Chiropractice

[tc573]

Does chiropractice work?

[LazyGun]

Short answer - No, not in my opinion.
It was originally founded on very shaky thinking about medicine.
They make wide ranging claims that spinal manipulation can cure all sorts of diseases, with little explanation as to how.
Spinal manipulation can be dangerous.
The British Chiropractic Association is currently suing Simon Singh, a respected scientific commentator, over his use of the word "bogus" when describing some of their claims. In their own defence, they have released details of studies which they say support their claims. Close analysis of the trials data they have submitted shows these trials are of very poor quality, with little or no control, and highly subjective interpretation of the results.Futhermore, they left out trials which were very well designed and controlled, which showed no evidence chiropractic was effective.

Anecdotally speaking, howver, you will get some people who claim it is the wonderful and effective.

Read around it, treat anecdotal evidence very sceptically, and then make your decision.

http://www.skeptics.org.uk/article.php?dir=art icles&article=chiropractic.php

[tc573]

Cheers!

[coccinelle]

It didn't work for me but one trip to the osteopath did!

[beso]

Short answer. - Yes, in my experience.

Modern societies have chronic posture problems with back pain being a leading cause of sick days.

However chiropractic works best in conjunction with body awawareness. Work with the chiropractor to correct the way you hold your body. I highly recommend a xourse of yoga at the same time. Don't expect to visit a chiropractor to be put right and then simply continue with the bad postural habits and hope that you will fix your problems.

[tc573]

Thanks all!

[piggynose]

i recommend the anti-shoe / m.b.t�s
since wearing them in dec 08 i havent had any back pains whatsoever. before, i was getting sciatica every month for a week.

[sqad617]

What is the difference between Chiropractice and Osteopathy?

[LazyGun]

There appears to be a lot of overlap between the two Sqad. I am pretty sure I read somewhere that the founder of Chirpractic originally studied Osteopathy.

I think but am not sure that the training and regulatory process for an Osteopath is more rigorous.

The main difference is how they approach any problem. For a chiropractor, the response to pretty much any medical complaint they are presented with is spinal manipulation. Osteopaths may recommend a range of treatments, such as medical, surgical, physiotherapy, etc.

[jno]

osteopaths do a lot of work on soft tissue, muscles etc; chiropractors concentrate almost entirely on the spine, in my experience. How well any of them work is very much an individual thing, unfortunately; there aren't 'standard treatments' of the sort you get if you take a problem to a GP.

[sqad617]

Thanks Lazygun.....never really appreciated the difference.

[Postdog]

I thought chiropractors were an expensive, may not work, option, and I was loathe to consider paying that kind of money. However I was inconstant pain with backache, and it was affecting everything.

So I booked an appointment, and my doubts were further added to when - while waiting - people came in, had their sessions, then went away again having paid a small fortune for being in there a few minutes."Why?" I thought.

But I tried it, and had some relief from one session. So I bit the bullet and bought a whole course (cos of discount) and by the end of the course, I was totally pain free, and felt fitter than I had done for years.

That was about ten years ago, and what with advice given, I have been relatively pain free ever since.

I'd recommend them.

Also tried Osteopathy before that, and it was a joke! Sure,I was loosened up, and that night I felt fine, but I woke up the next day feeling like I'd been in the ring with Tyson - ended up being off work for a few days because of it.

[fbg40]

Hi tc573
I tried a Chiropractor in desperation 5 years ago - never looked back. I now go every 6 - 8 weeks for an "MOT" and can honestly say it is money well spent. I get a 30/40 minute session for �28. I have also tried Osteopathy, Homeopathy, just about everything (including pulsed wave acupuncture !! at the hospital), but the Chiro does the job. Hope this helps
FBG40

[brenda]

Without any doubt--have been to a chiro now for 10 years with a serious back prob, On a maintance prog one visit every 4 months, no pain , no medication of any kind-- brilliant. was referred initially by my GP, a guy who was able to think outside of the box.The first 6 treatments were paid for by the NHS, and the rest by me. Worth every penny.

Works out approx at �7 per month, or approx �2 per week less than, , you can't buy a pint for that.

The best thing that happened to me.

[tc573]

One of the problems, as I see it, is this: It all seems to be subjective.
I am currently suffering with a recurring sciatic dead leg caused by a herniated disc. By the time I get an MRI, and physiotherapy through the NHS, the leg muscles will deteriorate causing long-term rehabilitation.
As we do, I have tried to research my problem, but it becomes tricky when there is no hard and fast evidence, I suppose it then all boils down to inner belief and a willing ness to try something new and out of the mainstream.
Thank you all for taking the time to give me some idea of the direction I should take, your comments are most welcome.