Chiropractor taking me for a ride...

[Lalaland01]

I've never been to one so I don't know what to expect. I've been having a relatively mild but annoying pain on my right side of my lower back. I decided to go see a chiropractor (good reviews on Google) to sort it out before it gets worse.

First appointment he said my pelvis was a bit "lopsided", he stretched my legs and said one was longer than the other one. He made me lie facing down on this table, he raised the table a bit and then dropped it down. He did this twice and said that had fixed it (?). He then did like 5 min with this ultrasound. That was it.

Went again yesterday and he just placed two wooden blocks behind my pelvis (this time me facing up), pulled my arms up and then again the ultrasound bit for 5 min but he did it on the other side of where my pain is (!). The appointment lasted 15 min tops.

Has anyone else been to the chiropractor??? Is this normal? I feel like he is taking me for a ride but maybe this is normal?

@Blueroses99

That's exactly how the placebo effect works. The more time taken to 'treat' you the better the effect. Injections of saline work better than pills.

I can’t believe how rude you are being, like I can’t tell the difference between pain and no pain or between being able to move any neck 30 degrees or 60 degrees. If I was so gullible, why didn’t physio have the same effect? Or any of the other treatments that I’ve had for over 30 years? Why it is only chiropractic treatment that makes me feel better if it’s a placebo effect?

I'm not being rude.

This is how the placebo effect works.

If chiropractic works why do you have to keep going back?

I was at uni with a woman who swore only Boots brand anti inflammatory worked for her. They are manufactured in the same factory as other anti-inflammatories but somehow when the pills are put in a box marked 'Boots' gave them a magical property.

If you are happy to spend your money go ahead, but don't trick yourself into thinking you are getting medical treatment.

@Motherdare

There are some incredibly narrow-minded posters on this thread. I’ve never heard anyone insinuate chiropractors are swindlers and quacks - that’s outrageous. Twice I’ve been under the care of one and both times they sorted out ongoing back issues within a few appointments and improved my quality of life. They were both well-educated and qualified. One of them travels with Team GB to the Olympics.

You may have found a poor one OP, but I think inciting posters to slag off an entire profession based on your experience is very unfair.

Honestly thought it was common knowledge that chiropractors are indeed charlatans and quacks. I'm astonished by your outrage.

As an aside, a surprising (or not so surprising) number if them are monetised purveyors of conspiracy theories and other baseless tripe.

In the past I saw a physio privately with osteopath/chiropractic & acupuncture qualifications. I will recommend him. Now I have Pilates with a physio and before covid massage every 3 months. Exercises between my sessions.

SOME chiropractors are quacks, SOME but not all by any means.

I've heard of Chiropractors who claim to be able to cure all types of illnesses through chiropractic, which is a load of complete bollocks.

But the decent ones are definitely good at sorting some biomechanical issues, and this is recognised by the NHS

@knittingaddict

Common knowledge on what basis? Have you ever been to one yourself? Or just dismiss what you don’t understand?

Some are rubbish and others are great. Mine was literally the only thing that kept me able to walk during pregnancy - wonky spine plus pregnancy = huge amounts of pain in my SI joint unless regularly attemded to to stop it locking up.

I've had similar excercises done at a NHS physio but if you don't feel like it's helping then cancel the appt. Personally I'd always see a physiotherapist and preferably a sports one.

Chiropractors are extortionate and have one eye on the mortgage. Physios are good likewise osteopaths.

[quote AnastasiaRomanov]@knittingaddict

Common knowledge on what basis? Have you ever been to one yourself? Or just dismiss what you don’t understand?[/quote]
This might help. It's not totally anti chiropractice, so may be more balanced for you.

www.painscience.com/articles/does-chiropractic-work.php

There are loads more out there.

The placebo effect can work with doctors' treatments- with anything really.

Why condemn Chiros.

The thing about chiros etc is that they actually have time to give you proper attention rather than the 2 mins you get with a GP. That alone can help someone feel better.

[quote WiddlinDiddlin]@Duchess379 Yeah, I did say that...

I would expect any of them to have a decent understanding of where all the nerves are and how to attempt releasing trapped nerves - if you have a bad one, releasing it can feel like total magic!

But there's a degree of luck there too, presumably you'd done something unusual for it to happen, so it hasn't reoccurred - I could have mine released and they'd be trapped again within days, because chiros do nothing to address the why, just treat the symptom!

The one I saw took next to no history and didn't know I have a connective tissue disorder, which does mean I trap nerves, subluxate joints etc, pretty frequently.

He was more than happy to untrap things once a fortnight.. and never told me how to avoid them being trapped in the first place. My osteopath has, as has my physio (and they work together, private and NHS actually working together. NHS won't work with chiro's by the way.. which should speak volumes!).[/quote]

I have RA & hypermobility. Didn't know that when I trapped the nerve in my hip. Once I was diagnosed by the Dr, my chiropractor regularly adjusted me & gave me stretches & exercises to do. It's never happened again 👍🏼

Also paid a crazy amount of money for a few minutes at each appointment prior...soon put a stop to it...taking the mick

See an osteopath.

My back completely packed in last October. I could hardly stand and had to walk with a stick. I asked my doctor for a referral to a physio. I got a telephone appointment three months later nd an appointment to see someone two weeks after that. If I hadn’t paid for a private chiropractor I would have been housebound and in pain all that time. Given how useless the physio was when I saw him, I don’t have much faith he would have helped anyway.

@gannett

And honestly the thing you need is a set of simple (but probably tedious) exercises that you can do yourself at home. A physio will tell you what to do, check you're getting on with them and leave you to it. It's about giving you the tools to heal yourself rather than having to keep going back for expensive appointments.

Exactly this. If you are travelling distance to Catford, I can recommend a brilliant physio.

Well that wasn’t my experience. If you’re crippled you can’t do any exercises at all!! I couldn’t. I wonder how many people who are sceptical about chiropractors have been completely immobilised or in constant pain?

@sashh why do I have to keep going back? I have a chronic condition. Nothing is going to make the pain go away completely with no intervention whatsoever. I have had to keep going to physio whenever i couldn’t cope with the pain for over 20 years. Why didn’t I get a placebo effect from physio?

In terms of wasting money, I now pay to the chiropractor what I used to pay for deep tissue massage in between physio stints (NHS/private) so I am no worse off financially but spend far less time on treatments.