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Can anyone explain to me how chiropractor's heal people please?

52 replies

FAB5 · 12/04/2011 20:12

DD had treatment last week. At one point he held his hand over DD's back and said he was applying some heat. He also left her to lie still for about 5-10 minutes. DH is very Hmm about the neat application.

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AitchTwoOh · 13/04/2011 10:49

applying energy sounds a bit woo... i do go to a osteo-chiro (mc timoney) and she is really good. couldn't lift my leg to put shoes on post cs, one session later was fine. i'd had my hip boinked out or somesuch. regarding physio, dh went for nhs physio and it was utterly shit. might depend on the area but each time he went he saw someone different and they just handed him a photocopied sheet of paper and told him to go away and do certain exercises. however, when he goes to the chiro he feels that he gets about a month's pain relief from it.(she does, however, also boss him to do exercises...)

belledechocchipcookie · 13/04/2011 10:49

www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/

FirstLeg · 13/04/2011 10:50

FAB - that sounds a little odd. I have been treated by several chiropractors over the years as has my DD, and not come across that. Chiro tends to be mechanical manipulation of joints, and strong massgae of muscles to ease them off. They also sometimes use wedges under parts of your body, plus a clucky machine to manipulate joints. I agree that quite often you feel worse after chiro than before, but after a day or so, you really reap the benefits. It would be odd if your DD felt no change after a treatment, if your choro was good and there was a problem to correct - btw they should give you some sort of diagnosis after initial treatment, plus some info about it to take away...

What you are describing sounds more like Reiki - which is most definitekly woo. A propertly acredited chiro will have studied four years at uni to get qualified - it is a proper qualification, and the NHS do refer to them. I personally found chiro much more effective than either physio or osteo.

However, I do wonder about these symptoms your daughter is getting. I know you are worried, but from reading your posts on here, it does sound more like attention seeking than a medical problem. The symptoms seem to vary. They seem to get worse when she is going to bed (ie not with you), at grandparents (not with you), but haven't really stopped her doing the things she really enjoys (ie ballet show). They move about - headaches, side pain, leg pain, and although your DD is still little and articulating pain is tricky, it does sounds all rather vague. She also seems to have more pain when you ask her about it than during the day when she is busy getting on with stuff.

I know you've been having problems with your eldest being bullied, which must be taking up your time and energy, plus you have your own stuff going on. It wouldn't be unusual for your DD to want to have more of your attention, and as she has a history of a medical condition when she was younger, then maybe she has found that exaggerating minor aches and pains is a way to get more of you? That doesn't make her a bad person, just someone who wants her mum! We all get aches and pains now and then, maybe she is just making more of them because she knows that mummy will respond?

This isn't a criticism, but the impression that I get from reading your posts on here. For youir DD to have had so many qualified people look at her and do tests, and there to be no consensus at all about what the problem(s) is/are, is odd (and I am not discounting the rare but scary cases where conditions have been missed). It is suggestive to me that your DD's physical problems may not actually be what all this is about.

Take care

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 10:51

DD's pain has just come out of nowhere. She didn't fall or anything. A GP thought from doing ballet but she has been doing that for months once a week and then did it twice for one week only. I can't believe that caused the pain.

The chiropractor said she was hypotonic in the pain area and we know she was as a baby.

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FirstLeg · 13/04/2011 10:53

Oh, and apologies for the dreadful spelling...

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 10:59

I honestly don't think she is attention seeking and I have asked her making it clear she would not be in trouble if she had been.

I have managed to get her an osteopath appointment at 12 today.

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FirstLeg · 13/04/2011 11:04

Fab - she may not be able to 'back-track' now no matter what you tell her as she will fear the consequences no matter what you say - she won't want you to feel cross with her and won't want you to withdraw the attention. It has been going on too long now and she has been poked and prodded by so many people that she would find it extremely hard to admit to you that she was exaggerating. No matter how good the relationship is between you.

Have you got her to sit with a GP/medical person without you and DP in the room? Someone who is more independent may be able to get more from her - if the problems are real, it is better that the words about how she is feeling come directly from her; and if she is exaggerating, then it may be easier for her to let someone else know who she won't feel she is letting down by admitting it to.

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 11:08

With respect, FirstLeg, I know my child and I am certain she is genuine.

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FirstLeg · 13/04/2011 11:22

With kindness FAB, we as parents are often less able to tell these things as we are so close to it all and so emotionally bound up in it. Our children hate the idea of hurting us or letting us down - that is why it would be so hard for your DD to tell you she was exaggerating. It has been going on so long, she may even be convincing herself.

My point was that, as an outsider, there are lots of things that sound implausible about your DD's situation. I can perhaps see tham clearer than you.

Rather than spend more money or time on other treatments/investigations, I would book an appt with your GP or nurse, and ask them to talk to your DD on her own, to see what they think is going on. Obviously, do not let your DD overhear why you are doing this - just say they want to chat to her about how everything is going. They can then talk to hert about how she is feeling, and see what somes out.

I really mean no offence, but you yourself acknowledge that you aren't always in the best of mental health. it is quite possible your DD is taking in some of your anxiety issues.

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 13:41

FirstLeg - please stop. You clearly feel you know me whereas I have no idea who you are.

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frostyfingers · 13/04/2011 14:44

It does sound a bit strange, although my osteo has heat in her hands and lays them on me after treatment, and uses a heat pad to try and relieve soreness, which is what I thought your person might have done. Are you able to get an x-ray to rule out any specific bone problem - or as others have suggested physio. I have also used sports massage to help with soft tissue injury which may be worth considering.

FirstLeg · 13/04/2011 14:53

I will stop now FAB, I have offered my opinion, experience and advice, in what I hope is a constructive way. Please do not let your discomfort about me 'knowing' about you (after all, all I 'know' is what you have posted on here) distract you from what I am saying. There might be an emotional issue here not a medical problem.
Best wishes

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 15:03

We saw a lady who instantly saw what the problem was with my daughter. She doesn't stand straight and is all twisted which is pulling her and causing the pain. She also has a turned in ankle and a missing arch that not one of the many doctors and physios has ever picked up on, including the top man at GOSH. She has done work on my DD and since we have been home she has eaten well, has been bouncing around and has been much more my DD. We will go back next week for another appointment.

I need to believe in myself more I think as I knew there was something not right, I just didn't know what it was. The same thing has happened many times before when she was a baby.

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Ormirian · 13/04/2011 15:18

Great news! That sounds much better. IME chiro and osteo should have an instant effect - it won't be 100% better but there should be some change. They often discover twists and unnatural strains on the spine that you are not aware of because you have got so used to them.

Fingers crossed the improvement continues.

FAB5 · 13/04/2011 15:25

Thanks Ormirian. I can't tell you how happy I am that DD is now getting the help she needs. The osteopath was so lovely with DD too. I feel guilty as the lady said she could tell just by looking at me that I have lose joints and I guess DD gets them from me. Might explain why I can fall over with no fathomable reason. I have ruined 3 pairs of trousers when falling over in the street.

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AitchTwoOh · 13/04/2011 21:22

fantastic news! (not about your loose joints. i have them too... in my hips... it has its uses.Wink)

AitchTwoOh · 13/04/2011 21:26

actually on the hip thing, i remember taking dd2 to the chiro when she started walking as i was convinced she was very tippy-toed. chiro laughed at me and said 'dur, aitch, that's how kids walk' but when she checked her out she said there was something a bit tricksy going on and by the time she had finished her manipulations twenty minutes later dd2 was walking using her entire foot.

DBennett · 13/04/2011 23:44

To go back to the O.P.

Chiropractic is traditionally based on the idea that the flow of "vital energy" is disrupted through "subluxations", misalignments of the spine and joints.

These are concepts from the late 19th century and have never been confirmed by medical science.

A growing number of chiropractors, maybe now the majority don't follow these principles and consider themselves more experts in back medicine, using a range of interventions with varying evidential/scientific backing.

When you just consider the chiropractic manipulation itself it appears to be equal (but not better than conventional care in lower back pain and shoulder pain).
I don't think there is evidence of benefit in any other condition.
There is no evidence with regard to regular preventative manipulation.

Worth remembering that there are risks associated as well, ranging from bruising, sprains and discomfort to increased risk of stroke after neck manipulation.

FAB5 · 14/04/2011 08:38

My son used to walk on his tip toes a lot so I took him to a physio. She said he was fine. He has been complaining of hip pain so I took him to a GP. He said to keep an eye on him and bring him back in 6 weeks with a list of when he got the pain and what he was doing. I never did as there was no pattern. I now think I will take him to see the osteopath.

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thumbwitch · 14/04/2011 08:45

Glad you got better results with the osteo, FAB. I think that first chiro was a bit of an oddball - was he registered with the GCC?

And to whoever said it - chiropractor is a protected title, same as osteopath.

FAB5 · 14/04/2011 08:46

TBH we went to the chiropractor as I was advised to by a mumsnetter. I don't know if he was registered, we googled and picked a clinic we had heard of that was near us.

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frakyouveryverymuch · 14/04/2011 09:10

Glad it's sorted out now.

My chiro never applied heat or anything (although I did have a series of very gentle reiki treatments for free in return for being a case study which was lovely, did involve heat/energy and had the main benefit of being super-relaxing). In fact my chiro was quite brutal - or it felt brutal - realigning my spine but it worked.

The physio I saw, who was also an osteopath, did much gentler manipulations including some barely felt stuff at the base of my skull, but she managed to get rid of my migraines even though I was actually seeing her about my knee!

cocolepew · 14/04/2011 09:16

I've always had better results with an oesto rather than a chiro with my DDs, glad it's getting sorted Smile

BlingLoving · 14/04/2011 09:19

Hi Fab -sounds like you're getting it sorted but I just want to reiterate what has been said by others. Your original chiro sounds like a hack. I recommend chiros all the time as I think they are absolutely brilliant in certain situations. However, it is absolutely essential to be sure they are registered and properly trained - in our village, we have 2 "chiros" that frankly I wouldn't let near me with a ten foot pole if my life depended on it.

It sounds like your osteopath is working out which is great. I do know a wonderful chiro in Kent and I could track down her details for you if you had needed. I met her when she was working temporarily at my chiro in London. SHe was treating me while I was simultaneously going through fertility treatment and while I would not suggest she was responsible for me getting pregnant, both DH and I noticed an overall "lightness" when I was under her care. If you do want to go back to a chiro, let me know and I will find her details.

Finally, I started seeing a chiro for injuries caused during birth when I was about 11. My mother still sees that chiro. The changes that were visible almost instantly in me, after years, were incredible. For all of us. You daughter will benefit I think.

I recently came across this chiro practice's website and thought it was a great advert for chiro information.

FAB5 · 14/04/2011 12:34

Thank you very much and I will bear it in mind.

I am taking DD back next week and also DS for an appointment as he has had complaints and it won't hurt to have him checked over.

DD seems a bit better already thought she is still having dizziness.

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