Chiropractors?

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

YDS is having some upper body issues. He’s really into fitness and, likely through improper lifting form, has ended up with one shoulder significantly lower and tighter than the other. After going to his college medical clinic, he’s had a few physical therapy sessions. But the physical therapist is now recommending that he truly a few chiropractic adjustments.

I have no experience with chiropractic treatment. I’m a little worried about someone messing around with my kid’s spinal column. Is it safe? Is it effective?

So, any chiropractic success stories out there?

[haapai]

I don't know how chiropractic works, but it has worked wonderfully for me at least twice.  In .both cases I was massively uncomfortable doing things that had once been fairly easy to do and after a couple of weeks of chiropractic care, I could do those things again. 

I never feared that any of the adjustments would injure me. 

On the other hand, seeking chiropractic care usually entails undergoing a series of x-rays in the chiropractor's office that can be off-putting.  The x-ray suite may be frill-free and quite worn-out. 

A second issue with chiropractic is the fear that you will become convinced that you have to continue it for the rest of your life.  I've gotten so much relief from my first two forays into chiropractic care that I can easily understand why this fear exists.  In both cases, a few appointments for adjustments made me feel 10-20 years younger than I had felt when I started.  An unscrupulous chiro could easily have found some sort of unusual condition that necessitated me getting adjustments for the rest of my life. 

Luckily for me, I haven't met that jerkball chiropractor yet.  I'm sure that such a being exists and is worth avoiding, but I just haven't met him or her yet.  I hope that I never encounter such a person when I am in more pain or more desperate. 

[Sharon]

I love my Chiropractor.  He also isn't just about manipulation.  Sometimes he will do things that will release/relax the muscle.  Once my left shoulder was so tight and he gets in and starts rubbing on the front of my right shoulder which hurt like crazy.  He said that is where the real problem was and that my left shoulder hurt because I was over compensating for the issues with the right shoulder.  Sometimes I will get a deep tissue massage with a percussor massager.  Of course I may also get a combination of things such as an adjustment and then some massage.

He also is certified in Applied Kinesiology.  Which does some stuff that seems like vodoo when testing but he always resolves the issue.  When I mean testing he will have me hold my arm or leg etc out and then he will either have me push or he will try and push it down.  If it gives way then it helps him determine where the issue lies.  One time he kept pushing my arm down and then he had me put my finger on the roof of my mouth and all of a sudden I could resist the pressure. 

The clinic I go to also has massage therapist on staff and they will work with the doctors on what your particular issues may be.  I know some people will schedule an appt with the chiro immediately followed by a massage.

ETA: To tie in to haapai comment.  I go in when I feel like I need a tune up.  That may involve one or perhaps a series of visits but once the issue is resolved we go to give em a call when you think you need to go back.

[souldoubt]

When I was a kid I dislocated my shoulder multiple times which led to issues over the years.  Between that, poor posture and sitting at a desk for a living I was having recurring issues so I started going to the chiro regularly in 2009.  I used to have maybe 3 or 4 flare ups a year and with going to the chiro they got fewer and farther between.  As Sharon said I look at it as a tune up that goes a long way whenever I feel that I need it.  Everyone reacts differently to getting adjusted and I've known people that didn't like it while others swear by it.  I've learned that for me getting adjusted a certain way and not as often as I once did is best as the adjustment/manipulation too often didn't allow the muscles in my back to recover and they would get sore.  When I've had major flare ups that included spasms and not being able to turn my neck to one side getting adjusted immediately improves my range of motion and reduces the pain.     

[swamp]

I love my chiropractor! 

[tractor]

I would be more concerned about it being something else. I guess it depends on your definition of “lower” when comparing his shoulder height. I’ve seen many, many people use bad form when exercising, but it never resulted in a permanent disconfiguration. Has he had an x-ray done to check his spine alignment? Just wondering if it could be a mild form of scoliosis.

As far as chiropractic care goes, I love it, but only use it when I put something out of wack, and usually the pain is bad enough that you know you need an adjustment. It would be a good place for your son to start, many chiropractic care providers will do x-rays before the begin work on a new patient.

[justme]

I've gone to several different chiropractors. Look into them like you would any doctor. I personally prefer to go to the ones that are DOs. It's almost the exact same qualifications as MD programs, they just add some holistic/body manipulation stuff. (One of my good friends chose a DO school over an MD one is and is now head resident or something like that at a hospital outside of Chicago - her specialty is actually family medicine/pediatrics not chiro)

I've seen a physical therapist for difference in shoulder heights, but I had also intermediately seen a chiro so that might be why they didn't send me there. 

[Regis]

I had intermittent pain near my left shoulder blade that would result in a stiff neck that got worse over the years to the point it would last for days and then into pretty intense headaches.  My doctor sent me to a chiro, who did an X-ray and showed me that my vertebrae were skewed.  Most likely a lower one got knocked out of place and, like a line of dominoes, eventually put the next one out of alignment until the misalignment was nearly all the way up my back.  Every appointment, he'd try to get one back into place.  Sometimes he was successful; sometimes they were just too stubborn but later as I was doing nothing in particular, I'd turn and it would "pop" into place.  After twice weekly appointments for about six weeks, he was able to get them all back into order and I've not had a problem since.  Wish I had done it years earlier.

[zibazinski]

You had a physical therapist suggest a chiropractor? I’m amazed.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Mar 13, 2019 12:18:56 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

You had a physical therapist suggest a chiropractor? I’m amazed.

Why?  A physical therapist can tell if something is a hard tissue issue, or soft tissue.  I got sent to a massage therapist last week, because my normal 1/2” leg length difference was 2.5” when I walked into PT.  She noted I was limping worse than usual that day.

45 minutes of massage around my hip released the hard and guarded muscles around my prosthesis enough to return me to 1/2” LLD.

[zibazinski]

Usually physical therapists regard chiropractors as witch doctors.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Update: Finally got YDS back to Massachusetts.  First he saw his pediatrician, who sent him to a shoulder orthopod, who took an X-ray and sent him to a spine doctor, who ordered an MRI...and found a tear in his infraspinatus muscle. YDS is to rest his upper body for 4 weeks, avoid carrying anything over 10 pounds, and then slowly resume physical activity under the care of a physical therapist and a certified trainer.  

Thank you you all for sharing your experiences with chiropractors.  As it turns out, however, YDS doesn’t need one after all.  This time...😏