Has a chiropractor ever fixed a back problem you've had?
Yes
100%
[ 1 ]
No
0%
[ 0 ]
Total Votes : 1
Author
Message
writejr
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 06 Jan 2008 Posts: 3
ribs out of place and disc injury Posted: 01-06-08 20:45pm
I was side-swiped about two months ago
while sitting at a stop sign. I went to
the ER the next day to be checked out and
they said it's normal to be sore after an
accident but the pain would go away in 3-5
days. The pain actually got worse so 8
days after the accdient I went to a
chiropractor who told me I had 6 ribs out
of place as well as a disc out of place in
my neck. I have been going to the
chiropractor since Nov 8th and sometimes I
think it helps and sometimes I don't. I
ended up going back to the ER about two
weeks ago because I was experiencing pain
in my right wrist and forearm in addition
to my neck and lower back hurting. The ER
told me to have my chiropractor request an
MRI to see if I have a ruptured disc and
that I shouldn't have any more spinal
manipulations done until the MRI had been
read. I told my chiropractor about this
and he said he is 99.9% sure it's not a
ruptured disc because if it was I would
have shooting pain down my arm and my
symptoms would be continual - not on and
off. He said he does not want to schedule
an MRI because he thinks it would be
pointless. I like the chiropractor and all
but something about this seems fishy to
me. I do not have a family dr. Should I
continue going to the chiropractor? He
says he wants to try some rehabiliative
type of therapy for two weeks and if I
haven't improved he will revisit the idea
of an MRI at that point.
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strawberi
Supporter
Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Posts: 42 Location: Manila, Philippines
Posted: 01-08-08 23:26pm
The problem with spinal manipulation is
that it may even aggravate spinal
injuries, and you probably do have
dislocated disc. Getting an MRI is
probably the wisest thing to do. In
orthopedics, we don't usually recommend
going to chiropractors when we have
patients with spinal injuries like yours.
You should at least have an MRI done and
see if there are any problems.
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rollar64
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 146 Location: melbourne
Thanks: 2
Thanked:0
Posted: 01-09-08 02:28am
99.9% i think means he is not sure keep
pushing for an MRI it sucks that you cant
just get an MRi so you could know for sure
whats going on see if you can get a
guarantee from him about the MRI so he
cant go back on his word.
Good luck
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joliefille
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 2
Posted: 01-10-08 14:30pm
You should definitely have an MRI. Disks
and spine injuries are not something to be
99% sure about. I have horrible neck and
back pain from a disk injury several years
ago and my pain is intermittent and I have
a bulging disk with a tear in it. I didn't
have an mri until 9 months after I first
started having symptoms and I wish I had
gotten it sooner. Pain in your arm is
certainly a nerve problem related to
someting in your neck. I would absolutely
get an MRI. And if you don't have a
primary care doc you can go to a new
regular doctor and they will order one if
you tell them the ER doc suggested it. I
would stop having spinal manipulation
until you know. It can be unsafe. THe
chiropractor won't tell you that because
they make money by manipulating you. Good
luck.
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vebo-pa
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 01-11-08 10:11am
I can't believe some of the misinformation
you have been receiving regarding
chiropractic. I am a chiropractor, and we
are spinal specialists, perfectly capable
of dealing with a case such as yours.
The last person went so far as to suggest
your chiropractor is more concerned about
your money than your health and I'm
assuming they have never met. (A
prejudiced statement)
I am going to give you an independent,
second opinion, based on my expertise in
the field.
Your chiropractor has a multitude of
possible tests he may have performed to
give him input into whether your issue is
a disc herniation, muscular, or
subluxation based; including Dejerine's
triad, SOTO Hall, Valsalva's, muscle
testing, reflexes, dermatome sensation
testing, palpation, etc. I am assuming
that he has performed some of these tests
and developed a diagnosis and care plan
for you as an individual. He probably has
spent the most time with you and has the
best clinical indication of what is taking
place out of any input you are receiving
from any of us.
There are only three contraindications to
receiving chiropractic care; if the area
that needs to be adjusted has cancer, a
fracture, or osteomyelitis (infection).
Everyone else is a candidate for
chiropractic care and can benefit from it.
Disc herniation is a regular case I see
in the office and can be treated safely
and patients show great improvement. Many
have avoided surgical intervention, which
should be a last resort. There are many
different ways to administer an adjustment
or manipulation and if you have a good
chiropractor, he has many different forms
he can utilize which range from higher to
lower force or gentle adjustments.
The most important person to be listening
to is YOU, your body. If an adjustment
doesn't feel right then mention it to your
chiropractor and he can modify his
delivery so that you are comfortable. If
they don't have different techniques you
may need to look for someone else.
There are 2 reasons you don't need to have
an MRI right NOW:
1. Your chiropractor is following the
standard of care. This very well could
simply be vertebral misalignment and
muscular issues (the 99.9% according to
your chiropractor). Treatment and
monitoring for improvement is the right
thing to do. If in two weeks you are not
responding to treatment, standard of care
is to change the treatment method (rehab
methods for example) and monitor for
another 2 weeks. If again no improvement,
then I would consider having the MRI.
2. MRIs are expensive and should only be
used when clinically necessary, i.e. when
a diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis
cannot be given without the information
that would be gathered from the MRI. Many
disc herniations can be diagnosed without
an MRI, in some cases MRIs are necessary
but not all. Time will tell. Regardless
of whether insurance, your government or
you pay for an MRI out of pocket, YOU pay
in the end. Healthcare systems across the
world are crashing because of the expense
of employing advanced technologies such as
MRIs. If done too soon and the film comes
back clear, then that money would have
been better spent training staff,
increasing nurse and physician staffing,
or buying equipment. When necessary a MRI
should definitely be done, but only when
necessary.
The last thing I don’t understand is if
the ER was so sure you needed the MRI NOW,
why didn’t they take the time to order
one for you right then and there?
Sorry for the novel, but I truly wanted to
help you. I hope you have a speedy
recovery.
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joliefille
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 2
Posted: 01-14-08 02:19am
I may have been out of line about
suggesting that chiropractors only want to
make money, so please excuse me for that.
However, you have ignored that an ER
doctor, who the original poster saw
because of intense pain that was not fixed
by chiropractic care, suggested that she
consider an MRI. I think it is AS
important to consider the ER doctor's
opinion as it is to consider the
chiropractor's opinion.
I know that chiropractic care can be very
helpful. But I also know that it can hurt
patients with spinal and disc injuries. My
chiropractor caused nerve damage in a
patient with a disc injury, and my
physical rehabilitation doctor told me
about it so I would be wary of treating
myself without complete information.
Constant pain, without improvement, or
with worsening, after physical therapy or
other care, is worth investigating
further. And second opinions are always a
valid way to do that. I would suggest that
the original poster see a physical
rehabilitation doctor, if you have health
insurance that allows you to see
specialists without referrals. If not,
then I think it would be very prudent to
seek an additional and different medical
opinion. If nothing else, you will put
your doubts to rest and confim that the
care you are receiving is the best for
you.
I spoke so very strongly about all of this
because I have had to seek the opinions
and services of more than 15 people to
treat my chronic muscle problem that
resulted from a disc injury. I think it is
important to listen to your body and be
your own advocate. Not everyone who treats
you always has all the right answers.
Best of luck!!
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vebo-pa
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 01-16-08 11:03am
Hi all,
I don't believe I ignored the ER doctors
recommendation, I question why they didn't
order an MRI on the spot if they were so
concerned. It's my belief that the ER
doctor wasn't extremely concerned that it
happen right away, otherwise they would
have done it him/herself. An ER doctor
should understand that healing would take
sometime and giving your body that time
before an MRI would be the right thing to
do.
The poster said they went back to the ER
because of "pain in my right wrist and
forearm in addition to my neck and lower
back hurting"; a new complaint, not
because of "intense pain". So the
chiropractic care hasn't failed to treat
the issue, it is going to take more time
for it to heal. If there was no healing
taking place in a few weeks, then it's
time to look elsewhere adn consider the
MRI. Again, MRIs are a great diagnostic
tool but should only be done AFTER enough
time has passed to allow for healing to
take place, ie. the chiropractor should
have given the original poster a care
plan.
Quote "But I also know that it can hurt
patients with spinal and disc injuries. My
chiropractor caused nerve damage in a
patient with a disc injury, and my
physical rehabilitation doctor told me
about it so I would be wary of treating
myself without complete information."
I have never actually seen any scientific
research showing a link between
chiropractic and disc injury. If your
rehabilitation doctor could provide some
research then i would consider the
possibility. Recent studies I have seen
were actually testing for just that and
they found no correlation. The only side
effect to care were mild such as muscle
strain, temporary dizziness, headache,
etc. Again, a chiropractor should also
have enough tools in their toolbox to pick
a safer technique for someone with a
potential risky issue.
And i couldn't agree more, second opinions
and listening to yuor own body are a great
way to go. I've given the poster my
opinion, hopefully we'll hear from the
original poster that things are going
well.
