Chiropractors

jasonh

Can anyone recommend a good Chiropractor in Galway?

Not one of these untalented quacks out there who can seriously mess you up.

I need to resolve my neck cracking - it's driving my wife bonkers!

thanks

J.

N8

jasonh wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good Chiropractor in Galway?

Not one of these untalented quacks out there who can seriously mess you up.

I need to resolve my neck cracking - it's driving my wife bonkers!

thanks

J.

Tuam Rd 091 755 205

Budd

Go to a physio which is recognised by the medical profession.

N8

From The Irish Medical News 29.08.2005

‘Doctors need to start talking to chiropractors about pain relief’

Alan Moran

Over the years I have been fascinated by the number of people with neck or back pains who have been told that arthritis is the cause of their pain.
Conversations tend to go like: “Well, my doctor told me I had arthritis.” “OK, when did the pain start?” “Let me see, oh, about six months ago.” “Right, how did your doctor know it was arthritis?” “Well, he did an X-ray and it showed on it.” “Let me ask you something, if I did an X-ray one year ago when you had no pain, would it show arthritis?”

Arthritis can be painful. People have neck pains. Their X-rays show arthritis. So they must have arthritis causing their pain. I love medicine when it is simple.

I am a Fellow of the Society of Orthopaedic Medicine. I have taught the principles of orthopaedic medicine to many doctors and physiotherapists. Until I did the course, I have to say my understanding of any form of spinal pain was pathetic, despite having had an interest in orthopaedics as an undergraduate and actually doing six months as a casualty officer. This was fine for acute injuries, but not for chronic joint pains. Back pains were dismissed out the door unless they were in danger of incontinence. “Referred to GP” was the order of the day. Pain control was a matter of changing one anti-inflammatory for another.

However, don’t worry, help is at hand. The Society of Orthopaedic Medicine holds regular courses to teach doctors. Look up for more information.

So, the courses in orthopaedic medicine led to numerous Eureka moments as things I had dismissed were suddenly seen in a new light. Many doctors happily refer patients to physiotherapists and dismiss others as quacks, but how many of us actually know what a physiotherapist does? Is it “heat, light and hope”? What difference does it make when a patient is referred to a manipulative physiotherapist? What are they manipulating? Why do these misalignments not show on X-rays? Or maybe they are simply not reported.

I had an experience of a patient referred for a back X-ray. The doctor wanted the X-ray done when the patient was standing. The hospital insisted on the patient lying down. Nothing showed. The patient was referred to another hospital where the X-ray was taken while standing. The report showed a slight scoliosis. Only later, when the X-ray was looked at by a chiropractor, was the shortened leg noted, which resulted in a significant improvement in back pain when corrected. For the last six months or more I have had the opportunity of seeing a chiropractor working in my surgery. I have seen many cases of people actually getting better, and some cases of chronic back pain resolved. I have also seen some people feeling temporarily worse and abandon treatment. At least that would never happen with doctors!

I have seen cases of short leg being treated, which has led to an improvement in migraine. I have one patient with anal and groin pain, who spent a fortune going from one specialist to another, having scans which showed nothing, only to have a significant improvement following chiropractic treatment. I have seen people with limited rotation of their necks improve after several treatments. Another lady had ongoing chronic posterior chest pain which again improved after several treatments.

Earlier this year, RTÉ broadcast a television programme questioning chiropractic treatments. Chiropractors were blamed for causing strokes following neck manipulations. Physiotherapists also use neck manipulations. Unfortunately the programme did not ask what treatment doctors use to prevent chronic back pain.

As doctors, our one tool is painkillers. Are they as safe as chiropractic treatment? Thousands of people die every year world-wide from the side effects of NSAIDs. Thousands do benefit from manipulative therapy, whether applied by a physiotherapist or a chiropractor.

I have found the one big difference between chiropractors and physiotherapists is the chiropractic treatment is quick, simple, and repeated on a frequent basis. They can tell a significant amount by palpation of the spine. They use a language which is aimed at simplifying things for the patient. When we hear it third-hand we instantly dismiss it as nonsense and more like sales talk.

Chiropractors can do a lot of good. Their treatments are not scientifically proven. They do not have to be to generate the business that they do.

Spinal pain causes a lot of pain and misery. It also costs us a lot of money. For too long we have been instantly dismissive of chiropractors based on a number of poor communicators. There is a huge need for their treatments, evidenced by the failure of doctors to control spinal pain. We need to start talking to them to see if we can co-operate and get patients better. Both of us may learn something.


Dr Alan Moran is a GP in Drogheda