Bulging Discs in back?

[mash]

I realize that there are lots of opinions and anecdotes about back pain, which usually means that nothing works predictably. You don't hear people disputing the usefulness of Insulin.
That said, there is no evidence, none, that chiropractor treatments help with chronic back pain. I would be very wary about going to one ad infinitum, or "forever", if they aren't helping you.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by mash

That said, there is no evidence, none, that chiropractor treatments help with chronic back pain. I would be very wary about going to one ad infinitum, or "forever", if they aren't helping you.

There isn't? How did you come to this statement? How about the millions that no longer have back pain from Chiropractic treatment?

Spinal alignment is critical for energy flow throughout the body and when the spine isn't aligned, there's unequal pressure put on the disks. It's a pretty simple. An unaligned spine twists the hips and creates unequal leg lengths which does cause injury and puts further pressure on the disks.

This is not to exclude spinal lengthening and reducing weight. If one's waist is less than 8" chest width, time to start losing weight!

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

There isn't? How did you come to this statement? How about the millions that no longer have back pain from Chiropractic treatment?

Moses, there's no doubt that it works for some people. I think what the doc means is that it's not been studied, nor formally presented to any acting medical body like the AMA.
I've never seen any numbers like that, and I'm crazy anal about doing my due diligence. I've read volumes of papers both presurgery and postsurgery. In all those Google searches, I've never seen any numbers or studies come up that regard chiropractic effectiveness for chronic back pain. Granted, it may be because I never specifically looked. I just assumed they didn't exist.
I'd sure like to look at some, if you know of any. I suppose it'd be hard to find any that aren't eye-rollers being that there's no reason for chiropractic to do anything but sway numbers in their favor, and no disconnected body that's interested in refuting/retesting their data.
All a person can do is try them and see if they help.

Personally, I have no doubt that they can solve minor to medium issues with adjustment, so long as we lose weight and exercise. It's pretty much common sense.
I don't think they can solve major back problems, save the whales, and cure the environment as some assert.
One thing I think most chiropractors have over doctors is that they really do care about their patients individually, they'll expend a huge amount of effort to get to know you, your condition, and do everything within their power to help. That positivity alone can go a long way toward healing people, and I think it's 100% awesome.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by shilala

Moses, there's no doubt that it works for some people. I think what the doc means is that it's not been studied, nor formally presented to any acting medical body like the AMA.

Why are chiropractors so widely used by pro atheletes where cost is not a consideration?

Read this article on AC Milan and how a chiropractor improved player performance and how players avoided injury.

http://brightonchiropractor.wordpres...-chiropractor/

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Why are chiropractors so widely used by pro atheletes where cost is not a consideration?

Read this article on AC Milan and how a chiropractor improved player performance and how players avoided injury.

http://brightonchiropractor.wordpres...-chiropractor/

"It is where neurology, biochemistry, psychology, dentistry and chiropractic are used to maintain fitness and to detect potential injuries."
and...
"I imagine that Milan’s players are prescribed medication as part of their injury treatment, although Meerseman would not do that himself."

Those two things kinda stick out like a sore thumb, Moses.
The article doesn't support any "widely" assertion.
As I said earlier, I have no doubt that chiropractic can help in some situations. Here's one where it's used preventatively, in combination with a whole regimen of wellness conducive activities. As I said earlier, it makes good common sense. The players are treating their bodies right in every way possible, from a wide variety of angles. Optimum health should definately cut down on injuries, and I'm sure it's doing that for the team, even though there's no numbers stated, which was the conversation we were having.
If anything, the story supports what I said earlier...
"One thing I think most chiropractors have over doctors is that they really do care about their patients individually, they'll expend a huge amount of effort to get to know you, your condition, and do everything within their power to help. That positivity alone can go a long way toward healing people, and I think it's 100% awesome."
This team has a 100% dedicated Chiropractor that's open minded and uses everything available to create a complete wellness program.
I think that's genius. Not something you'll get going to the doctor, either.
That's not a knock on doctors, they're trapped in a system where they have to maximize performance and minimize individual attention.
It's a shame it's come to that, but it's what it is.

Again, if someone is getting relief from a chiropractor, like I said, by God, hang on to him. I didn't find that in my experience, unfortunately.
I respect anyone's choice to try a chiropractor, but I'd still not recommend one, both because of my experience and the fact that I don't know one who's created results I'd recommend.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by shilala

This team has a 100% dedicated Chiropractor that's open minded and uses everything available to create a complete wellness program.
I think that's genius. Not something you'll get going to the doctor, either.

That is why I go. Maybe you are limiting the chiropractor to just the actual adjustment? The whole session is more than that, actually only 10-15% of my visit. Physio and stretching, Graston technique, diet & medicine, training with results analysis are all part of the visit.

There are sports rehabilitation centers in many cities. I would suggest anyone with back issues to visit them for therapy over our standard health clinic. The sports rehab's have every discipline from doctors, PT's, to chiro's and acupuncture. They take a team approach to use their specialties as needed. It's worth giving this ago before considering a surgery.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

That is why I go. Maybe you are limiting the chiropractor to just the actual adjustment? The whole session is more than that, actually only 10-15% of my visit. Physio and stretching, Graston technique, diet & medicine, training with results analysis are all part of the visit.

There are sports rehabilitation centers in many cities. I would suggest anyone with back issues to visit them for therapy over our standard health clinic. The sports rehab's have every discipline from doctors, PT's, to chiro's and acupuncture. They take a team approach to use their specialties as needed. It's worth giving this ago before considering a surgery.

I think we're on the same track, Moses. We're just not comparing apples to apples. You're talking about a fully rounded sports medicine facility that includes chiropractic as part of a wellness plan that's situated in a large city. I don't disagree that that could be a realistic, helpful, and even possible curing venue.
What I'm talking about is everything outside those big complexes. The chiropractors on every street corner who claim that misalignment is the cause of colds, cancer, rabies, cottonmouth, cankers and bad smelling farts. A simple adjustment will cure all your ailments.
While I do believe that an alignment can relieve some sort of nerve pressure, it's only going to last as long as you retrain the muscles around the natural misalignment. Part of a plan, as you're speaking of.
That doesn't happen in backwater. It's crack, that'll be 90 bucks, please.
To call what you're calling Chiropractic is borderline insult to what those facilities are doing. It's not comparative.
I just don't want folks to walk into the corner chiropractor and expect results like you and I have been debating.
If someone walks into a backwater chiro with zero to very low expectation, odds are they'll be pleased with the results.
If someone is suffering nerve impingement from significant structural damage to their spine, I think it's just plain wrong to point anyone in the direction of a Chiropractor. The chance that the chiro is going to do further damage is far greater than the chance that they'll achieve any type of relief.
If there is not significant structural damage, there are tons of things that can help. Of those, I think you hit on a fabulous suggestion, if a facility like that is within reach of the person who's in pain.

Bottom line is that each person is different and can tolerate different degrees and durations of pain. As bad as my body has hurt, and as long as it has, I can take focus off the pain now. The pain management drugs make me feel like crap, so I deal with the pain as best as I can for as long as I can before I use a full dosage of them. Even when I do use them, they don't provide relief, and I'm prescribed an incredible amount of pain meds. They do take the edge off, but render me worthless.
Conversely, I can remember hurting my back to a much lesser degree when I was younger and I was absolutely wrecked by the pain. It was completely dehabilitating despite there being no structural damage at all. Just a pinch that caused some swelling that went away in a couple weeks.
I mention that because I believe a person needs to be armed with knowledge that they gain through tests, studying, asking questions, and knowing every single thing there is to know about their condition. A person should become incredibly well-informed, well educated, and make sensible decisions about how they approach their injury, and try as best as possible to be realistic about what's wrong. As insensitive as it may sound, pain is not a very good indicator of condition because it will wax and wane with care as simple as an ice bag. The pain is what we always want fixed first, though. The problem is that doctors don't necessarily empathize with the pain, and don't really aim to treat it so much as they try to treat a person's underlying cause of the pain.

I hope and pray that all of you find relief, with whatever road you choose. I know how hard it is, and how long it takes.
If you feel a Chiro is right for you, by all means, please try one. I'm only stating my position and my experience based on my personal physical condition. I certainly don't know as much about your condition as you do, and I'd feel awful if all my blather kept you from finding some relief.

[mash]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

There isn't? How did you come to this statement? How about the millions that no longer have back pain from Chiropractic treatment?

Spinal alignment is critical for energy flow throughout the body and when the spine isn't aligned, there's unequal pressure put on the disks. It's a pretty simple. An unaligned spine twists the hips and creates unequal leg lengths which does cause injury and puts further pressure on the disks.

This is not to exclude spinal lengthening and reducing weight. If one's waist is less than 8" chest width, time to start losing weight!

In answering you, I'm going to keep the OP in mind. I don't want him to believe that a) chiropractors are backed by data showing they can cure chronic back pain and b) you should go for one forever, if you don't get better it's just because you haven't gone enough. Both of these statements are false, and are not wise to follow.
Is it true that people have had relief of back pain going to a chiropractor? I'm sure they have. Same as people that go to massage, wear copper bracelets, get acupuncture, see a naturopath etc. Have "millions" gotten better? I don't know, where are those numbers from? How many people have gone to chiropractors and not gotten better? What is their success rate? If people go to a chiropractor for 10 treatments and don't get better, what is their chance of ever getting relief? How about 20? How many people would get better if they did nothing, and let nature take its course? Do all chiropractors follow the same protocol, if not do some have higher success rates than others? Are there certain types of back pathologies that respond better to chiropractic treatment than others?
This is what I mean by evidence as opposed to anecdotes (people saying "I used a chiropractor, I got better, you should use one too. I don't know anything about your condition, but I'm sure you'll have the same result I did.")

As with any therapy, if you are using a chiropractor and not getting better, you should seriously consider whether you should keep going. Are you helping yourself? Please be a critical observer, this applies to traditional medicine as well.