Is this GD territory? I hurt my back while mountain biking yesterday…just shifted my weight forward to get up over a ledge and my lower back went right out. Had to walk back to the parking lot and the girlfriend had to drive home. I never let people drive my car but it was that painful. I took some ibuprofen, but it still hurts today. To top it off, I’m supposed to go skiing this coming weekend and if it still hurts by then I’m screwed. I’m going to the doc this afternoon and hopefully will get some good painkillers.
So what exactly do chiropractors do in a situation like this. I grew up thinking they were medical ‘back and joint specialists’, but then I started hearing that doctors dimissed them as quacks, that they don’t really do anything. People swear by acupuncture and herbs, which I don’t really believe in, and people swear by chiropractors which I don’t know whether to trust or not. I do have chronic back issues when excercising - I often have to dismount while riding or take a break running to let the back stop hurting, and it usually does within a couple minutes. Right now my back is still hurting which is unusual, so I’d like to know if someone like a chiropractor may be able to fix it by the end of the week. I tried acupuncture in a similar situation a few years back - acute bike related injury a week before a ski trip - but it was a waste of money.
Also, how much do chiropractors charge, does insurance normally cover it, and can they make the injury worse?
I can only give you a general answer, since you’re there, and I’m here. But I went to see my chiropractor about a week ago. Did wonders for me.
Yes. Many MD’s think they’re quacks. And they hate them. The reason is that chiropractors get results, where MD’s fail.
A real chiropractor will have a university degree with five years of study on joints and backs. Mainly they treat backproblems. A good chiropractor will tell you if s/he can fix you or not. S/he might ask you to bring x-rays. And the treatment is simply manipulating the joints.
I have arthitis. My doc said “Oh, that pain…? Learn to live with it. Many have much worse.” Two days later pain was gone, thanks to my chiropractor.
Case against them is that we tend to see them, as a result of a crappy lifestyle - too little excersise, bad work position and ergonomy. By giving a quick and painless fix, they treat a temporary problem, but not what’s causing it. So we tend do repeat the mistakes and end up back with the chiropractor.
Chiropractors vary in their techniques as well as their cost. Many insurances cover limited chiro visits.
Often when being treated for a type of injury you have you may get worse before you get better. A lingereing problem like yours may take many visits to “straighten out” so to speak.
What you will find is that different chiro`s will treat the same problem differently. So you may not get results from one chiro, but the next one you go to may help you.
You would be one of the rare to be treated and fixed by one chiro in a few short visits.
Having said that, I would recomend that you do go and go to a couple of them. Then stick with the one you feel comfortable with. Aggressive treatment isn`t always the best course of action, so be careful of the guy who wants to fix you right away. Also the one who wants to keep you coming back forever may not be agressive enough. Get some references from friends and family to start with and see how things go.
I had a bad lingering lower back problem that was cured by the Second chiro that I went to.
PS They both diagnosed the problem correctly, but the second one had the best treatment technique.
Have you gone to a Sports Therapist and done some therapy to strengthen your back? Best way to prevent back pain is to strengthen the muscles that support the back.
Thanks for the advice, all. I’ll probably at least go for a consultation and judge their credibility. I will check with Cigna about payment. Epimetheus, I have not seen a sports therapist. My regular exercise consists of mountain biking and treadmill running, but nothing specifically back related, although both the biking and the running do put strain on my back.
You’d have to check with your insurance co. to be sure of coverage.
There is a good article in the latest Skeptical Inquirer written by a chiropractor about the therapeutic value of it. In it he talks about the poor evidence of ‘subluxations’ and how sham chiropractors try to fool patients into the repeat-visit shtick (placebo effect), and how ‘real’ chiropractors can do good in helping people with certain problems. The guy’s name is Samuel Homola, D.C.
Well, it doesn’t have to be a sports therapist. If you have back pain, it doesn’t matter specifically if you participate in sports where the back is related. Most activities use the back, lower back mostly. Strengthening the trunk region (Abs, obliques, erector spinae, etc) is extremely benificial to anybody. Lower back pain can be prevented and even treated with just a few exercises. It doesn’t even have to use heavy weights if you don’t want to. (though it is much more helpful- progressivly that is)
Here are some examples of exercises to strengthen your trunk region.
“Exactly” what they do varies from doctor to doctor. I’m not a doctor, but I am concerned about your chronic back pain. Pain is a warning from your body to your brain. Ignore the warnings and you could end up with worse problems. Sort of like continuing to drive your car when you hear the brakes grinding, if you don’t mind a dumb analogy.
Essentially most chiropractors believe that your body heals itself. That makes a lot of sense to me. I would be wary of one who promises to “fix” you before the weekend. Your condition sounds like it took years to create. It’s not all that likely to be resolved in a few days.
Varies. I know one rural one who accepts chickens as barter.
Depends on your definition of “normally”. Some do. Some don’t.
Yes. One of the best chiropractors I ever went to refused to adjust me when I went to see him. I was in serious pain at the time and was unhappy with his decision. However, I found out over an extended period of time that he really knew his stuff! If you’re in Southern California I will get you his name. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Not to start an argument, but I hope you don’t mind a short qualifier. Sometimes chiropracters get results where MDs fail. Sometimes they both fail. Sometimes they work together (not very often though).
Also, I think part of the “hate” is the fact that chiros take money out of the pocket of the MDs. At least that is the way I perceive how the MDs view the chiros. Unfortunately much of “health” care is driven by dollars these days.
The reason that MDs hate chiropractors is that the field of chiropractic is founded on medieval quack-filled ideas of how the body works. Many chiropractors today dismiss these ideas and simply say that their trade is effective for relief of some types of pain. If you go to one who starts talking about subluxations, or how everything from ear infections to cancer is caused by poor alignment in your spine, grab your wallet and head for the door.
Some warning signs–if they want to take X-rays, if they mention “subluxations”, or if they claim they can cure something other than back pain, such as headaches, digestive upset, cancer (scary, no?) then run and don’t look back. If they tell you that the germ theory of disease is false, then that’s also a bad sign.
You might be able to get a referal from your MD for a repuatable chiropractor. My dad’s been seeing a legit chirpractor for years to alleviate his back pain, and it really helps him. Note, though, that he’s been seeing him for years. MDs can’t stop his pain either, but chirpractice is not a magic bullet. Here’s hoping that you just a minor injury that will respond to treatment and/or physical therapy, not a back problem that you’ll never shake!
One thing that rings true is that a good chiro will be honest with you. If he can`t fix you he will say so.
In my case, I had (have) a herniated disk. The spacing between the disks was manipulated to increase and realign the spacing as to take the pressure off the sciatic nerve. This could not have been done by an MD (imho).
The chiro told me right away that if he cant reduce the pain in three weeks (three visits per week) then I would need to do somethng else (physical therapy, surgery). Needless to say he helped me and I havnt been uncomfortable since. The pain isnt totally gone but it is very tollerable.
I paid $1730 for this trip (for two), and I basically work to ski…if I am in pain when I get to the top of the mountain, I will ride the lift back down, otherwise I am skiing ;). Just got back from the doc with big ibuprofens and vicodin. Hopefully for this weekend, that will suffice.
Again, good info here. I have heard the ramblings of a chiropractor that claimed chiropractic is the answer to every possible ill, so if I hear that during a consultation I will thank the guy for his time and exit.
IMHO, don’t hesitate to visit a chiropractor for your injury.
I had Cigna insurance who covered all my treatments. I have a chiro appt. today that I don’t want to miss. I would expect the dr. to have his credentials posted for anyone interested.
Follow thru with how-ever many treatments he prescribes, then go back periodically for re-alignments.
please check out this site before seeing a chiropractor. There are many reasons some people feel better after going to a chiropractor including the placebo effect and the fact that pain often goes away because the body heals itself, whether you went to a chiropractor or not (of course the chiropractor now gets the credit). Just please get informed before you make an appointment. I will go as far as to say that most chiropractors are quacks. And don’t let anyone give you upper cervical adjustments! Read about the dangers on the site I gave a link to.
The back is a difficult thing to keep off of (of which to keep off?) and few people give the muscles enough rest to recover before using them again. Be warned that a little pain now (especially if you’re on painkillers) means you’ll likely be hurting a long time in the future. If you ski often (or plan to) I’d think twice about risking future trips for this one. Painful as it may be to sit it out. Good luck.
PC
P.S.- Anyone know of well controlled and blinded trials of chiropractic?
As someone who works somewhat in the medical field, I’d like to point out a few things…
Chiropractors have not gone to medical school…
Chiropractors should not be considered competant in reading x-rays or MRI’s
A physical therapist can do many of the ‘treatments’ a chiropractor can do…heat/cold therapy and massage as well as teaching you strengthening/stretching
Chiropractic adjustments can cause injuries.
Chiropractors cannot prescribe any medications for
you
“Most chiropracters are quacks.” This is from my father-in-law who was one (he lived to 95). The hard problem is that he could give no advice on how to find a good one. So I went without and sufferred with my back. Had PT from a qualified physical therapist, but I could not see it did any good. Then one day, my family doctor very tentatively and with great embarrassment asked if I would consider seeing a chiropracter. I explained about my father-in-law and the doctor then said that he used a chiropracter and gave me his name. So I have been going to him for about 10 years. I still get backaches occasionally, but they are definitely less disabling and of shorter duration. He also gave me exercises, which I do most of the time. They take about a half hour every morning. The one undoubted benefit is that I am much more flexible than I was ten years ago (while being ten years older). Would this be a benefit of the exercises alone? Good question and I don’t know the answer and I am afraid to experiment. My insurance covers 80% of it and I am seeing him every six weeks at $35 a shot, so it costs me only $56 a year.
