Neck pain - Are chiropractors legit?

Corkgirl18

I'll try to keep this short.
I have recurring neck pain. It started a few years ago and flares up a few times a year. During these flare ups I find it difficult to turn my head due to the pain which radiates up the back of my head.

I've seen physios and osteopaths who gave very temporary relief. GP is no help. I decided to chance a chiropractor and got sent for an x-ray. They said it looks like an old whiplash injury and my neck vertebrae are straight whereas they should have a curve. They said it can take up to a year to fully change the structure of my neck back to what it should be like.

Obviously this is going to be a big expense but members of my family think chiropractors are some sort of quacks so I'm unsure what to do. Does anyone have any positive experiences with chiropractors or is there someone else I should see.

TIA.

Back Home

Don't waste your money.
Have a look at this website under chiropractor. whatstheharm.net

DublinWriter

Chiropractors from the Gonstead School seem to the be most reputable and well trained.

I don't trust most guys you see on the Internet that 'crack' everything. Gonstead practitioners just work on the problematic areas.

Check out this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpNcnM0FkTM

Gatling

They seem to be quite subjective some people swear by them others call them unqualified shisters.
If I found one with years of experience and knowledge about the body with real testimonials I'd be happy to check them out .
Others have said over the years on here they felt they had done more damage than good when they were adjusted.

Would have thought there would be little difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor

Stark

As for any "alternative treatment", you'll probably be flooded with anecdotal evidence saying "it worked for me".

In short though, it's quackery.

Just curious, how did your appointment with the physio go? Resolving issues like neck pain takes a lot of patience and effort. As in expect a few months to a year of being diligent with whatever exercises they give you. They can give you a massage or whatever other physical manipulation but that's only going to give temporary relief.

TL17

Have been to different ones. Would think I was at that one who does xrays and it definitely a money racket.
At the moment attending another who I do feel is making a difference.

locum-motion

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

...members of my family think chiropractors are some sort of quacks ...

Chiropractors are not "some sort of quacks".

They are quacks. End of.

Corkgirl18

Thanks for all the responses. Really appreciate it.
Many people here saying don't bother with the chiro but any suggestions of an alternative?
If it is an old whiplash injury going by the X-ray - whose the best person to fix it?

Corkgirl18

Stark wrote: »

As for any "alternative treatment", you'll probably be flooded with anecdotal evidence saying "it worked for me".

In short though, it's quackery.

Just curious, how did your appointment with the physio go? Resolving issues like neck pain takes a lot of patience and effort. As in expect a few months to a year of being diligent with whatever exercises they give you. They can give you a massage or whatever other physical manipulation but that's only going to give temporary relief.

The appointments with the physio went fine and as I said above I got very temporary relief. Religiously did the exercises but the problem kept reoccurring and the exercises did not help when a fresh bout arrived. This happened over years.
I'm just thinking if the chiro is right and there is something wrong with my spine structurally, would a physio even be able to help? If it kept reoccurring it would make sense that there is an underlying problem.
I'm all confused.

gctest50

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

.........

If it kept reoccurring it would make sense that there is an underlying problem.
I'm all confused.

There might be an underlying problem

Some scumbag pulling, dragging and manipulating your back/neck especially while there is a problem might leave you paralysed or dead


You can go to a hospital/centre etc where they have CT scanners, MRI scanners etc and know how to use them

.

odyssey06

There's no legal protection in the Republic of Ireland for use of the term 'chiropractor'.

If the chiropractor has a professional qualification from South Africa, Canada, Australia they are medically trained professionals similar to osteopaths or physios here. Some chiropractor clinics here have staff trained to take and read x-rays.

If they are not recognised by the Chiropractor Association of Ireland they are quacks.
They may be experienced quacks who know a few 'hacks' but I could claim to be a chiropractor, for example.
The hacks might work for some people but could be v risky for others.

Corkgirl18

Thanks again. He is definitely a member of the chiropractic association of Ireland. Did their degree and masters in the UK.
Their plan is to do a mixture of adjustments, stretches, using a denneroll, trigger point therapy for the first stage of treatment.
I just have no idea if this is the best POA.

locum-motion

odyssey06 wrote: »

...
If they are not recognised by the Chiropractor Association of Ireland they are quacks.
...

Even if they are a member, they’re still quacks.

Their qualifications are recognised by nobody but themselves.

Their ‘degrees’ and ‘doctorates’ come from institutions that are recognised by nobody but themselves.

There is no recognised university or college (recognised by anyone other than chiropractors) course in chiropractic, because it is not an academic field of study.

They are quacks.

ooter

just thought I'd add to this, it may not apply as you say you have an old whiplash injury but I have been plagued with arm, shoulder and neck pain for the guts of 2 and a half years and it was driving me absolutely crazy, spent a fortune on physios who would help for a while but then the pain would always return. I was at the dentist a couple of months ago for a routine checkup and clean and she mentioned that I grind my teeth which was news to me but she said I definitely did and if it wasn't while I was awake it had to be while I was sleeping. I got fitted for a mouthguard and I've been using it every night now when I go to bed for about 6 weeks and the difference it has made is unbelievable. nobody had ever mentioned anything to me before about teeth grinding but I am so glad she brought it to my attention.
as I said, it may not apply to you but it would be no harm to get it checked out, you never know.

Stark

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

I'm just thinking if the chiro is right and there is something wrong with my spine structurally, would a physio even be able to help? If it kept reoccurring it would make sense that there is an underlying problem.
I'm all confused.

This is the number one scare tactic used by chiropractic quacks. I've heard this from every single person I know who's been to one. It's an easy one to scare people because of course everyone is different and I don't know anyone whose spine looks like the ideal spine from the textbooks.

Mad_maxx

Corkgirl18 wrote: »

I'll try to keep this short.
I have recurring neck pain. It started a few years ago and flares up a few times a year. During these flare ups I find it difficult to turn my head due to the pain which radiates up the back of my head.

I've seen physios and osteopaths who gave very temporary relief. GP is no help. I decided to chance a chiropractor and got sent for an x-ray. They said it looks like an old whiplash injury and my neck vertebrae are straight whereas they should have a curve. They said it can take up to a year to fully change the structure of my neck back to what it should be like.

Obviously this is going to be a big expense but members of my family think chiropractors are some sort of quacks so I'm unsure what to do. Does anyone have any positive experiences with chiropractors or is there someone else I should see.

TIA.

Chiropractors are out and out con artists, that sh1te about your vertebrae being straight is the same crap they tell people with bad backs

" your spine is too curved or straight"

A dog is as able to read an xray as a chiropracter

pheasant tail

ooter wrote: »

just thought I'd add to this, it may not apply as you say you have an old whiplash injury but I have been plagued with arm, shoulder and neck pain for the guts of 2 and a half years and it was driving me absolutely crazy, spent a fortune on physios who would help for a while but then the pain would always return. I was at the dentist a couple of months ago for a routine checkup and clean and she mentioned that I grind my teeth which was news to me but she said I definitely did and if it wasn't while I was awake it had to be while I was sleeping. I got fitted for a mouthguard and I've been using it every night now when I go to bed for about 6 weeks and the difference it has made is unbelievable. nobody had ever mentioned anything to me before about teeth grinding but I am so glad she brought it to my attention.
as I said, it may not apply to you but it would be no harm to get it checked out, you never know.

Hi Ooter, that’s interesting. I just got one made for similar reasons, neck and headache. Did it take you long to start seeing a difference with a mouthguard..?
And just to add, I only came into this thread as I seen the title, I’m just finishing up near 3 months with a chiropractor, no progress at all for me though.

cdgalwegian

I remember reading this some time ago, when I was trying all sorts for back pain. I was attending a chiropractor, whose treatment didn't work, so a quick internet search gave me the inevitable Wikipedia hit, which although should never be taken as gospel, gives a good insight:

"D. D. Palmer founded chiropractic in the 1890s,[23] after saying he received it from "the other world",[24] and his son B. J. Palmer helped to expand it in the early 20th century.[23] Throughout its history, chiropractic has been controversial.[25][26] Its foundation is at odds with mainstream medicine, and has been sustained by pseudoscientific ideas such as subluxation and innate intelligence."

The page is worth reading in full, even if anyone already sees the practice as quackery (or crackery).