# Are Chiropractors bogus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 11, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653 "2013-11-11T16:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/1 "2013-11-11T16:24:05Z")
I use to see one, but I don’t anymore. And you know what? I feel the same. So are regular “adjustments” necessary for some people? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/2 "2013-11-11T16:33:50Z")
Chiropractors are good at treating some forms of musculoskeletal pain, low back pain, neck pain and some types of headaches, yes. If they start telling you about how chiropractic can cure ear infections and allergies, run away. ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/3 "2013-11-11T16:37:59Z")
Chiropractors may assist in easing certain pains. Otherwise its BS, especially when they talk of sublaxations and other fancy sounding balderdash. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/4 "2013-11-11T16:41:33Z")
[The Master Speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2771/is-chiropractic-for-real-or-just-quackery) ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/5 "2013-11-11T17:04:12Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Chiropractors are good at treating some forms of musculoskeletal pain, low back pain, neck pain and some types of headaches, yes. > > If they start telling you about how chiropractic can cure ear infections and allergies, run away. Bingo. There is some limited proven value to chiropractic, specifically in the fields you’d _expect_ from a medical discipline that, first and foremost, readjusts your spine - back pain, mostly. However, a lot of chiropracters go a hell of a lot further and make claims which are simply downright _crazy_ - all the way down to the idea that chiropractic can cure any “dis-ease”, because what’s really going on is that the chi flow is disrupted, and _these people are crazy_. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/6 "2013-11-11T17:12:17Z")
When I worked for a big insurance company, I helped crunch data for a study. If you are going to get benefits from chiropractic care, you are going to get it in six treatments or less. From there, you need to maintain your own alignment - they teach you this via physical therapy. So chiropractic might help get things lined up, then exercises, improvement to posture, etc. is what maintains that. Or you need something more drastic - like steroids or surgery. If you go for more than six treatments, you aren’t getting any long term benefit, you might get some short term relief that has you going back in twice a week for “adjustments.” The insurance company would drop practitioners from coverage if their average patient came more than eight times (IIRC, it was years ago) for any one problem - the company figured that those practitioners weren’t interested in making you better, they were interested in a long term client - and the insurance company didn’t want to pay for that. Also, some adjustments are dangerous - increased risk of stroke. My husband has a herniated disc - not a good thing to adjust. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/7 "2013-11-11T17:21:44Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Bingo. There is some limited proven value to chiropractic, specifically in the fields you’d _expect_ from a medical discipline that, first and foremost, readjusts your spine - back pain, mostly. I’d rephrase this as what "you’d expect from a (pseudo)medical discipline involved in the laying on of hands, which can be therapeutic (as it is for massage and physical therapy, which seem to have about the same limited effectiveness in dealing with chronic musculoskeletal complaints). Chiropractic has not been shown to make any significant changes in spinal anatomy. As noted, their “subluxations” are indeed bogus. The problem with chiropractic today is three-fold: 1) attempts by many of its practitioners to treat internal medical complaints for which chiropractic is useless and potentially harmful. This includes chiros offering to treat diabetes and the rise of chiropractic pseudo-specialties (i.e. “chiropractic neurologist”), 2) adoption by chiros of other ineffective woo (homeopathy, naturopathy, craniosacral therapy, “detoxification” etc.) and 3) widespread chiro advocacy against health interventions that actually work ([vaccines](http://www.smh.com.au/national/chiropractors-pushing-antivaccination-line-face-crackdown-audits-20130808-2rkof.html), water fluoridation, cancer treatment and the like). [Article on what chiros may be able to do](http://www.chirobase.org/07Strategy/goodchiro.html) (and what they shouldn’t do). ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/8 "2013-11-11T18:02:09Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Chiropractors are good at treating some forms of musculoskeletal pain, low back pain,\*\* neck pain \*\*and some types of headaches, yes. > > If they start telling you about how chiropractic can cure ear infections and allergies, run away. (emphasis added by me). See [Neck Manipulation and Strokes](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chirostroke.html). ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/9 "2013-11-11T18:42:32Z")
One upon a time, a long time ago, I use to be a football trainer and had to adjust 250lb to 300lb lineman’s backs. I would simply put them in front of me and raise them up with my arms with my knee in their back and pull them back against me … thus cracking their back all the way up to their neck. You could actually hear the pops and they would feel better, a lot better, but like everything else in life the pain would keep coming back, why? because all things are spiritual (no cite I can’t proof it) it’s just something I like to say. The air in their backs is spiritual and after sitting in a chair all day your backside is going to be weak due to the air about you or hitting another person with your padded uniform shoulders. My football coach use to say, “you have to get the old air out of you and the new air into you” and then everyone would have to do three laps around the field. I also use to crack my wife’s back by putting my hands at the small of her back and having her relax against me going limp in my arms facing me as I pushed in on the small of her back with the results of her back being cracked all the way up and again you could hear the pops. She enjoyed it and made her feel better, but once again (like the marriage too) it didn’t last. I have never been to a chiropractor and I never would. They seem to thrive on making you feel better for a short amount of time, perhaps until the check clears their bank account, uh? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/10 "2013-11-11T18:43:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’d rephrase this as what "you’d expect from a (pseudo)medical discipline involved in the laying on of hands, which can be therapeutic (as it is for massage and physical therapy, which seem to have about the same limited effectiveness in dealing with chronic musculoskeletal complaints). > > Chiropractic has not been shown to make any significant changes in spinal anatomy. As noted, their “subluxations” are indeed bogus. > > The problem with chiropractic today is three-fold: 1) attempts by many of its practitioners to treat internal medical complaints for which chiropractic is useless and potentially harmful. This includes chiros offering to treat diabetes and the rise of chiropractic pseudo-specialties (i.e. “chiropractic neurologist”), 2) adoption by chiros of other ineffective woo (homeopathy, naturopathy, craniosacral therapy, “detoxification” etc.) and 3) widespread chiro advocacy against health interventions that actually work ([vaccines](http://www.smh.com.au/national/chiropractors-pushing-antivaccination-line-face-crackdown-audits-20130808-2rkof.html), water fluoridation, cancer treatment and the like). > > [Article on what chiros may be able to do](http://www.chirobase.org/07Strategy/goodchiro.html) (and what they shouldn’t do). Ignorance fought. Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/11 "2013-11-11T18:46:08Z")
How many chiropractors does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but it takes fifty visits! ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/12 "2013-11-11T19:03:50Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > One upon a time, a long time ago, I use to be a football trainer and had to adjust 250lb to 300lb lineman’s backs. I would simply put them in front of me and raise them up with my arms with my knee in their back and pull them back against me … > > thus cracking their back all the way up to their neck. You could actually hear the pops and they would feel better, a lot better, but like everything else in life the pain would keep coming back, why? > > because all things are spiritual (no cite I can’t proof it) it’s just something I like to say. The air in their backs is spiritual and after sitting in a chair all day your backside is going to be weak due to the air about you or hitting another person with your padded uniform shoulders. My football coach use to say, “you have to get the old air out of you and the new air into you” and then everyone would have to do three laps around the field. > > I have never been to a chiropractor and I never would. Why? You sound like a chiropractor yourself, woo and all. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/13 "2013-11-11T19:11:01Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Chiropractors are good at treating some forms of musculoskeletal pain, low back pain, neck pain and some types of headaches, yes. > > If they start telling you about how chiropractic can cure ear infections and allergies, run away. I live in a city that has a chiropractic school, and there’s literally one on every street corner. One does “Veterinary Chiropractic.” :smack: :dubious: :rolleyes: I guess if you doggie or kitty has back pain, it would help. A while back, I met a man who was a massage therapist and a chiropractor, and in this town, he made more money doing the former simply because there was so much competition. OTOH, years ago, one of my friends had chronic, disabling migraines and no health insurance or money, and she figured she had nothing to lose by taking advantage of the newspaper ad offering free adjustments by students. After the first session, she never had another migraine. :eek: She still goes once a month or so for, shall we say, routine maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/14 "2013-11-11T19:16:53Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > One upon a time, a long time ago, I use to be a football trainer and had to adjust 250lb to 300lb lineman’s backs. I would simply put them in front of me and raise them up with my arms with my knee in their back and pull them back against me … > > thus cracking their back all the way up to their neck. You could actually hear the pops and they would feel better, a lot better, but like everything else in life the pain would keep coming back, why? > > because all things are spiritual (no cite I can’t proof it) it’s just something I like to say. The air in their backs is spiritual and after sitting in a chair all day your backside is going to be weak due to the air about you or hitting another person with your padded uniform shoulders. My football coach use to say, “you have to get the old air out of you and the new air into you” and then everyone would have to do three laps around the field. > > I also use to crack my wife’s back by putting my hands at the small of her back and having her relax against me going limp in my arms facing me as I pushed in on the small of her back with the results of her back being cracked all the way up and again you could hear the pops. She enjoyed it and made her feel better, but once again (like the marriage too) it didn’t last. > > I have never been to a chiropractor and I never would. They seem to thrive on making you feel better for a short amount of time, perhaps until the check clears their bank account, uh? “Cracking” someone’s back is a very simple skill I could teach anyone in about 5 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/15 "2013-11-11T19:19:14Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I live in a city that has a chiropractic school, and there’s literally one on every street corner. Or so it seems, anyway. (missed the edit deadline) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/16 "2013-11-11T19:42:36Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > “Cracking” someone’s back is a very simple skill I could teach anyone in about 5 minutes. I wouldn’t need 5 minutes, I’d just hand 'em a baseball bat. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/17 "2013-11-11T19:50:15Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > . . . the laying on of hands . . . Why, [you don’t even need to lay them on](http://www.therapeutictouch.org/what_is_tt.html)! ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/18 "2013-11-11T21:18:12Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > because all things are spiritual (no cite I can’t proof it) it’s just something I like to say. The air in their backs is spiritual and after sitting in a chair all day your backside is going to be weak due to the air about you or hitting another person with your padded uniform shoulders. You can’t “proof” it because it’s hogwash. And if you hit people with padded uniform shoulders when you sit in a chair all day you’re not doing it right. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/19 "2013-11-11T21:52:41Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Why, [you don’t even need to lay them on](http://www.therapeutictouch.org/what_is_tt.html)! At least with “therapeutic touch” there’s contact with the patient (for what that’s worth). My favorite sub-woo is [“touchless chiropractic”](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/no-touch-chiropractic/). If you’re going to monkey with a patient’s neck (chiropractically speaking), not making contact at all is a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653/20 "2013-11-11T22:16:04Z")
> [@naita](#): > > You can’t “proof” it because it’s hogwash. And if you hit people with padded uniform shoulders when you sit in a chair all day you’re not doing it right. Oh no I forgot to proof read it … and the part about hitting another person with padded shoulder pads has proven to cause life time problems in the players shoulders, legs, backs and joints. Air is in the joints between the bones and the flesh … spirit is in the body … the body is dead without the spirit. Don’t make me explain the power of the spirit of the air … whoops I have to go another patient just walked in lol [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chiropractors-bogus/673653.md?page=2)