I have suffered from back pain for years. Mainly lower back pain. I was diagnosed with Scoliosis as a teenager. It's because my right leg is shorter than my left leg. Back then, I had to wear a heel-lift in my right shoe, but I don't any more. When I lived in LA, chiropractic care was covered by my insurance, and I took full advantage. I used to go once every couple of weeks for an adjustment. I loved it. Made my back feel great and I was able to work out harder. Since I moved back to Houston, chiropractic care is not covered by my insurance. Luckily enough, I am able to alleviate my pain with a combination of back stretches that I do every day, plus yoga once every couple of weeks. However, if chiropractic care was covered by my current insurance, I would go back to it in a heartbeat. It's not for everyone, but it did wonders for me.
Chiropractic seems to be just a replacement for most people for core exercises and proper posture. I had back problems for about 10 years, then I started working on my abdominal, oblique, and spinal erector muscles and concentrating on proper posture throughout the day. Lo and behold I'm cured of the back pain. And people that use it as a method of curing/relieving disease.. well.. thats just ridiculous.
Ten trimesters, which is just under three and a half years. Each trimester consistes of at least 25 hours of classes. In my first trimester, I'm in class 31 hours a week.
I've gone to chiropractors most of my life. When I was a kid I fell out of a tree and landed on a branch on my neck and have had problems since. There are legit, good chiropractors out there, and there are quacks. I've been to both, and been smart enough to get out of the quack offices early. I think it really has to do with professionalism. If you walk into a chiropractor's office and it's scary, that probably says alot about the chiropractor. It's not hard to get a business loan and get a nice, MD-looking office set up. I'd also reccomend doing a 'residency' with an established, good chiropractor so you can learn the art of it. If you are right out of chiropractor school, I wouldn't go to your clinic. The biggest thing for me when chosing a chiropractor is word-of-mouth advertising. If someone whom I trust the opinion of reccomends a chiropractor to me, I will try them out. Since I started working out in my early 20's, I found that this is mostly true. However, it doesn't fix the issues that stuff like bad sleeping habits, etc, cause to your spine. You could argue that most medical issues are solved by living a very healthy lifestyle too.
I know many chiropractors using many different methods, and I can definitely tell you that the term "chiropractor" is about as vague as "doctor". A spinal surgeon is quite different than a general family practitioner, and you should know going into see someone what kind of work they do. Probably most chiropractors are your general back and neck crackers, and as many people have pointed out, they offer temporary relief to pain, but rarely offer permanent solutions. The exceptions are cases where structural misalignment is actually the root of your problem. Unfortunately, that's not often the case. Also, realize that some schools are better than others. Just like I wouldn't go to a doctor that got his MD from some South American village, I won't just trust anyone who says they're a chiropractor. Good chiropractic schools are every bit as rigorous as medical school. There is a bar to pass, and they know the human body very well. Look for guys that know a lot about nutrition, about how nervous system comes into play, and guys that will be willing to send you to an MD if chiropractic isn't the answer.
It's not a scam, but IMO, it's a short term solution that gives you immediate relief from certain back issues, but at a long term cost of slowly stretching and slightly tearing ligaments (making it easier for the back to slip out of alignment again) if done repeatedly. When my friend had severe back problems <3 weeks prior to a marathon, a chiropractor was my advice. The doctors recommended back exercises and stretches along with a steroid injection, which while the best choice in general, wasn't going to do enough by the time of the marathon. Sure enough, her back went out on her 3 mi in. What I'm getting at is, I feel chiropractors have their place, but I would not recommend it as a long term 'maintenance' therapy like someone might with acupuncture, yoga, or massages. Evan
A female chiropractor with a penchant for the occasional reach-a-round is the best route to go. She might not fix your back but when she's done you probably won't care.
I went to Pace Chiropractic. I chose Dr. Pace because she is a licensed physical therapist and a chiropractor. She never pushed the chiropractic stuff on me only mentioned it. One day I decided to let her try and was amazed. She is a very nice person who would see again in a second if I had back issues again. Oh my back pain was caused by a rear end collision on 610. Dr. Pace is located at Main and 610 near reliant. I think her last patient is allowed in at 6pm. http://www.pacechiropt.com/
I regret that I dont have anytime in the next couple of days to talk about this at length, but when I do I will certainly return to this thread. Chiropractors are an absolute scam. Not only is it a pseudo science, but perfectly healthy people have died after visiting a chiropractor. I have a lot of resources to show yall, but I am seriously pressed for time. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=2691353#post2691353
