Chiropractic Vs Phys. Therapy?
I have the option of going to Physical Therapy or a Chiropractor to have them look at my back.
I have sciatica and probably a herniated disc. I’m 17 and otherwise fit. Opinions please.
Tagged with: Chiropractic • Phys. • Therapy
Filed under: Chiropractic Therapy
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You’re going to see a lot of varied opinion on a question like this because there are a lot of various experiences. As with anything else, there are good Chiropractors and not so good Chiropractors… just like there are good/not-so-good doctors, physical therapists, teachers, etc, etc. The reason Chiropractors tend to get more of the worse types is because there is often less requirements for someone to set up shop and claim they are a Chiropractor (less practice time, less verification of qualifications, etc).
I have been to a couple very good Chiropractors that I have been very happy with and I have been to a Chiropractor that I really questioned fairly often (especially when he didn’t seem to be doing any good). With the “good Chiropractors”, I have overcome issues with my Sciatica, a hip problem (in the deep muscles, which is the hard part), and even a problem in the tissues on my hand and foot. As long as you find a good Chiropractor that knows what they are doing, you can definitely get much better and longer lasting benefits than just physical therapy because they correct the problem instead of helping you work past the problem.
Of course, if you wanted the best benefit, you could go to a Chiropractor first to help realign the discs, then work with a Physical Therapist to help build the muscle around the discs and joints in your back. Both together may be the quickest and best way to stop the pain and to prevent it from coming back.
Good luck and I hope I helped!
Chiropractors will realign bones, relieving pressure and pain.
Physical therapy helps you build muscle mass in the affected area, which will help keep the bones in place and reduce pain.
I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for 10 years. He’s great for a realignment if something feels out of place, but that’s for minor problems. Sleeping wrong, twisting wrong, stuff that is painful, but not chronic. I’ve also been to physical therapy several times, totaling 3 years. This has been extremely helpful for the joints that are screwed up. (BTW: Back is a long string of joints.)
It might be best for you to see both, if at all possible. The chiropractor can realign you, and the physical therapy can teach you ways to strengthen your back to keep yourself in line. After time, you may no longer need either.
You could probably be benefited by either. Currently chiropractic schooling is 300+ hours of post-grad lectures and labs for their degree as well as passing 4 parts of national boards to get a license. PTs aren’t even remotely close in their schooling. PTs have WELL under half of the class/clinic/lab hours, so those people who keep persisting in claiming that chiropractors don’t use science and are quacks are probably just ignorant or they are actually just PTs responding who think chiropractors are after their jobs (which they certainly aren’t). It’s laughable when chiropractors are compared to PTs because although some of the curriculum is similar, the time spent towards the degree isn’t even close.
With all this said, even though PTs have much less schooling, I’m sure they’d be able to help with your problem too (as long as it’s not to the point of surgery). In my opinion, chiropractic will probably get you feeling better and functioning sooner, but physical therapy will provide you with the long term stability you need. Simple solution would be go to a chiropractor that specializes in rehab.
I would really recommend seeing a medical doctor and having an MRI if you have pain running down the leg.
Sometimes what seems like a herniated disc is a bone infection or tumor.
Whether you go to a physical therapist or chiropractor, ask before you make the appointment if they teach “Core exercises”. You will need to strengthen the muscles of your abdomen and low pain to prevent further episodes of pain and disability.
Some chiropractors will put a patient with herniated discs in side posture and roll them over and crack them- one way to make herniated discs worse. Most chiropractors will slowly introduce more movement into the area, allowing more movement in the stressed joints.
Some physicals therapists will exercise you to way past the point of severe pain and leave you barely able to walk. Some PTs will put a hot pack on your back and tell you “You’re good!”
So, you really need to get a good diagnosis and find someone who can teach you exercises specifically for someone with herniated discs.
By the way, if you suddenly are not able to control your bladder or bowels or lose sexual function, get to the emergency room immediately. This indicates there is so much pressure on your spinal nerves you may be wearing a diaper for the rest of your life if you do not have surgery right away. Call your orthopedist (The one who ordered the MRI of your spine) and tell him/her you are going to the hospital.
It is encouraging to see individuals discussing both sides of this issue and standing up to the chiropractic community’s sales propaganda!
There is much disagreement about both the effectiveness and risks involved with chiropractic treatment. In my opinion, it is the only thing that should needs to be said about chiropractic adjustment:
A chiropractor cannot “cure” your any condition– at best, they would just make your muscles feel better. It would be best to first see your doctor—a real physician—and be referred to a physical therapist or an orthopedic specialist. I would advise that your do everything you can to avoid chiropractic treatment, as it will often do more harm than good.
Chiropractors have to believe that everything causes conditions that only they can fix so they can convince patients that we can’t live comfortably without visits twice per week.
I had a stroke last year as a result of chiropractic treatment and have since made it a priority to raise awareness of the dangers of chiropractic care. I ask that anyone going to visit a chiropractor to be aware of the risks and make an informed decision about treatment.
Although the chiropractic community will argue that I don’t have a degree and I don’t know what I am talking about, I only want to make sure people considering chiropractic treatment that there are risks. I have nothing to gain from this. Can chiropractors say the same? Make sure you get both sides of the story!
I’d recommend that you go to a medical doctor for a referral to the correct specialist (possibly be a physical therapist). But stay away from chiropractic treatment at all costs.
Most people are unaware that Chiropractic is not a scientific/medical treatment, but an alternative/mystical one. Although it sounds like a proper medical treatment much like physiotherapy, the scientific and medical consensus is that ’straight’ chiropractic is generally unscientific and often dangerous. Even the American Medical Association has called chiropractic an “unscientific cult”.
Chiropractic can be split into 2 different groups – Straight and Mixed.
Mixed chiropractors are more mainstream and offer treatments including exercise, x-ray and massage.
Straight chiropractors believe that subluxations are the leading cause of all disease in the body, and that these diseases won’t be a problem if you have the correct spinal manipulations. This is medically and scientifically incorrect.
Here are some articles and places to conduct further research:
“Cervical manipulation is a preposterous thing to do, and it should be banned.”
“But despite patients’ enthusiasm for the neck adjustment [...] researchers have not produced definitive proof of its medical value”http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18871755/
Here’s some compelling evidence about the damage that Chiropractic does, a list of people who have died as a direct result of chiropractic http://whatstheharm.net/chiropractic.htm…
“Chiropractic therapy for neck pain has a high rate of adverse reactions, according to the results of a randomized study published in the July 1 issue of Spine.”
“Of 280 participants (83%) who responded, 85 (30.4%) reported 212 adverse symptoms after chiropractic care.”http://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2005/07/c…
“there is a new study providing more solid evidence that chiropractic treatment increases the risk of stroke”
“Neurologists think chiropractors can damage the vertebral artery, which rises to the stem of the brain in two right-angle turns, by twisting the neck beyond its natural limits, tearing the artery in a sudden, jerky motion. The researchers concluded that there may be a “gross underreporting” of chiropractic manipulation as a cause of stroke”
“Chiropractors usually rely on anecdotes to defend their practices. Supporting scientific evidence is lacking, and most scientific studies that have been advanced in support of the practice are not up to scratch”http://www.hfienberg.com/statstuff/chiro…
Have a listen to this podcast episode for some really easy to understand (and entertaining) information: http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4042
Good luck with your back troubles, I know how excruciating it can be :(
many times a problem wiht the sacroilliac joint feels like sciatica
it would be extremely rare for someone your age to have a disc herniation in the absense of trauma. my experience with chiropractors has been positive therefore my suggestion would be to see a chiropractor first. if your problem is not sacroilliac joint he/she can order the mri for you. if the problem is si joint it should be fixed in 2 or 3 sessions wiht the chiropractor
I agree with Real Life – go to a proper doctor and get a referral to the correct specialist.
It would be irresponsible to suggest that you go to chiropractor, who’s whole modality is based in magic and pseudoscience. You too could end up continually returning even 10 years later.
Funny related video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfAk2zuzy…
Go to a real physical therapist. The chiropractor will never fix your problem. If you go to a chiropractor, you will be going for the rest of your life.