# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/41 "2015-03-12T18:08:21Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Or an M.D., perhaps an orthopedist. Who might prescribe massage therapy, or anti-inflammatory drugs, or something else. But it’s important to rule out spinal osteoarthritis – which I have, and which causes intractable daily muscle cramping in my neck and shoulders; neither chiropractic nor massage will treat arthritis, though either might provide symptom relief. I tried chiropractic for years but the doc finally gave up on me, told me there was nothing more chiropractic could do for me, and she referred me to a general M.D., who referred me to an ortho, who (based on x-rays and MRIs) diagnosed osteoarthritis. I should have started there. What I do now is, I take Naproxen, and I have massages when it gets really bad. Which don’t help much; nothing short of surgery would, and even that is iffy. > > Some pain just has to be lived with. I have, among other things, spinal stenosis and some degenerative disk problems in the L4/5 and S1/2 areas. This also causes pain and muscular problems (yay, feedback loop!). Not much will cure it, but NSAIDs, muscle relaxants at bedtime, occasional epidural injections, and monthly massage is much better than bone-cracking. Admittedly, a good bone-crack can feel great (when my L5-S1 cracks, oh…my…god.), but it doesn’t \*\*\*fix \*\*\*anything. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/42 "2015-03-12T18:30:25Z")
I like my chiro, but I don’t see him for cracking or adjustments. I see him for ART, which was the best treatment for my IT band when it acts up. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/43 "2015-03-12T18:48:25Z")
> [@owlfan](#): > > 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. Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? I will never cease to be shocked at how easy it is to make a baby and do whatever you want to it. ☹ Poor little tyke. ---
**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, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/44 "2015-03-12T20:21:27Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? On the positive side, they’re quite rubbery and flexible at that age, so there are less popping and snapping noises when you adjust them. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/45 "2015-03-12T20:57:29Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? > > I will never cease to be shocked at how easy it is to make a baby and do whatever you want to it. ☹ Poor little tyke. If you’re in the mood for a good horror movie, watch the _Penn & Teller: Bullshit_ episode on chiropractors. Then realize that it’s not a movie. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/46 "2015-03-12T21:20:12Z")
There are some good chiropractors. I have one I refer to who won’t touch anything other than musculoskeletal back pain and works closely with the physical therapists. However, there are a LOT of bad ones out there and I would advise that if they say they can do anything other than help low back pain I would not go to them. FTR, however, a chiropractor once did save my patient’s life. She went to him for neck pain, he did a (crappy) X-ray in his office and picked up a mass in her upper chest. He told her to see a real MD ASAP. She saw me, the biopsy showed Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she had treatment and is alive and well 20+ years later. If he hadn’t picked it up, she might not have been diagnosed for months to years since she had no other symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/47 "2015-03-12T21:22:29Z")
I would just like to jump in here in defense of chiropractors. Not all of them, because there is a lot of woo and the bar for entry is pretty low. But there are good ones. When I was pregnant I got a terrible, terrible backache. My OB just patted me on the shoulder and said, “Honey, you’re pregnant, suck it up. Everybody gets a backache. Have a glass of red wine if you can’t sleep at night.”\* So I sucked it up for awhile and suffered, and did not sleep, and was never comfortable. So I went to a chiropractor and, when I walked through the door, he said, “Well, obviously you have a backache. Of course we can’t do an x-ray, but my guess is you have a herniated disc. Here are some exercises that might help.” He crossed off a bunch of exercises that I shouldn’t do because of pregnancy and said not to do anything that hurt. And gave a massage, which did help. As did the exercises. So, three weeks post-partum, I finally did have that x-ray when the pain did not go away, and lo and behold. A herniated disc. MD recommended an MRI “to make sure” and then surgery. I am never up for surgery so I kept doing the exercises, adding a few I couldn’t do when pregnant, and problem solved. I do have to keep doing the exercises. I didn’t have to keep seeing the chiro. \*In fairness to the OB he first suggested “a glass of warm milk” but switched to red wine when he saw my expression. I am not a milk drinker to begin with, and warm? Yuk. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/48 "2015-03-12T21:30:04Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I would just like to jump in here in defense of chiropractors. Not all of them, because there is a lot of woo and the bar for entry is pretty low. But there are good ones. > > When I was pregnant I got a terrible, terrible backache. My OB just patted me on the shoulder and said, “Honey, you’re pregnant, suck it up. Everybody gets a backache. Have a glass of red wine if you can’t sleep at night.”\* So I sucked it up for awhile and suffered, and did not sleep, and was never comfortable. > > So I went to a chiropractor and, when I walked through the door, he said, “Well, obviously you have a backache. Of course we can’t do an x-ray, but my guess is you have a herniated disc. Here are some exercises that might help.” He crossed off a bunch of exercises that I shouldn’t do because of pregnancy and said not to do anything that hurt. And gave a massage, which did help. As did the exercises. > > So, three weeks post-partum, I finally did have that x-ray when the pain did not go away, and lo and behold. A herniated disc. MD recommended an MRI “to make sure” and then surgery. I am never up for surgery so I kept doing the exercises, adding a few I couldn’t do when pregnant, and problem solved. > > I do have to keep doing the exercises. I didn’t have to keep seeing the chiro. > > \*In fairness to the OB he first suggested “a glass of warm milk” but switched to red wine when he saw my expression. I am not a milk drinker to begin with, and warm? Yuk. All of which could have been accomplished in a lot less sketchy fashion by a MD in conjunction with a physical therapist, although it sounds like your MD just went straight for surgery. Did he give you any reason for not going with a less aggressive treatment at first? ---
**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, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/49 "2015-03-12T22:02:58Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? > > I will never cease to be shocked at how easy it is to make a baby and do whatever you want to it. ☹ Poor little tyke. There used to be a veterinary chiropractor here. :eek: ---
**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, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/50 "2015-03-12T22:12:32Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? > [@Jackmannii](#): > > On the positive side, they’re quite rubbery and flexible at that age, so there are less popping and snapping noises when you adjust them. Sounds like fun! Let’s have a Dopefest Baby Pull! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/51 "2015-03-12T23:35:32Z")
I was at a health fair a few years ago and found myself behind the chiro booth. The chiro asked for volunteers and with each person he ran a wand down the person’s back. The wand would trigger a photos of _problems_ with the person’s spine. Of course, the pictures were different for each volunteer. What the volunteers couldn’t see was the foot pedal the chiro was using. His foot was moving constantly in all directions, one tap or two or three. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/52 "2015-03-13T01:56:06Z")
I put chiropractors in the same general class as acupuncturists. Yeah, there’s probably a bit more science backing what they do than the straight out “feel the spiritual vibrations” woo doctors, but the majority of them ascribe more power to their practice than they should. > [@hotflungwok](#): > > Maybe he’s really a reverse phrenologist looking to expand his practice? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/53 "2015-03-13T10:14:33Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > \*In fairness to the OB he first suggested “a glass of warm milk” but switched to red wine when he saw my expression. I am not a milk drinker to begin with, and warm? Yuk. warm up eggnog with a dash of brandy. yum. Sweet, creamy, bit of alcohol kick …😛 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/54 "2015-03-13T12:25:15Z")
[This](http://www.life.edu/) is supposedly one of the best (maybe just “better” now) chiropractic training schools. Let’s see what they have to say about [chiropractic](http://www.life.edu/chiropractic): > [@](#): > > Chiropractic is a philosophy of health, a science of the nervous system and spine and an art of helping people regain their health naturally. It recognizes that the body is an intelligent self-developing, self-maintaining and self-healing organism and understands that the nervous system controls every part of the body including the immune system. > > Chiropractic believes that the body works best when the nervous system is free of damaging interferences, which cause malfunction, symptoms and diseases, and a reduced quality of life. It observes that there are three interferences: physical trauma, emotional stresses and environmental toxins. One of these interferences is called subluxation. Chiropractors correct subluxation, allowing your nervous system to function more normally, releasing your body’s innate potential to regain health naturally and paving the way for you to experience wellness throughout life. The most polite word I can find for all that is _Bullshit_. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/55 "2015-03-13T12:48:01Z")
**Monty** : total agreement. My body is more frequently a village idiot than “an intelligent self-developing, self-maintaining and self-healing organism”. I’m talking to YOU, migraines! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/56 "2015-03-13T13:08:43Z")
There is no good reason to go to a chiropractor unless you’ve tried (literally) everything else and it hasn’t worked. For non-spinal injuries, there is no reason to go to a chiropractor _at all_ - and even for those there is one very good reason _not_ to go: chiropractic manipulation can really fuck you up if you have a herniated disk. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/57 "2015-03-13T14:26:39Z")
I checked the courses at the school I linked above. Yes, the chiropractic students do learn to read X-rays to an extent. My best guess is that they do this so they know damn well where NOT to whack the patient. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/58 "2015-03-13T14:27:58Z")
I move that henceforth we refer to them only as chiroquacktors. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/59 "2015-03-13T16:09:20Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Baby needs adjustment?! There are people who let chiros work on their little babies? Straighten them, adjust them? > > I will never cease to be shocked at how easy it is to make a baby and do whatever you want to it. ☹ Poor little tyke. I have an acquaintance who took her baby to her chiropractor. IIRC, she said that the baby wasn’t physically adjusted, but that the chiropractor had a device that sent electro-magnetic waves or something that remotely adjusted the child (but not the parent who held child during the remote adjustment.) The babies are fine. (They have parents who will believe _anything_ but physically, the babies are fine.) ---
**Author:** ![baileygrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@baileygrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baileygrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776/60 "2015-03-13T16:48:26Z")
I went to a chiro when I was pregnant and having horrible lower back pain. I went twice a week for about 4 weeks and got no relief at all. During one visit, she tearfully begged me not to vaccinate my baby and if I did, to bring him in for an adjustment right after. I do have to say though, that during two visits she concluded that I didn’t need an adjustment and didn’t charge me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-pit-chiropractors/714776.md?page=4)