high pain threshold...the sort of person who breaks a toe, says 'oh B*gger' and carry's on!

But I was terrified every time I went. I found it incredibly uncomfortable, really traumatic and frightening....
Makes me sound like I'm a complete and total wimp...but honestly, I'd cry every time...I felt brutalised.

Speaking to other people, I seem to be the only one who's ever felt like this and it's totally a 'me thing!'

Back pain for a year, seen physio, osteo, Chiro, none done me any good. NHS MSK discharged me, after offering me nothing. NHS made it clear they see chiro as quacks.

I sometimes see a very good and well qualified chiropractor due to a chronic pain issue, and find it so helpful. It's not going to be able to fix it but it sure helps day to day.

My DH sees a chiropractor for an issue in his upper back - as referred and discussed with a spinal surgeon. It's worked for him.

They are certainly not created equal but the right one can help a lot in my experience. Sometimes a massage is what's needed and I find osteo can do both at times. These days I just know what my body needs.

@blobby10 me too! Not on the South coast are you?!

I saw a guy, cost a fortune, didn't fix what I saw him for despite about £600 worth of treatment but did ease my headaches weirdly. I absolutely hated that neck cracking thing 🙄

There’s one local to me who sounds like the first one the OP,saw. Swanky premises, you have to go and watch a thirty minute video on the ethos of his practice (in a group) before your first appointment. It’s like a cult.

I had one appointment. He then tried to get me to sign up for a plan, there were platinum packages, gold packages, silver packages…..ranging from about £1200 to £700 (this was eight years ago). I ran for the hills.

i know someone who got swept up, she thought he was god. She was seeing him, she had her mum seeing him and her daughter. They saw him for months and months and months. I saw her recently, she no longer sees him and turned out the pain her elderly mother had was actually a broken arm which the chiropractor missed. She no longer sings his praises and the impression I got was that he made no difference to any of them. But he fleeced her for thousands.

I personally prefer an Osteopath, they do a lot of work for you. I go one for various issues, including my back. They just “fix you”

Tried osteopath, physio, chiropractors, acupuncture and sports massage.

All helped except chiropractor, best result was manipulation by osteopath. Who also advised on changing the shoes I wore which helped immensely. I used to wear flat ballet pumps a lot, they are worse than heels. The sports massage woman is great also she charges £40 for an hours massage and it’s brilliant. I have a scoliosis of the spine, it started to play up when I went in to peri menopause.

I don't fancy a vertebral artery dissection or a stroke so will give chiro a miss

@Matildahoney 🤣no East Midlands -

You what? Talk about go down a leafy lane.

@cariadlet

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I had a read. It's agree it’s valid to recognise chiropractic's historical roots and the unfortunate instances where harm has occurred. However, it's essential to consider that healthcare practices evolve over time, and modern chiropractic is guided by scientific evidence and research.

Take the history of medicine and bloodletting - believed to balance the body’s humors. However, these practices laid the foundation for modern techniques and understanding of anatomy.

While one of the articles you referenced is from now arguably outdated (2011), newer studies I mentioned earlier by neurophysicist Heidi Haavik might provide a more up-to-date understanding of chiropractic.

It’s founder may have had spiritual beliefs, contemporary chiropractic is definitely grounded in anatomy, physiology, and neurology. Additionally, adverse events can happen with any medical intervention, but proper regulation and training aim to minimise risks and ensure patient safety.

Despite potential risks, and the recent research says this is very small, chiropractic is fully regulated and recognised as primary healthcare in the UK, with legally protected titles. This suggesting its legitimacy, does it not, despite differing views?

Anyway, I write this as personally I have had really great results using chiropractors as part of my ongoing healthcare.

Won't touch them. One left me in quite bad pain with a back issue
I went to a physio instead who did a couple of sessions then said "something is badly wrong here, I'm sending you for a MRI"
Diagnosed with a huge herniation of my disc (so chiro would have done nothing) and cauda equina shortly after so had emergency surgery

@blobby10 good to know there's more than one great McTimoney chiropractor!

There's some therapeutic benefit, similar to massage, but the basic premise of 'adjustments' and so on is pure pseudoscience; the practitioners are often promoters of other quackery as well.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18280103/