Not really a question but chiropractors have pretty much changed my life. Wall of text, ready go.
I have somewhat mild scoliosis always had really bad lower back and hip pain (starting as young as kindergarten). I went to see bunches of specialists (Children's Hospital Boston ortho, one for hip, one for back, etc.) and had bunches of x-rays, MRIs, and arthrograms done. They poked, prodded, asked questions, noted the scoliosis, noted one of my legs was somewhat longer, noted my restricted range of motion, then said, "Well your hip is falling apart you're going to need a new one before you turn 30. Try to build muscle and take painkillers until you can't deal with it anymore."
Tried to stay in shape but everything hurt (walking hurts, swimming hurts, that elliptical thing hurts, biking hurts...). I was actually really a runner for awhile, but BAM one day the knee totally went and that was that. So I just stayed thin (not always the best ways either but that's a whole other story, even if somewhat related) and was a miserable person because of the pain.
Anyway, flash forward to my early 20s, just out of college, and I'm in chronic pain and pretty willing to try anything so when someone says chiropractor I'm like, why not. The first one I went to for about six months was helpful, not magical but it made it a little better, so I kept going. I got a new job and moved and got a recommendation for a new one in that area.
This guy wanted to see me 3x a week at first and I was skeptical but whatever, sure. He did some of the same stuff, but a lot of different stuff, and not the same thing every time. It FELT different, like it was REALLY moving shit around. Never pain, but that soreness.
One day he's watching me walk (he thinks there should be more progress and is trying to trouble shoot) and then says, hm, I think one of your legs is longer. I said yeah, has been for a long time. He goes out back and comes back with a heel lift for my shoe in the short leg. Wear this, make the legs act the same length.
Two years and multiple height adjustments later to get the right height as my body adjusted, I have no lower back pain, I have no hip pain, no knee pain, things have stopped popping and cracking. I also stopped getting migraines; I was getting 2-3 a month and after I stopped having them, traced it back to a few months after I started with this guy. I see him once every few months now.
After going slow and steady for awhile, I am seven weeks into Couch to 5K, no knee pain, no back pain, just me and my lazy ass who might be a runner again. The first time I jogged for three minutes without my knee hurting I cried (I don't recommend crying at the gym, FYI).
I sometimes get so angry at all of the specialists who noticed my leg length difference and thought it meant nothing, and the 10 years I probably didn't have to be in pain because of it. But, I try to think that I'm pretty damn young still (late 20s) and down the road that decade will be the minority. I have a long way to go but I am hoping to run a marathon before I turn 30 in 2015, simply to be like, "You said I would need a hip replacement, fuck you, I ran a marathon instead."
Like any healthcare provider, there are some shitty chiros in the world, and not everyone is truly helpful for every issue. However, a good one did WAY more for me than some of the top orthopedic specialists in the States, so I think the good ones can probably help a lot of other people, too.
tl;dr: If you say all chiropractors are useless, I will cut you.
meeooww17 karma
Not really a question but chiropractors have pretty much changed my life. Wall of text, ready go.
I have somewhat mild scoliosis always had really bad lower back and hip pain (starting as young as kindergarten). I went to see bunches of specialists (Children's Hospital Boston ortho, one for hip, one for back, etc.) and had bunches of x-rays, MRIs, and arthrograms done. They poked, prodded, asked questions, noted the scoliosis, noted one of my legs was somewhat longer, noted my restricted range of motion, then said, "Well your hip is falling apart you're going to need a new one before you turn 30. Try to build muscle and take painkillers until you can't deal with it anymore."
Tried to stay in shape but everything hurt (walking hurts, swimming hurts, that elliptical thing hurts, biking hurts...). I was actually really a runner for awhile, but BAM one day the knee totally went and that was that. So I just stayed thin (not always the best ways either but that's a whole other story, even if somewhat related) and was a miserable person because of the pain.
Anyway, flash forward to my early 20s, just out of college, and I'm in chronic pain and pretty willing to try anything so when someone says chiropractor I'm like, why not. The first one I went to for about six months was helpful, not magical but it made it a little better, so I kept going. I got a new job and moved and got a recommendation for a new one in that area.
This guy wanted to see me 3x a week at first and I was skeptical but whatever, sure. He did some of the same stuff, but a lot of different stuff, and not the same thing every time. It FELT different, like it was REALLY moving shit around. Never pain, but that soreness.
One day he's watching me walk (he thinks there should be more progress and is trying to trouble shoot) and then says, hm, I think one of your legs is longer. I said yeah, has been for a long time. He goes out back and comes back with a heel lift for my shoe in the short leg. Wear this, make the legs act the same length.
Two years and multiple height adjustments later to get the right height as my body adjusted, I have no lower back pain, I have no hip pain, no knee pain, things have stopped popping and cracking. I also stopped getting migraines; I was getting 2-3 a month and after I stopped having them, traced it back to a few months after I started with this guy. I see him once every few months now.
After going slow and steady for awhile, I am seven weeks into Couch to 5K, no knee pain, no back pain, just me and my lazy ass who might be a runner again. The first time I jogged for three minutes without my knee hurting I cried (I don't recommend crying at the gym, FYI).
I sometimes get so angry at all of the specialists who noticed my leg length difference and thought it meant nothing, and the 10 years I probably didn't have to be in pain because of it. But, I try to think that I'm pretty damn young still (late 20s) and down the road that decade will be the minority. I have a long way to go but I am hoping to run a marathon before I turn 30 in 2015, simply to be like, "You said I would need a hip replacement, fuck you, I ran a marathon instead."
Like any healthcare provider, there are some shitty chiros in the world, and not everyone is truly helpful for every issue. However, a good one did WAY more for me than some of the top orthopedic specialists in the States, so I think the good ones can probably help a lot of other people, too.
tl;dr: If you say all chiropractors are useless, I will cut you.
[edit for a horrific run-on sentence]
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