I have an appointment tomorrow morning with a chiropractor. I’ve been experiencing horrible back pain for the last two years and I finally get fed up and made an appointment.
Are chiropractors like normal doctors? What kind of treatments do they usually perform for people with back pain?
I’m sorry if I sound ignorant, but I’ve never been and I’m pretty nervous about going.
They can do some good for you but it may take them a while to do it for they are working on the bones and you have muscle pain. They don’t do so well on that problem. You can take care of it your self for it isn’t that hard to release the muscles in your back that are pinched causing this pain for you. Here is how to release your back muscles:
Back:
(do from a sitting position)
Place your left hand on your left leg next to your body. Place your right hand over your left shoulder and find the muscles next to your spine and press on them and hold. After 30 seconds slowly lower your body forward and to the outside of your left leg, keeping your left arm fairly straight as you do. When you reach your lap remain there for another 10 seconds, release the pressure but rest there for another 30 seconds. Then reverse your hand positions and do your right side.
I have found this to be better than the chiropractor and a massage put together, the release is so good and it does it usually does it in one try, not the repeated attempts that the chiropractor will make you come for. It is the problem that they have for not releasing the muscles first.
they twist your neck and it feels like they injure it.
It’s a roll of the dice in two ways. First, is a chiro even able to address your pain? Maybe yes and maybe no. A decent chiro should be able to at least make you feel better but if your pain is the typical low back pain it will be muscular and that requires a different type of expertise.
Second, is the chiro a nut? There are many good chiropractors out there who just want to help in a non-intrusive way. There is also no shortage of chiros who have integrated shaky nutritional theories and religious beliefs into their practice. These theories usually involve you buying something extra like “special” nutritional supplements or magic stones and treatments from other questionable practitioners.
Unless you’re invulnerable to con artists and indoctrination you might want to point out at the beginning of your visit that you are there only for chiropractic treatments and you make your own dietary decisions and you’re not looking for a new religion.
If you’re going to a reputable chiropractor, they will take X-rays before they do anything. They will go over those X-rays with you and explain what they see and show you charts of what is “normal.” Also, drink lots of water after your adjustment as it will help flush out the toxins that will be released after your adjustment. Be prepared to feel sore for a couple of days afterwards also. Your body has been out of alignment for a while and it’s normal to feel sore afterwards. Some people who experience this tend to think the doctor made them worse – NOT TRUE! You may have to go several times a week at first, but it will gradually taper down to a few times a month or even once a month, etc. To help alleviate the pain/soreness after an adjustment, take a very warm epson salts bath. Just soak for about 15-20 minutes in water as warm as you can stand with about a cup of epson salts. After you are through soaking, rinse off with some warm water. And drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated.
The chiropractor will take a thorough history, and then perform orthopedic exams as he or she sees fit. Some amount of undress will probably be required, but that depends upon the chiropractor. You may also need x-rays, if the chiropractor uses a technique that requires them.
He or she will then review the x-rays and your history and explain to you what your diagnosis is, and your treatment plan, and obtain your consent to perform adjustments.
The adjustments themselves can vary widely, depending upon the technique employed by the chiropractor. Generally speaking you’ll be asked to lie down upon an upholstered table, and the doctor will decide where and what to adjust. Some chiropractors have tables that assist you in lowering yourself to a lying position.
Some chiropractors use instruments that are very low-impact, and some use manual techniques that are more traditional chiropractic. Sometimes manual adjustments can be a little uncomfortable, depending upon how much muscle tension there is, and how fixated the vertebrae are.
It’s pretty common to experience a little bit of increased discomfort the day after your first adjustment, but that usually goes away pretty quickly.
Don’t expect to get immediate relief. Though not unheard, of it’s not the usual. The time it takes to experience relief, as well as the number and frequency of visits, depends very much upon the amount of time the problem has been there. When a misalignment has been present a long time it takes a while to retrain the surrounding soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, etc.) to the correct position.
I hope you find relief for your pain.