A Chiropractic Cure

[Denver]

Back in my early career days, I woke up one morning with The Stiff Neck from Hell. I don't remember if it was from a sport activity, or from straining over a desktop computer too long, or for something completely unrelated. But I could not turn my neck at all: there was a wall of pain between forward, and a little bit not-forward.

So I went to the family doctor. It turns out he was also an osteopath. I didn't know what that was, but it sounded sciency, and therefore hopeful. He had me lie on my back on the exam table, held my head between his hands, and did what I now know as a "neck manipulation": twist and snap! Then he told me to go home and rest, maybe ice it and take some aspirin, and didn't suggest any follow-up. That's about all I remember of the appointment.

It helped, a little, that day. But the pain and stiffness was back with a vengeance by work tomorrow. One of my co-workers noticed (how could anyone not), and suggested I go to her doctor: a chiropractor. I didn't really know anything about this breed of doctor, but I needed a solution, and no more of this neck-snap stuff that my osteopath was doing! So I made an appointment, and went.

I waited in a tiny room, just big enough for an exam table, off a skinny hallway that apparently hosted several other identical rooms. The doctor had several certificates on the wall, one proclaiming he was also a sport's doctor for various local high school athletic teams. When he came in (in casual dress, no lab coat!) we made our introductions, and I described my problem. I mentioned the experience at the osteopath, and how shocked I was at what he had done to my neck. I felt some tension in the room after I made that comment, but wasn't sure why. He proceeded to examine me with something called Applied Kinesiology, where he was able to determine that my neck was 'out', and I was also a bit dehydrated. Then he had me lie on the table, and a short time later, SNAP.

I was a bit disappointed that the solution here always involved scary neck twisting, but I wasn't the doctor. And, it helped a little more! He told me to go home, drink a lot of water, ice the area, and come back in two days. I followed these instructions industriously, and arrived back on time. We did pretty much the same procedure, and he had me seeing him ongoing about twice a week, for about 5 minutes, and about $30 a pop. And, in a couple weeks, my neck was all better.

And so for several years, I was drawn more and more into the world of chiropractic. I learned many things from him, such as 1) When you have any pain at all, you should come in right away and not trust it will get better on its own, 2) Applied Kinesiology (look it up if you don't know) is amazing and can even diagnose what vitamin deficiencies you have, just by holding the bottle during muscle testing - and the chiropractor conveniently sells them all, 3) If you're really smart you come in regularly so you are proactive in fixing things that you don't even know are problems, and 4) There's not much a chiropractor can't fix!

To be honest, I saw early on that this applied kinesiology stuff was pretty much nonsense. But I rationalized its use that maybe it helped the doctor with his own intuitive diagnoses process, or perhaps helped assure the patient that the doctor was confident in his diagnosis and so the patient would follow his instructions, or even prompt the patient to respond in certain ways when the doctor was testing something that the patient knew was an issue but had not expressed it. In any case, I went along with it, and in the end, a pain I came in with would, eventually, be 'cured'.

Fast forward many years. I had become more aware of the claims of chiropractic quackery, and of the pseudoscience of applied kinesiology and all these vitamin deficiency claims. I had phased out my visits, and had not been back for many years. But then it happened. A couple weeks ago. The Return of The Stiff Neck from Hell.

My mind immediately went back to the chiropractor. Was my neck 'out' again? I saw myself as (at least a fledgling) skeptic, but should I return, tail between my more Skeptical Legs (which is a good name for a blog) to an alternative medicine practitioner to help me? This should have been an easy decision, but in the midst of this pain, and the possibility for a solution, it was harder than I thought it would be.

I decided, no. I now had the web (which did not exist during my first chiropractic encounter). I began doing many searches on neck issues and treatments. I settled on something pretty simple: icing, and ibuprofen, And, it slowly got better - in two weeks (just like with the chiropractor). I'm typing this today, at a point I can detect no pain at all.

Dropping a belief system, especially one that helps us deal with pain, can be difficult. It would be even harder if we don't find an alternative that works at least as well. I've also had neck issues in the past that can cause severe vertigo (and definitely connected with straining forward in front of a computer too long, which I now do my best to avoid with better posture, breaks, and exercise). The chiropractor actually was able to relieve this immediately (mostly) by pushing in the back of my throat. Very weird, but it was effective. I suspect it has something to do with a legitimate misalignment, or strained neck muscle pulling on something around my inner ear. I am a little anxious that if this happens again, it could be even harder for me to turn to the web, and not the woo, since this kind of vertigo is much more scary and debilitating than a stiff neck.

But at least for today, I think I've had a chiropractic cure. That is, a cure for a condition I didn't know I still had: a trust in chiropractic.

 

[WhatRoughBeast]

And you know what's really great?

I settled on something pretty simple: icing, and ibuprofen, And, it slowly got better - in two weeks (just like with the chiropractor).

You focused on the long-term results, and were able to forgo the immediate gratification of "doing something right now" (like a neck adjustment) which would then prime you for an exercise of the placebo effect.

Now, if the chiropractor's technique produced a one week recovery, rather than the two it took with that nasty (just ask any chiropractor) conventional treatment, you would have had to reconsider the whole affair.

 

[Fudbucker]

Dropping a belief system, especially one that helps us deal with pain, can be difficult

It can be incredibly difficult. Your post was inspiring.

 

[Acleron]

Anecdotes are very difficult to analyse but your experience is common. Even had you knowledge that such a condition goes away in two weeks, your quack would just claim he felt some extra problems that he'd cured.

But if you do feel tempted to go back you might consider that the neck snap, so beloved of the bone quacks, can cause carotid artery dissection leading to such complications as intense headache, stroke and death.

http://edzardernst.com/2013/06/stro...en-chiropractic-treatment-and-adverse-effects

 

[Kaylee]

<snip>

I've also had neck issues in the past that can cause severe vertigo (and definitely connected with straining forward in front of a computer too long, which I now do my best to avoid with better posture, breaks, and exercise). The chiropractor actually was able to relieve this immediately (mostly) by pushing in the back of my throat. Very weird, but it was effective. I suspect it has something to do with a legitimate misalignment, or strained neck muscle pulling on something around my inner ear. I am a little anxious that if this happens again, it could be even harder for me to turn to the web, and not the woo, since this kind of vertigo is much more scary and debilitating than a stiff neck.

But at least for today, I think I've had a chiropractic cure. That is, a cure for a condition I didn't know I still had: a trust in chiropractic.

Congratulations on your cure!

I'm curious about what exercises you do for your neck, if you don't mind sharing.

I have found this on the net:

http://www.des.umd.edu/os/erg/neck.html

By any chance, are the ones you do similar?

A few months ago my neck was beginning to feel "weird" for lack of a better word and I found that those neck stretches help. However, I don't do any of the resistance exercises on that page -- so far I have found the stretches to be helpful and I don't trust myself to not do something stupid in the early AM before I have my coffee -- and I can easily see myself doing something stupid with the neck resistance exercises.

 

[Denver]

And you know what's really great?

You focused on the long-term results, and were able to forgo the immediate gratification of "doing something right now" (like a neck adjustment) which would then prime you for an exercise of the placebo effect.

Now, if the chiropractor's technique produced a one week recovery, rather than the two it took with that nasty (just ask any chiropractor) conventional treatment, you would have had to reconsider the whole affair.

He also once prescribed some treatments to cure a cold I had. It worked too, in just two weeks.

It can be incredibly difficult. Your post was inspiring.

Thanks!

Anecdotes are very difficult to analyse but your experience is common. Even had you knowledge that such a condition goes away in two weeks, your quack would just claim he felt some extra problems that he'd cured.

But if you do feel tempted to go back you might consider that the neck snap, so beloved of the bone quacks, can cause carotid artery dissection leading to such complications as intense headache, stroke and death.

http://edzardernst.com/2013/06/stro...en-chiropractic-treatment-and-adverse-effects

Good point. And yes, that information on the dangers of neck manipulation was something I had also since read about. It probably helped me in the decision not to return.

Congratulations on your cure!

I'm curious about what exercises you do for your neck, if you don't mind sharing.

I have found this on the net:

http://www.des.umd.edu/os/erg/neck.html

By any chance, are the ones you do similar?

A few months ago my neck was beginning to feel "weird" for lack of a better word and I found that those neck stretches help. However, I don't do any of the resistance exercises on that page -- so far I have found the stretches to be helpful and I don't trust myself to not do something stupid in the early AM before I have my coffee -- and I can easily see myself doing something stupid with the neck resistance exercises.

Yes those are pretty much the exercises, along with some occasional upper body and back stretches. I sometimes do the resistance ones, but not as often. The other thing that I think has helped is to do my best to take a break mid day and go for a walk.

 

[Newbeak]

I stirred up a hornet's nest

I wrote a letter to the editor of my local paper recently,in response to a news article that Naturopaths were pushing to become a self-regulating body,and obtain permission to prescribe drugs and order medical tests,which prompted the Ontario Medical Association (thankfully) to push back.
I made reference to this in my letter,and commented that in the case of Chiropractic,alternative medicine was already recognized to the extent that employee supplementary insurance coverage extended to pseudoscientific practices such as Chiropractic.
This prompted a reply from the local Chiropractic Association apologist,saying I was "misinformed",and claiming Chiropractic is a research based profession,and studies have being done in a host of legitimate fields such as neurophysiology and a half dozen others.
I get the feeling arguing against this kind of woo is an uphill battle I cannot win.I recall what my dad (a physician for many years) used to tell his patients presenting with various minor aches and pains: "I can treat you and the problem will be resolved in a week,or not treat you and you will feel better in 7 days".

 

[Iamme]

I went to both a chiropractor and an orthopedic surgeon in 1980 when i threw out my lower back. Typical. Was it bad. I could not even hardly lift my foot off the gas pedal to hit the brake, as it caused a sharp excruciating pain 10 out of 10 scale.
Everytime i went and got manipulated i felt better. He also may have applied heat, i cant remember. But i sure remember the fear of getting my spine cracked.
Anyway, everytime i was on my way home from his office 30 miles away, the pain would come back. So i quit.
I concluded the reason i temporarily felt better could be credited with a massage effect, if you will.
I saw the surgeon too but walked off his xray table after i told him his personal friend the chiropractor would forward him HIS x-rays of my back. I didnt want cancer down the road from all this unneccessary repetition.
My back problem heeled on its own by me being careful how i bent/lifted.

 

[stanfr]

Years ago i had bad neck and back problems (severe sciatica etc) and the surgeons of course recommended surgery. I saw the $ signs in their eyes and turned instead to months/years of chiropractic (insurance covered it, it felt good and the chiropractors assistant was cute) acupuncture, traction, you name it. Nothing worked and it looked like surgery was the only way out. Then, I enlightened myself at the local medical library and discovered that much of what the doctors were telling me was bogus (symptoms could not logically have been caused by the supposed numerous spinal abnormalities) i then found John Sarno's book in the public library, eneded up seeing him and was completely cured in a couple of weeks. I have long since determined that much of the underlying premises of Sarno's TMS theory were incorrect--however, I was and am completely convinced that at least in my case the problem was 100% psychosomatic, the result of stress and tension. Unfortunatley modern science and medicine still is highly reluctant to explore the relationship between mind and body, although there is a body of work that slowly is revealing how important the psyche can be when it comes to health. There is still too much invested in cures for supposed physical abnormailites that in fact are just benign. There's too much money to be made from PT, chiropractic, other quack cures, and the biggest placebo of all (in many cases): surgery.

 

[Modified]

Sometimes the problem really is a dislocated vertebra. I "threw my neck out" once, and it was fairly obvious from the angle of my head. The feeling is more of a burning pain than the traditional "stiff neck". It shifted back into place on its own in a few hours. I doubt that violent twisting would have helped, but upward pressure or hanging upside down might have.

I always say that chiropractic twisting and snapping is like hitting an old malfunctioning TV. For certain problems it works, sometimes, temporarily, for other problems it does nothing, and sometimes you break something else.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I wrote a letter to the editor of my local paper recently,in response to a news article that Naturopaths were pushing to become a self-regulating body,and obtain permission to prescribe drugs and order medical tests,which prompted the Ontario Medical Association (thankfully) to push back.
I made reference to this in my letter,and commented that in the case of Chiropractic,alternative medicine was already recognized to the extent that employee supplementary insurance coverage extended to pseudoscientific practices such as Chiropractic.
This prompted a reply from the local Chiropractic Association apologist,saying I was "misinformed",and claiming Chiropractic is a research based profession,and studies have being done in a host of legitimate fields such as neurophysiology and a half dozen others.
I get the feeling arguing against this kind of woo is an uphill battle I cannot win.I recall what my dad (a physician for many years) used to tell his patients presenting with various minor aches and pains: "I can treat you and the problem will be resolved in a week,or not treat you and you will feel better in 7 days".

Whether you can or, even want to, get into an argument with the ChiroQuackers, the question to ask is, "what evidence is there for chiroquackery?" You can point to the experience that the British Chiropractic Association had when the sued British journalist Simeon Singh for pointing out that the emperor has no clothes.

In response to demands that the British Chiropractic Association "engage in scientific debate over its position", the BCA released a statement supposedly presenting scientific evidence, but "supported by just 29 citations". According to The Guardian, the article was

"ripped apart by bloggers within 24 hours of publication, before being subjected to a further shredding in the British Medical Journal. It emerged that 10 of the papers cited had nothing to do with chiropractic treatment, and several weren't even studies. The remainder consisted of a small collection of poor-quality trials. More seriously, the BCA misled the public with a misrepresentation of one paper, a Cochrane review looking at the effectiveness of various treatments for bed-wetting..."

In a new report, the General Chiropractic Council "has disowned the claims of the BCA–the same claims that lie at the centre of its libel action against Simon Singh.... Notably, the report concludes that the evidence does not support claims that chiropractic treatment is effective for childhood colic, bed-wetting, ear infections or asthma, the very claims that Singh was sued for describing as "bogus".

A good summary is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCA_v._Singh

I doubt that the Ontario Quackers could find any more "evidence" than the British Chiropractic Association could find. And, if they have such, they might have supported their British brethren before they were made to look like the fools they are.

IMHO only, of course.

 

[jakesteele]

Back in my early career days, I woke up one morning with The Stiff Neck from Hell. I don't remember if it was from a sport activity, or from straining over a desktop computer too long, or for something completely unrelated. But I could not turn my neck at all: there was a wall of pain between forward, and a little bit not-forward.

So I went to the family doctor. It turns out he was also an osteopath. I didn't know what that was, but it sounded sciency, and therefore hopeful. He had me lie on my back on the exam table, held my head between his hands, and did what I now know as a "neck manipulation": twist and snap! Then he told me to go home and rest, maybe ice it and take some aspirin, and didn't suggest any follow-up. That's about all I remember of the appointment.

It helped, a little, that day. But the pain and stiffness was back with a vengeance by work tomorrow. One of my co-workers noticed (how could anyone not), and suggested I go to her doctor: a chiropractor. I didn't really know anything about this breed of doctor, but I needed a solution, and no more of this neck-snap stuff that my osteopath was doing! So I made an appointment, and went.

I waited in a tiny room, just big enough for an exam table, off a skinny hallway that apparently hosted several other identical rooms. The doctor had several certificates on the wall, one proclaiming he was also a sport's doctor for various local high school athletic teams. When he came in (in casual dress, no lab coat!) we made our introductions, and I described my problem. I mentioned the experience at the osteopath, and how shocked I was at what he had done to my neck. I felt some tension in the room after I made that comment, but wasn't sure why. He proceeded to examine me with something called Applied Kinesiology, where he was able to determine that my neck was 'out', and I was also a bit dehydrated. Then he had me lie on the table, and a short time later, SNAP.

I was a bit disappointed that the solution here always involved scary neck twisting, but I wasn't the doctor. And, it helped a little more! He told me to go home, drink a lot of water, ice the area, and come back in two days. I followed these instructions industriously, and arrived back on time. We did pretty much the same procedure, and he had me seeing him ongoing about twice a week, for about 5 minutes, and about $30 a pop. And, in a couple weeks, my neck was all better.

And so for several years, I was drawn more and more into the world of chiropractic. I learned many things from him, such as 1) When you have any pain at all, you should come in right away and not trust it will get better on its own, 2) Applied Kinesiology (look it up if you don't know) is amazing and can even diagnose what vitamin deficiencies you have, just by holding the bottle during muscle testing - and the chiropractor conveniently sells them all, 3) If you're really smart you come in regularly so you are proactive in fixing things that you don't even know are problems, and 4) There's not much a chiropractor can't fix!

To be honest, I saw early on that this applied kinesiology stuff was pretty much nonsense. But I rationalized its use that maybe it helped the doctor with his own intuitive diagnoses process, or perhaps helped assure the patient that the doctor was confident in his diagnosis and so the patient would follow his instructions, or even prompt the patient to respond in certain ways when the doctor was testing something that the patient knew was an issue but had not expressed it. In any case, I went along with it, and in the end, a pain I came in with would, eventually, be 'cured'.

Fast forward many years. I had become more aware of the claims of chiropractic quackery, and of the pseudoscience of applied kinesiology and all these vitamin deficiency claims. I had phased out my visits, and had not been back for many years. But then it happened. A couple weeks ago. The Return of The Stiff Neck from Hell.

My mind immediately went back to the chiropractor. Was my neck 'out' again? I saw myself as (at least a fledgling) skeptic, but should I return, tail between my more Skeptical Legs (which is a good name for a blog) to an alternative medicine practitioner to help me? This should have been an easy decision, but in the midst of this pain, and the possibility for a solution, it was harder than I thought it would be.

I decided, no. I now had the web (which did not exist during my first chiropractic encounter). I began doing many searches on neck issues and treatments. I settled on something pretty simple: icing, and ibuprofen, And, it slowly got better - in two weeks (just like with the chiropractor). I'm typing this today, at a point I can detect no pain at all.

Dropping a belief system, especially one that helps us deal with pain, can be difficult. It would be even harder if we don't find an alternative that works at least as well. I've also had neck issues in the past that can cause severe vertigo (and definitely connected with straining forward in front of a computer too long, which I now do my best to avoid with better posture, breaks, and exercise). The chiropractor actually was able to relieve this immediately (mostly) by pushing in the back of my throat. Very weird, but it was effective. I suspect it has something to do with a legitimate misalignment, or strained neck muscle pulling on something around my inner ear. I am a little anxious that if this happens again, it could be even harder for me to turn to the web, and not the woo, since this kind of vertigo is much more scary and debilitating than a stiff neck.

But at least for today, I think I've had a chiropractic cure. That is, a cure for a condition I didn't know I still had: a trust in chiropractic.

I have similar problems with neck and back. The thing that works most of the time is a good stiff dose of valium. It is a great muscle relaxer and if my pain is caused by a kink somewhere the valium allows it to either pop back on its own or with just slight self-manipulation I can get it to go back very gently.

Also, a lot of times that kind of pain is 'referred pain' from somewhere else on you back/neck. Try having your girlfriend partially suspend her weight by holding on to the backs of two chairs spaced 3-4 feet apart and you lying between the two. With her suspended weight(less) she can gently walk up your spine until you hear it pop. Not always, but quite often, for me, at least.

 

[Miss_Kitt]

I had a neck problem that required surgery, but no placebo was involved. Quite simply, a partial disc rupture was impinging on the nerve to my right arm/hand and causing a celestial quantity and quality of pain. Physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and anti-inflammatories provided brief relief of pain but did not improve anything after a few hours.

So I reluctantly got the imaging done and looked at the MRI shots with my back/neck specialist surgeon. By golly! There was Mr Disk and Ms Nerveroot being way too friendly, right there on the film. (The difference between left and right sides was instructional.) So I had a 'cervical foraminotomy', which means basically the doctor drilled out a notch in my vertebra to allow the nerve to ride on top of the disc material that had oozed out. He also removed some of the herniated material, but couldn't get to all of it...

Post-op was extraordinarily painful for 3 days, but within 2 weeks I was nearly pain-free and had full range of motion, though still limited to under 10 pounds for lifting. Within 6 weeks I was doing things I hadn't been able to do in months. A year after the injury (and 9 months after surgery) I am right as the proverbial rain. And unlike the more common disc replacement, I have no hardware left in me and needed no extensive PT rehabilitation.

I still have to watch my posture and how long I spend doing high-impact activities like using a computer for hours or doing a jigsaw puzzle -- that standing and craning the neck is not good, take a break and walk around every half hour or so--but that's just good sense I should have been applying pre-injury.

I find it interesting that 'years and months of chiropractic' is perceived as being NOT a case of '$ signs in eyes' although it probably was as or more expensive than surgery.

 

[bigred]

Sometimes the problem really is a dislocated vertebra. I "threw my neck out" once, and it was fairly obvious from the angle of my head. The feeling is more of a burning pain than the traditional "stiff neck". It shifted back into place on its own in a few hours. I doubt that violent twisting would have helped, but upward pressure or hanging upside down might have.

I always say that chiropractic twisting and snapping is like hitting an old malfunctioning TV. For certain problems it works, sometimes, temporarily, for other problems it does nothing, and sometimes you break something else.

...or sometimes it really does offer a long-lasting/permanent fix. Equating chiropractors to "naturopaths" or other quackery is frankly ignorant. It's the chiropractors who get into pimping the additional quackery that give them a bad name. The ones who know what they're doing stick to their knitting and proven methods.