# I want to pit chiropractors **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 11, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776 "2015-03-11T19:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/21 "2015-03-12T04:49:21Z")
There are not so good MD’s, and there are not so good chiropractors. The trick is finding the good ones. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/22 "2015-03-12T05:00:48Z")
My husband’s ortho referred him to a chiropractor who specializes in sports medicine for a handful of treatments for back/hip pain. I didn’t sit in on the appointments, but this guy seemed to be the non-woo variety of chiro - essentially he performed massage therapy/“alignment” with the goal of trying to make Tony function better and hurt less. When his treatments didn’t help, he discussed the issue with Tony and his doctor, and told them that the issue was beyond the scope of his specialty. That’s the only sort of chiropractor I’d consider using. I don’t care what Mary Poppins says about sugar - I prefer to think that a spoonful of evidence makes the medicine go down! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/23 "2015-03-12T06:28:02Z")
Yeah, but are we talking about the “feel good” type of massage (no, not the happy endings!)? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/24 "2015-03-12T06:39:14Z")
So what is the difference between “non-woo” chiropractic and specialized physical therapy? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/25 "2015-03-12T13:06:43Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > There are not so good MD’s, and there are not so good chiropractors. Yeah, but even the worst MDs were at least trained in a discipline based (sometimes too loosely) on actual scientific evidence, and updated when new evidence comes in. While even the best Chiros were trained in a discipline which has been 99+% debunked because there is no credible body of scientific evidence to support it. So the “good” chiros have to go outside their their discipline if they are going to practice anything based on evidence. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/26 "2015-03-12T13:21:22Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Hey! At least 5% of chiropractors are not charlatans. You should have pitted some, (perhaps “most”) chiropractors. 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005% of homeopaths aren’t charlatans either. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/27 "2015-03-12T13:24:43Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005% of homeopaths aren’t charlatans either. Joke’s on you. That tiny percentage is what makes them so potent! ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/28 "2015-03-12T14:28:33Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > What’s with a chiro whacking an elderly lady with a mallet? Maybe he’s really a reverse phrenologist looking to expand his practice? ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/29 "2015-03-12T14:35:51Z")
FWIW, I never trusted any chiro, and nobody’s gonna crack my neck, thankyouverymuch. That being said, we did get referred to one that dramatically helped my son with his back injury (when a generally oppositional 14 yr old boy asks for an appointment, that counts for evidence of effectiveness, in my book). When my daughter’s TMJ put her wisdom teeth removal in some doubt, we took her and the results were dramatic. So, there is _one_ I trust and believe effective. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/30 "2015-03-12T14:43:23Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Hey! At least 5% of chiropractors are not charlatans. You should have pitted some, (perhaps “most”) chiropractors. He hasn’t Pitted _any_ chiropractors yet. He’s just said he _wants_ to. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/31 "2015-03-12T15:05:15Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > So, there is _one_ I trust and believe effective. Me too. I injured my back at work when I was 17 (in the days before Health & Safety regulations) and saw many different chiropractors over the years, to no avail. One had some weird machine he invented that he hooked you up to and he’d turn dials or something and then give you herbal treatments. (Funny thing though, during the year I took those herbal pills I never caught a cold. And I worked in retail back then - ie. _sick all the time_.) But then I discovered the chiropractor I see now and he fixed me. I’ve been seeing him for 11 years now. It took a few more visits at the beginning, but I see him every other week and my back pain is gone. My painful and jaw-locking TMJ was eradicated years ago. So that’s the issue, IMO. It’s not chiropractors in general, it’s finding the right one that works for you. And being aware of the scam ones. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/32 "2015-03-12T15:09:24Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > I’ve been having lingering soreness and pain in my neck and I scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor. This thread has me concerned; is there a different type of doctor I should see for this sort of thing? Anyone with an MD after his or her name. The doctor may refer you to a physical therapist, but you shouldn’t just make an appointment without seeing the doctor first. There are many things that could cause that pain, and the doctor will either diagnose it, or refer you to a specialist. It could be anything from a localized infection to a torn ligament, to referred pain from an abdominal problem. Chiropractors, even the tiny percentage of non-woo ones tend to be like the proverbial hammer that sees everything as a nail-- they see everything as a problem with your spine. But aside from that, it’s a dangerous lottery, especially with neck pain. You may get one of the chiropractors who does the sort of neck adjustments that cause strokes. > [@RobDog](#): > > 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005% of homeopaths aren’t charlatans either. Is that what happens when you dilute a real doctor? I had a friend who insisted that her chiropractor helped her, but she had a really stressful job, and about once a month, her sciatica acted up, and she made an appointment with her always-overbooked chiropractor. She had an excuse to take half a day off work (with sick pay) to sit on a comfy couch and read a book for an hour, and then get an adjustment from the doctor, followed by a massage her insurance paid for, and went home early, because it wasn’t worth going back to work for less than an hour. She insisted that she felt so much better (she also took Advil, because her chiro wasn’t against it). I bet you could take the adjustment out of the equation, and she still would have felt a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/33 "2015-03-12T16:01:50Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > So what is the difference between “non-woo” chiropractic and specialized physical therapy? This question, though probably rhetorical, bears repeating. Is there any general advantage to using a chiro over a physical therapist? I can’t believe there’d be a big enough price differential to induce me (or my insurer) to go that way, and it sure wouldn’t be the difference in training or medical supervision, both of which would seem to point to the PT. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/34 "2015-03-12T16:08:43Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > He hasn’t Pitted _any_ chiropractors yet. He’s just said he _wants_ to. Pit. Or pit not. There is no want. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/35 "2015-03-12T16:29:17Z")
The one I went to years ago first did X-rays with a machine that looked old enough to have been used in the first _Frankenstein_ movie. He then told me that my abdominal artery looked like it was nearly blocked and that he could recommend a doctor to me. I refused. That was 15 years ago; I recently had a preventive measure sonogram of the abdominal aorta and it was clear. :rolleyes: I saw this guy for ‘adjustments’ and other bullshit for over a year. Then I realized that not only was I not getting better, but that the back pain was returning more quickly. I quit going to him, and within a month all symptoms were gone. Either he was the cure or he was the problem. I’m going with the latter. **Stringbean** : don’t let anybody fuck with your neck other than a certified physical therapist. ---
**Author:** ![owlfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@owlfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlfan)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/36 "2015-03-12T17:02:24Z")
Mom is actually feeling better since she quit seeing the chiro and just followed his advice , which was to rest her back except for water aerobics and take NSAIDS. This is exactly what I told her -for free and I didn’t even hit her in the butt. Another example is a young coworker whose chiro made her feel so guilty that she cried, because he told her that she she should not have had her infant immunized without having the baby adjusted first. Really!? Why would a baby need an adjustment and how exactly would that help with immunizations. I would not let a chiropractor anywhere near my baby. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/37 "2015-03-12T17:04:33Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > My husband’s ortho referred him to a chiropractor who specializes in sports medicine for a handful of treatments for back/hip pain. I didn’t sit in on the appointments, but this guy seemed to be the non-woo variety of chiro - essentially he performed massage therapy/“alignment” with the goal of trying to make Tony function better and hurt less. When his treatments didn’t help, he discussed the issue with Tony and his doctor, and told them that the issue was beyond the scope of his specialty. That’s the only sort of chiropractor I’d consider using. I don’t care what Mary Poppins says about sugar - I prefer to think that a spoonful of evidence makes the medicine go down! A pharmacist I worked with many years ago went to chiropractic school, and he was criticized for advocating MD referral. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/38 "2015-03-12T17:11:23Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000005% of homeopaths aren’t charlatans either. [Perhaps “deluded” would be a better word.](http://www.salon.com/2015/03/11/study_homeopathy_not_effective_in_treating_anything/) ---
**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:** [March 12, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/39 "2015-03-12T17:11:52Z")
> [@owlfan](#): > > Another example is a young coworker whose chiro made her feel so guilty that she cried, because he told her that she she should not have had her infant immunized without having the baby adjusted first. Really!? Why would a baby need an adjustment and how exactly would that help with immunizations. I would not let a chiropractor anywhere near my baby. But…but babies need chiropractor help to deal with [Birth Trauma!](http://colebradburn.com/2012/01/04/why-infants-need-chiropractic-care/) (caution, graphic photo). Of course there are skeptics who say it’s [ludicrous and potentially harmful](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-touch-to-fear-chiropractic-and-the-newborn-baby/) to have your infant “adjusted” by a chiro, but they’re probably just mainstream medical shills. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/40 "2015-03-12T17:31:05Z")
I have a good chiropractor. He sees me when I am injured, and doesn’t see me when I am not. I am (diagnosed) overly flexible, so things don’t hold so tight in my joints. I have had incapacitating pain in my neck that was 95% fixed with a single adjustment, and 100% fixed with a second. No long term treatments with my guy. Granted, he says that because I fall apart easily, I am easy to put back together. I had a 0th degree separated shoulder that just wouldn’t heal, no matter what I tried. The chiropractor took a look and said, “Nope, chiropractic care can’t do anything for that.” He recommended regular medical care (which I had done first, of course) and time. He does sell a diet system. I was out of breakfast-on-the-run bars, so I bought one without asking the price. It was $5 or so. Never again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776.md?page=3)