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Has anyone been helped by chiropractic care?

jlynx

Senior Member
Messages
116
I've recently started seeing a chiropractor for poor posture and occasional back/ neck pain. I knew I had Scoliosis but after getting x-rays it turns out I have a 30 degree curve in my spine and it looks pretty bad. My neck is out of alignment as well and my shoulders and hips are uneven. I'm wondering if this is contributing to my symptoms and if it is possibly an indirect cause. How can the body function properly if it is so out of alignment?

Has anyone else felt better after seeing a chiropractor? It is pretty expensive so I'm hoping it at least helps a little. So far no changes but I've only had a few adjustments.
 

CFS_for_19_years

Hoarder of biscuits
Messages
2,396
Location
USA
I've had a lot of chiropractic work. It never had any effect on my ME/CFS, but it does diminish pain levels at particular spots on my spine. You may be in for the long haul to correct long-standing problems. In between visits you might benefit from a massage, also expensive, but ask your chiropractor if he/she thinks it's appropriate for you. Massage will not correct the misalignments, but it should ease some stiffness and/or spasms that you may develop along the way. If you go that route, I would space adjustments and massages several days apart. Keep up a steady adjustment schedule. Has your chiropractor recommended 2 - 3 adjustments per week?

My best progress was made when I worked for a chiropractor, and I was able to come in twice a week for a long time. I did telemarketing for him to bring in new patients (this was quite a switch from my usual work as a medical technologist, but when I became ill I wanted to do something from home). The industry standard is that if you work for a chiropractor they give you free adjustments. Is there any type of work you could do for him/her, even on a part-time basis?
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
Because of what you described having, you should look into Ehlers-Danlos symptoms. Find a really good long list and some descriptions, not a short basic list. There was one great one, but the link isn't working anymore. EDS is often a cause of hip/shoulder, spine, and neck problems. If you do have EDS, chiropractors are not advised. Instead there is physical therapy which has to be suited for the EDS patient. (It cannot be regular physical therapy.)
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I found my constant dizziness which I thought at the time was all ME, it turned out my neck was out. I had no idea that that was the issue till the chiro fixed it and stopped the constant dizziness (now I just get dizziness when I'm flaring).
........

as far as chiros go, there is something like 130 different styles or types/schools of training of chiropractors. Some types do 10 sessions and don't expect much to change till their treatments are finished (ive actually found those not much good even with full 10 session treatment plan), while others with different training in it only need to treat their patients 1-3 times for a huge difference.

Ive really had to shop around to find the very good chiros. I wont go back to one if he/she hasn't helped me in `1-2 treatments having had very good ones in the past, I know how good some kinds are. 80% of chiros, I wouldn't bother with

so be aware that if you aren't being helped, it may not be actually the case of you cant be by them.

I know one here said to avoid chiros but some can also do like physical therapy with their patients. It really depends on the chiropractor and what kind of training he/she has had.

I wouldn't be able to walk today if it wasn't for chiros (but that wasn't for ME stuff). My shoulders were uneven, hips were uneven, I have slight spinal curvature and bone spur in my neck heading towards the nerve.. with osteroarthritis in neck, lower back and mid back.. all which had been causing me pain which I was told would one day need surgery and got severe whip lash from accidents 4 times (3 forward whiplashes and 1 head going to side on one)

chiro helped all that, I have no pain at all in any of those areas now. I only end up needing a top up treatment or whatever one wants to call it now every 2-3 years when something starts to get sore again.

chiros cant fix ME symptoms but if you have anything out it can make your ME symptoms worst.
 
Last edited:

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I've seen Chiropractors and Osteopaths at various time since ME struck me. None of their therapies have had any good effects on my ME symptoms. Been told all the usual things about being out of alignment and spinal curve as well. Some of them have had strange ideas about ME and exercise.

As time has gone on I've reacted more and more badly to any manipulations. I had a bad accident a few years ago and all the touching therapies made the pain flare up much worse.
 

u&iraok

Senior Member
Messages
427
Location
U.S.
I went to a chiropractor once but I didn't finish the course of treatment because I developed a cold. The 4 or 5 treatments I got up to that point didn't help.

Interestingly, when I was just starting to get the cold and went for a treatment, he said he could feel something developing in my lungs (from just touching my back).

I have gotten better results from massages. I do need regular massages. They help not only my muscle tightness, but with drainage and blockages, whether from lymph nodes or what I'm not completely sure. The massages also help me feel better over all.
 

Keela Too

Sally Burch
Messages
900
Location
N.Ireland
I have been going to a chiropractor since my youngest was born 20 years ago.

At that point I was very slowed up - I was unable to walk far, and couldn't sit on a bicycle. I kept thinking time would fix it.

I went to a chiropractor five months later, and he (later) told me he thought I may have left it too long. Thankfully however his care quickly turned my problems around, and I did the Belfast - Dublin - Belfast maracycle about 9 months later. Which really demonstrates how much it changed my back health.

I continue to see my chiro, and although he is VERY sympathetic to the fact I now have ME, he can only keep my back right. That of course is important, but he doesn't seem to think that chiropractic can do anything to change the ME problem.
 

PennyIA

Senior Member
Messages
728
Location
Iowa
I try to see them regularly. They've helped me MANAGE the chronic pain and issues.

They are ABSOLUTELY the best bang for the buck when I dislocate my ribs which I seem to be able to do by just rolling over in bed. As well as for the whiplash after an accident about two years ago.

As for the ME/CFS? yeah... not in their bag of tricks, but keeping the pain at a manageable level is definitely something that seems to help me.
 

jlynx

Senior Member
Messages
116
I've had a lot of chiropractic work. It never had any effect on my ME/CFS, but it does diminish pain levels at particular spots on my spine. You may be in for the long haul to correct long-standing problems. In between visits you might benefit from a massage, also expensive, but ask your chiropractor if he/she thinks it's appropriate for you. Massage will not correct the misalignments, but it should ease some stiffness and/or spasms that you may develop along the way. If you go that route, I would space adjustments and massages several days apart. Keep up a steady adjustment schedule. Has your chiropractor recommended 2 - 3 adjustments per week?

My best progress was made when I worked for a chiropractor, and I was able to come in twice a week for a long time. I did telemarketing for him to bring in new patients (this was quite a switch from my usual work as a medical technologist, but when I became ill I wanted to do something from home). The industry standard is that if you work for a chiropractor they give you free adjustments. Is there any type of work you could do for him/her, even on a part-time basis?

I am going three times a week for 12 weeks then I'll be getting x rays again. Then twice a week for 12 weeks. Then once a week after that. He said it would take at least a year for the spine to be somewhat straight. The cost for me is do-able but on top of my regular doctor is a little much. I wish I could get massages too!
 

CFS_for_19_years

Hoarder of biscuits
Messages
2,396
Location
USA
I am going three times a week for 12 weeks then I'll be getting x rays again. Then twice a week for 12 weeks. Then once a week after that. He said it would take at least a year for the spine to be somewhat straight. The cost for me is do-able but on top of my regular doctor is a little much. I wish I could get massages too!

This sounds reasonable for all of your problems that you mentioned earlier. Long ago I was diagnosed with scoliosis and it took a long time to correct it. I learned a lot from the chiropractor I worked for. He had charts on his walls that showed that treatments needs to be intense at first to re-align the spine, then you can gradually reduce the frequency. I don't think it was a marketing gimmick.

I'm under the impression that chiropractics know where the misalignments are, and know how far you've progressed, and that the x-rays are mostly for the benefit of the patient. You could ask him if the x-rays are really necessary.

The reason I mentioned massage is because there may be some soreness as the soft tissue responds to bones becoming re-aligned, plus at least one chiropractor has told me that getting a massage could allow you to hold an adjustment longer, and therefore not need adjustments as often, but that will have to be a judgment you and/or your chiropractor makes.

A good chiropractor should be able to relieve acute pain (i.e. reduce your pain level from a 7 to a 4 in a few days). That's not enough to fix an underlying problem if the spinal alignment is bad. For a spine that's out of alignment, but not causing much acute pain, you won't know much is happening until there's a roadblock. Someone mentioned ribs getting out of place. I've had a lot of acute pain from ribs (t-12?) hurting; I would get some relief from the visit, but it took a lot of treatments to get to the point where they no longer moved around or caused pain. There was one time after a visit when I was driving home where I was shifting around in my seat and flexing my back, and a rib popped back into place. I felt immediate relief! But I had to keep coming back for visits to keep that rib from wandering.

Several chiropractors have said that pain is the last sign/symptom that something is wrong, so all chiropractors I've seen have recommended monthly visits, even if I'm not in pain.
 

u&iraok

Senior Member
Messages
427
Location
U.S.
I am going three times a week for 12 weeks then I'll be getting x rays again. Then twice a week for 12 weeks. Then once a week after that. He said it would take at least a year for the spine to be somewhat straight. The cost for me is do-able but on top of my regular doctor is a little much. I wish I could get massages too!

I should clarify that I don't get professional massages, just ones from my husband. They're pretty good though!

Regular professional massages would be costly and it would mean another 'errand' to run that would make me tired and a little stressed and cancel out the benefits of the massage!
 

xebex

Senior Member
Messages
840
We have this wizard like osteopath near to us. He uses all kinds of weird and wonderful techniques. I went to him in June 2019 and had the best month I’d had in 2 years was functioning at about 70% when my usual was 60% it wore off after amonth so I went again but it didn’t have the same effect. I may try again in a few weeks.
 

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
Messages
4,444
Location
Great Lakes
I've been going to chiropractors for 35 years. They are great at getting you out of pain but only once in a while do I feel a bit more energy after an adjustment and it really only lasts for about an hour or so.

When I was first diagnosed with MCS (multiple chemical sensitivies) though, I did notice that the sensitivities were worse whenever my neck was out of alignment.
 
Messages
17
Years ago, a friend of mine went for occasional road trips to a chiro in eastern Pennsylvania, and I started going along. No bone cracking, just exceptionally gentle brushing sort of touch that seemed like it would do nothing. On the long ride home, the ataxia I'd had from stress of a long road trip... It was gone, though I would have expected it to be worse.

And I improved, slowly but definitely, after that. Energy, everything. That sort of overall improvement that feels like coming alive.

Chemical exposure made me much worse though and I didn't get past a few appointments.