# Let's talk about chiropractors **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783 "2005-04-17T19:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/21 "2005-04-18T04:06:42Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > If you get one that talks about “subluxations”, claims to able to cure cancer or stomach ulcers, or are pushing dietary supplements or dubious adjunct therapies, get out of there, fast. How about this one… a friend of mine (well, his wife) took her two-year-old daughter to the chiro, who determined that the kid had food allergies. And how did the chiro figure out what she was allergic to? Simple - the little girl sat in the mom’s lap, and the chiro would say the name of a food (“chicken,” “corn,” “wheat”), and with each one pull on the _mom’s_ arm. There was more resistance when he said “chicken,” so therefore the kid is allergic to chicken. I kid you not. I’m sure there are good chiropractors, but stories like this just make me want to get rid of them all and start over. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/22 "2005-04-18T04:53:43Z")
I agree there are a lot of “quack” chiropractors out there. Caveat emptor. That having been said, I know an MD or two that I don’t think should be practicing on anything more complex than invertebrates. I’m sure you do, too. I’ve had back problems for 15+ years. I’ve herniated the same disk in my back (L3 IIRC) 3 times. I’ve been lucky enough to have a good chiropractor who helped me through a lot of it. My chiropractor didn’t do alternative medicine, did believe that subluxations can cause some subtle problems, but readily referred problems he didn’t understand to an MD. He encouraged patients to stretch and take care of themselves, but didn’t seem to encourage “maintainence” (i.e. wallet lightening). I was referred to that chiropractor by an MD. I’ve also been to a couple of chiropractors who were, frankly, quacks. If you have back pain, and you’re interested in chiropractic, go to someone recommended by someone you trust. Do not ever go to a listing in the yellow pages. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/23 "2005-04-18T05:04:26Z")
I have no expertise in this. But there was an excellent thread a couple of months back in which **Qadgop** and the other Doper M.D.s reviewed the various alternatives to “normal” medicine and what to watch out for. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/24 "2005-04-18T06:07:36Z")
> [@wonderwench](#): > > Enormous knots in your back sounds like a problem with your muscles - not the alignment of your spine. If I were you, I’d find a good massage therapist who does deep tissue work. [These things](http://www.thumpermassager.com/intro.html) work bloody wonders for knotted up muscles. I have two of them, and they’ve made the difference between being able to go to work or not being able to. You’re not going to get immediate relief with these—it may take a couple of weeks of twice daily use or so to start softening up the knots, but in the long run they’re well worth the investment in time and money. ---
**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/25 "2005-04-18T08:32:39Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > All chiropractors talk about subluxations. That is part of their vocabularly. A MD will normally not use “subluxation,” but will use “spondylosis,” which is the same thing. Just had to address these terms: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: sub·lux·a·tion > : partial dislocation (as of one of the bones in a joint) > -Mirriam-Webster Medical Dictionary > [@](#): > > A subluxation is a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health. > -Association of Chiropractic Colleges, Position Paper #1 > [@](#): > > Main Entry: spon·dy·lo·sis > : any of various degenerative diseases of the spine > -Mirriam-Webster Medical Dictionary ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/26 "2005-04-18T14:02:58Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > [These things](http://www.thumpermassager.com/intro.html) work bloody wonders for knotted up muscles. I have two of them, and they’ve made the difference between being able to go to work or not being able to. You’re not going to get immediate relief with these—it may take a couple of weeks of twice daily use or so to start softening up the knots, but in the long run they’re well worth the investment in time and money. That doesn’t sound convincing. A couple of weeks is long enough that muscle strains heal on their own. I don’t have this problem ver often, but a month or so ago, I pulled a muscle in my neck, and I was pretty stiff for about a week. If I had suffered for three or four days, then went out and bought one of those massagers, it would have been easy to credit that with healing me, when time alone was enough. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/27 "2005-04-18T14:18:12Z")
I think the biggest beef I have with chiropractors is that unlike doctors who’s main interest is to cure you of your ailment, chiropractors seem intent on making you a regular who needs continual ‘adjustments’ every few weeks or so. If I have a problem I would like to be fully healed of that problem. I don’t want to become a ‘client’ that needs regular adjustments to fix the pain. I don’t think you’ll ever hear a chiropractor say “your all fixed, you don’t need to come back to see me unless you have some other problem.” ---
**Author:** ![guinnog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@guinnog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guinnog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/28 "2005-04-18T14:18:18Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > That doesn’t sound convincing. A couple of weeks is long enough that muscle strains heal on their own. I don’t have this problem ver often, but a month or so ago, I pulled a muscle in my neck, and I was pretty stiff for about a week. If I had suffered for three or four days, then went out and bought one of those massagers, it would have been easy to credit that with healing me, when time alone was enough. Hear hear. If you feel you need a back massage but lack the wherewithall to have someone else give you one, you can use a tennis ball quite effectively. Just take your shirt off and move your body to roll it up and down both sides of your spine. Lovely! My physio told me that one… ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/29 "2005-04-18T14:42:32Z")
> [@guinnog](#): > > Hear hear. If you feel you need a back massage but lack the wherewithall to have someone else give you one, you can use a tennis ball quite effectively. Just take your shirt off and move your body to roll it up and down both sides of your spine. Lovely! > > My physio told me that one… I can guarantee that a tennis ball doesn’t even compare with the massage that you get from a Thumper massager. These are not the same as the WalMart variety massagers. They’re a little bit of heaven on a sore back. ---
**Author:** ![guinnog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@guinnog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guinnog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/30 "2005-04-18T14:50:33Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > I can guarantee that a tennis ball doesn’t even compare with the massage that you get from a Thumper massager. These are not the same as the WalMart variety massagers. They’re a little bit of heaven on a sore back. I don’t doubt it. How much does one cost? The website upthread seems to lack any pricing info, which is suspicious. I am currently using the same tennis ball I bought for GBP0.99 for this purpose in 1999 and I haven’t even had to change the batteries yet! 🙂 I go with the tennis ball. John ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/31 "2005-04-18T15:28:36Z")
For specific ailments, I’ve nothing but good things to say about the 2 chiropractors I’ve seen. Both were a bit strange, personality wise, the first one more so than the second. Both took x-rays before starting any treatment, and discussed “normal” bone structure in the neck vs my structure, and explained why I was feeling pain, and what they were going to attempt prior to actually cracking anything. I have some recurring issues with my neck. In most folks, it curves towards the front, I have a couple of bones that don’t line up quite right, so they create a “straight portion” in the center of the curve. The doctor (MD) likes to prescribe muscle relaxers, and pain meds, which I don’t want to take, as they don’t “fix” the underlying issue. The chiropractor (DC) fixes them up nicely in just a few visits. My first experience with one followed massive pain, which essentially made my right arm useless. I was unable to even pick up a 15" monitor (standard size back in that day), and I lived through the pain for nearly a week, thanks to some \ self prescribed herbal smoke, and loads of OTC asprin and the like. I finally broke down, and went to a chiropractor on the way home. I was able to leave his office able to use my arm, and the pain was greatly decreased. A few visits later, and I felt normal again. Every few years, the pain returns, usually due to me doing something either a) stupid, or b) sleeping horribly. After a couple of days of suffering, I make an appointment to see my favorite “bone cruncher.” The pain goes away. I agree that many/most of them want to make you a “regular”, but I just stop making appointments when I do not feel a need for them any longer. I’d recommend that action to anyone that is using the services of said “bone cruncher”. It’s not for every ache and pain, but for the right things, such as pinched nerves, misaligned bones and the like, they can be miracle workers. YMMV. Worst case, give them a try, if they do nothing to help your issue, discontinue treatment, and find another provider (alternative or traditional type medicine as you choose). -Butler ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/32 "2005-04-18T15:33:48Z")
Chiropracty is a pseudoscience. Period. Having an office near a Dr. does not make one legitimate. Calling yourself “doctor” is meaningless. One could call himself a Doctor of Cryptozoology, but it doesn’t mean there are plesiosaurs in Scottland. The fact that some medical doctors suck is irrelevant. What logic is that? Some medical doctors are untalented. Chiropractors are not medical doctors Therefore, chiropracty is legitimate. Just look at the claims chiropractors make. Just in this thread we’ve seen backaches, heart problems, allergies and whole host of things that chiropractors claim they can cure by manipulating the spine. I’ve noticed a lot of them claim they can cure bedwetting as well. Does this make any sense? My son was born in October of 2004. He has had trouble with his stomach since he was about a month old. He has been pooping blood and such. I was told by several people that he needed to see a chiropractor to get this resolved. What? There is NO FREAKING WAY I’m going to let someone manipulate the spine of my newborn to cure him of his stomach issues. But, it works I am reassured. So and so’s kid had a similar problem and after so many sessions it went away. Well, my kid is now five months old and he’s improving. If I had taken him to a chiropractor he might well be counted as a success story now, not unlike the kids who grow out of bedwetting while being “cured” by a chiropractor. Oh, and that “one leg is shorter than the other” routine is pure BS. It’s a favorite of Chiropractors (and faith-healers) because it is so easy to make it look like one leg is dramatically shorter than the other and it is so easy to make it look like the problem has been cured. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/33 "2005-04-18T16:06:33Z")
> [@Captain Lance Murdoch](#): > > Oh, and that “one leg is shorter than the other” routine is pure BS. It’s a favorite of Chiropractors (and faith-healers) because it is so easy to make it look like one leg is dramatically shorter than the other and it is so easy to make it look like the problem has been cured. Note that the physical therapist I saw years later said the same thing. So did an orthopedic doctor I saw once. All advised that I wear a lift in one shoe. The chiro said so about 10 years before I saw the others. Human nature being what it is, I eventually stopped doing it. I’m doing it again now. The chiropractor I saw NEVER uttered the word “sublaxations”, and didn’t want me to do ongoing treatments. I went in weekly for a couple of months, and she didn’t want to set up a regular schedule after that. In her initial screening, she made it clear that she wanted to determine if I had something she treated, and that she didn’t treat organic diseases - just muscular-skeletal conditions. The only “red flag” I remember from that MD-written “choosing a chiropractor” link I provided was that she did initially do a set of x rays. The PT wanted me to come in weekly for a couple months. I think the “good” chiropractors are basically doing PT without an AMA approved license, is what it boils down to. Falls into the same category as accupuncture. The pseudoscience behind it is sheer hokum, but the technique may work to relieve symptoms for certain conditions. I will accept that they really don’t “cure” anything. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/34 "2005-04-18T16:25:09Z")
I think there are good ones and bad ones. They can help in certain cases of back pain. They cannot cure disease. The first chiropractic patient was a deaf janitor that supposedly had his hearing cured by D.D. Palmer “correcting a subluxation”. Only trouble is that all the nerves associated with hearing are in the skull and out of reach of chiropractors. Kind of strange that a whole profession was started by a physical impossibility. My wife went to one out of desperation for back pain. The chiro took dozens of xrays and drew these alarming angles on the films showing how far out of alignment she was. And of course she could determine that exactly 72 treatments over 6 months would have her back in shape. After a few weeks of no results, she went to a physical therapist who did wonders. If you’ve done your back a mischief, a good chiro may be able to help you. If they claim that your neck is curved backwards or you have subluxations or that you need an exact number of treatments, run away. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/35 "2005-04-18T16:34:12Z")
An MD friend of mine told me that not only are chiropractors quacks (which I largely suspected), but potentially actively dangerous ones, considering that certain of their sudden jerking neck motions could potentially snap nerves and arteries, paralyzing or killing you! :eek: I too have seen otherwise reasonable people fall for this this claptrap. My ‘favorite’ was the husband of a friend of mine who was going in to have his rather-post-fontanelle (the man was near 50!) _skull_ bones “adjusted.” :rolleyes: We’re not talking the TMJ either (which alo sounds like a dangerous thing to start jerking around), I’m talking _fused_ bone… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/36 "2005-04-18T16:34:32Z")
Try Massage therapy 1st, but yes, for the type of problem our OP mentions- a good Chiropractor might be a help. Chiropractors are a \*type _of Doctor- they are NOT an MD however_. In this State they are licensed, but there’s not much they can prescribe. But even though “I am not a real Doctor”, here’s a few things that might help: 1. Try Napoxen- one or two twice a day. Be slightly careful here, follow the directions, YMMV, etc. Not for the pain so much as the anti-inlfammitory. 2. Hot shower or long bath twice a day. If you can find “Olbas herbal bath” use it during your shower. 3. Whatever you do that’s causing this problem- working at a keyboard? Driving? Well, break it up. If you’re working at a computer, stop and do a stretching exercise every hour. When driving, you can roll and stretch your neck muscles. Place your chin on your chest, and then roll your head all the way around- both ways, several times. This works at the desk, too. 4. Get one of those massagers form Sharper Image or some other wonder-toy place at the mall. - a Dentist isn’t a MD either, but he is a Doctor, none the less. Same with a Vet. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/37 "2005-04-18T16:43:40Z")
Oooop, forgot the most important thing- “if the problem persists or worsens, see your MD”. IANArD, YMMV. Be careful of any “medical advice” you get on a message board. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/38 "2005-04-18T17:05:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Oooop, forgot the most important thing- “if the problem persists or worsens, see your MD”. IANArD, YMMV. Be careful of any “medical advice” you get on a message board. Okay, you’re not a real doctor. What kind of doctor are you, please? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/39 "2005-04-18T17:12:50Z")
> [@qwest](#): > > Over the course of 1 month and 10 or 12 treatments, the pain was gone, never to return. I was a convert…My experience is largely positive. Has it occured to you that the two events (treatment, then relief) may not be related, except in time? That your problem might have gone away without treatment? That you are assuming that since one followed the other, the first caused the second? This is known as a [Post-Hoc Fallacy,](http://skepdic.com/posthoc.html) my friend, and is why Chiropractic, at least the true-blue original Palmer Method, is a pseudoscience. About the only “proof” of any efficacy comes from testimonials like yours. Worthless from a scientific standpoint. Acceptable IMHO material, bad GQ. ---
**Author:** ![guinnog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@guinnog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guinnog)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783/40 "2005-04-18T17:18:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > - a Dentist isn’t a MD either, but he is a Doctor, none the less. Same with a Vet. Really? Most dentists and vets here are neither MDs nor Doctors. What a curious notion! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-chiropractors/299783.md?page=3)