chiropractor treatment

[mandimoo]

ive had 4 treatments, for a year old whiplash injury. first 2 were ok, i felt a bit stiff after. but the last 2 have been awful afterwards. he pressed in the middle of my back between shoulder blades, and nothing clicked and for a couple of days afterwards i couldnt really move properly. it had just about subsided when i went back for the last one, and im in the same situation again, really uncomfortable. is this normal? he did say i might get worse before i get better, but im not convinced this is right. i will ask him next time i go, but just wondered what other peoples experience has been.

[LazyGun]

Mandi - I am not a big fan of chiropractic. A recent (2008-2009) systematic review of all the clinical papers published on the treatment of whiplash injury by chiropractic yielded precisely no controlled, objective evidence that chiropractic has any benefit at all. Considering the claims chiropractors make about being efficacious in the treatment of whiplash injury, this is more than a little surprising.

There is also quite a lot of evidence to suggest that cervical spinal manipulation ( thats the upper spine/neck area) is associated with fairly frequent minor adverse affects, and anecdotal evidence of some very serious adverse responses.

Were I in your shoes, I would be visiting my GP for a referral to an Orthopoedic specialist or even a physiotherapist in preference to a chiropractor.

[tillyh345]

Yeh I agree Ive recently suffered with a really bad neck which caused severe headaches for months, was seeig achiropractor which a family member recommended although I was very cynical. I went for three treatments where she told me it would get worse before it got better, but at £60 a time I wasnt satisfied especially when she started talking healing stones etc...I have now been referred to the local hospital to see a physiotherapist and this seems to be helping, next treatment is going to include a acupuncture, and at least it s free! I think chiropractors dont suit everyone, my family member who recommended thisone swears by her but no I want happy to continue paying that amount on a weekly basis.

[tamirra]

My husband was in a terrible head on car crash 20 odd years ago and rolled his car 8 times, since then he has suffered with back problems and has been seeing a chiropractor and still suffers, i advised him to seek help from an acupuncturist which he saw a couple of days ago, he said she was very good but its too early to actually tell if she is going to be able to help him, she found where his problems are without any prompting from him, so i reckon she knows her job fairly well, only time will tell.

[ann_h]

My personal experience of going to an osteopath is similar, relief if any lasted a few days -and I believe most chiropractic is almost the same.
This was for a old back injury which caused a lot of knock-on problems with shouldres and hip joints too.

I was then told about McTimoney which is a different approach, (no violent neck yanking! ) and actually worked. 1st long appointment and two follow ups, nothing like £60 each, more like half that.

That 90% fixed my various twists and pains and got the one area that the osteo couldn't. 20 years later I go about every 18 months or so if I've done something stupid like carrying a fridge downstairs - otherwise it's job done.