Any of you guys use a chiropractor?

I have, 2 years ago. And I've had new issues with my back this year.

Basically few 3 weeks prior to the chiro (2018), I had increasingly stiff lower back. Loss of flexibility, difficulty moving from sitting to standing. TRied all I could in the form of stretches, exercises, resting... nothing seemed to really do much. The timing sucked, as we were just starting a 2 months climbing trip. Then I went to see a chiro, he cracked me a bunch of different ways, twice over 2 weeks. I almost immediately felt better, even just after the 1st visit. He said I had an imbalance, my left hip was sitting higher than my right, likely causing a pinch in my spine, which triggered inflmations/resistance & pain.

I then had a few lock-ups over the next few months, though rather rarely, and everything was mostly fine.

Though it got back this year, frequent lock-ups while rising (most days), so I went to see a physio instead. Similar "apparent diagnostic" (e.g. imbalance on the right/left hip causing impingement). However I think she may have un-earthed the real root cause - stiff psoas muscle on both sides, but mostly right side. This muscles raises your legs and attached on the lower spine. I run a fair bit, and that kind of issues sometimes arises with runners, especially if running lots of uphills (which I do). We've been treating that for 2 weeks now. Feel increasingly better, I don't lock up anymore, thought progress has been slower than with the chiro.

My personal conclusion: I think the chiro cracked me and possible replaced the disks where they should have been. Though he didn't fixed the real issue, which seems to have been my psoas, because he couldn't troubleshoot it that far. A chiro is good to give you immediate relieve if things are out of place, but he may not fixe the real root cause, which means your issue may come back. In my case, a low in my running habits for a year or so may have made me believe it was fixed, while in fact getting back to running was probably always going to bring back my issue. I don't think a chiro is a bad thing, however it's more of a short-term fix. You should still do some work outside of that to really fix your issue.

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As an aside on yoga - before seing a physio this year for my renewed back issues, I had started yoga. To me, the biggest added value from yoga is that it forces you to move in ways & using muscles you may not ordinarily do, and it also puts a lot of emphasis on paying attention on your body & how it reacts as you do it. This can lead you to understand in which way your are out of balance, and potentially take steps to focus on those. My physio 2 weeks ago, after identifying my psoas issues, targetted 3 muscles for exercises..... 2 of these, I had thought to myself doing yoga "woah, I'm really not flexible from here" and the other one "that feels really stiff most days". Potentially that if I had done yoga before, and paid attention to those 2, I may not have had my renewed back issue. Or might not have been as bad.

Chiropractors are worthless. PT all the way 

A great chiro can change your life.  Lots of bad ones out there though.  It’s been a part of my maintenance routine for years and I’m as active as ever with no issues.  That wouldn’t be the case without it for me personally.

My chiropractor is trained and certified in Alternative Release Therapy, a technique that breaks up scar tissue and realigns tendons and ligaments.  I've found it extremely effective.  Not at all like standard chiro. technique.

The only time I had standard chiro. was after a skiing injury left me with displaced lumbar discs.  Extreme pain.  The emergency doctor recommended chiropractic treatment "if you want to ski again this season".  He also mentioned that the NIH recommended chiro. for this specific injury.  He warned against other mainstream treatment.  Three sessions over 2 weeks and I was skiing again after a month.  

I've never had standard chiropractic treatment again, the injury was 25 years ago. 

Idaho Bobwrote:

My chiropractor is trained and certified in Alternative Release Therapy, a technique that breaks up scar tissue and realigns tendons and ligaments.  I've found it extremely effective.  Not at all like standard chiro. technique.

The only time I had standard chiro. was after a skiing injury left me with displaced lumbar discs.  Extreme pain.  The emergency doctor recommended chiropractic treatment "if you want to ski again this season".  He also mentioned that the NIH recommended chiro. for this specific injury.  He warned against other mainstream treatment.  Three sessions over 2 weeks and I was skiing again after a month.  

I've never had standard chiropractic treatment again, the injury was 25 years ago. 

Is it "Alternative", or "Active" release therapy?  

Don't rule out chiropractic because someone tells you it's worthless. It may be to them, but it helps a lot of people. There's a growing body of research around it you can investigate.

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chiropractic-in-depth

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/chiropractic-adjustment/about/pac-20393513?p=1

I've had a PT tell me to do 6 exercises for shoulder impingement that were worthless. I wasted time and didn't get improvement for a couple years. Then I talked to a orthopedic surgeon who asked me what I was doing and said they were a waste of time. He gave me 3 alternative exercises, that take 5 minutes, and my shoulders have been way better. That doesn't mean all PTs are worthless.

Massage therapy (and especially myofascial release) can help with tight muscles and ligaments, but that doesn't mean they'll help with everything.

Different problems call for different solutions. But to a hammer everything looks like a nail. PTs may think PT can cure everything. Massage therapists, surgeons, chiro, may also think this way. A medical doctor will tell you take anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants.

I've found it's really up to you (with professional help) to diagnose and determine the best course of treatment for various ailments.

Buck Riowrote:

Is it "Alternative", or "Active" release therapy?  

You're right.  Active Release Therapy.

Idaho Bobwrote:

You're right.  Active Release Therapy.

I tried to google it and it only came back with Active. 

Buck Riowrote:

I tried to google it and it only came back with Active. 

activerelease.com is the website that can steer you to a provider in your area.  Some providers are certified for entire body, others for specific areas.  This is how I found my guy in Boise, Idaho

I went to a chiro one time when, I remember my neck was feeling a little tight, and over the course of a gym session it got worse until I could barely look up, or left. There wasn't anything specific that caused it, I think I just slept weird and then climbing bothered it more. The problem persisted for a couple days and my friend convinced me to go to their chiro. At this point I thought of them as more or less quacks pretending to be real doctors, but I'll be damned if that guy didn't get me feeling good as new in about ten minutes.

I had a chiro mess my back up once, never again. PT and massage all the way. 

Maybe there are good chiros out there and if there are you guys should police your own profession a bit better.

M Mwrote:

I had a chiro mess my back up once, never again. PT and massage all the way. 

Maybe there are good chiros out there and if there are you guys should police your own profession a bit better.

Chiro=Fake Medicine

Climber 4QualityCommunitywrote:

Chiro=Fake Medicine

Thankfully. Medicine sucks and just treats the symptoms. Medical doctors tell you take anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants and hope it goes away on it's own. Good way to destroy your liver if you do it long term.

M Mwrote:

I had a chiro mess my back up once, never again. PT and massage all the way. 

Maybe there are good chiros out there and if there are you guys should police your own profession a bit better.

You should do your research better before letting someone manipulate your spine. I've been to about 10-12 chiros in my life. Never had one make anything worse, and all have made things better, but I always researched them before using them.

Gloweringwrote:

You should do your research better before letting someone manipulate your spine. I've been to about 10-12 chiros in my life. Never had one make anything worse, and all have made things better, but I always researched them before using them.

So thats the kicker, with a bad PT or bad massage therapist you don't hear of people getting physically messed up too often. I've personally heard of many chiropractor problems and I dont believe I'm alone. My point is that specific profession ought to have higher standards so people could feel safer seeing the local chiropractor. 

M Mwrote:

So thats the kicker, with a bad PT or bad massage therapist you don't hear of people getting physically messed up too often. I've personally heard of many chiropractor problems and I dont believe I'm alone. My point is that specific profession ought to have higher standards so people could feel safer seeing the local chiropractor. 

I've only heard of problems from chiropractors from people online. I've known a lot of people personally who use chiros and never heard anyone say it cause anything more than temporary discomfort. My wife has stated she's not going to any more massage therapists without a recommendation  because they often hurt her. I've had bad massage therapists who pop over a bone and I'll tell them to stop doing that, but I'm big and enjoy a hard massage so it doesn't really bother me. As I mentioned earlier I wasted a couple years not getting better and wasted a lot of time doing PT that didn't do any good, from a mediocre PT. Chiros are supposed to get undergraduate degree and 4 years of chiro school and be state certified, at least in California. I don't know what it's like in other states.

I often end up defending chiro online because I know how much it's helped me. If I didn't go to a chiro my upper back would be killing me, it feels like a hot knife stuck in my back when it's stuck out of place and pinching a nerve. My sacral lumbar joint aches when out of place and makes it where I don't want to do anything physical with my lower body. I know how both of these injuries were caused. I can often keep them freed up on my own by doing stretches or lying back on my fist, but sometimes they get so locked up I can't fix them and I'm in a lot of pain until I see a chiro. I hate the ide of other people living with that pain because they've been told all chiros are quacks and they don't help people.

On the other hand I have shoulder impingement syndrome. Without having been taught and doing the right PT for that my shoulders would be a mess. And currently I'm dealing with a really tight IT band (I think I got it from snowboarding) it was so bad at one point I had to go up stairs only stepping up with only one leg, and a massage therapist would help that, but I've been doing a foam roller (basically self masasge) and it's much better. 3 different solutions for 3 different types of issues. 

All you need is an "adjustment" , please come again next week, the week after, so on and so forth...