Back Problems made worse by massage "therapist"I

[Fnord]

I was under the impression that there were valid uses for chiropractors, was I incorrect?

With proper training and supervision, some can fill in for crash-test dummies.

 

[I Ratant]

I used to "throw my back out" and walk like a crab for a day or two after, for many years.
It wouldn't take much of a movement to cause it.
Sometime ago when I had a complete separation of the right quadriceps, at the MRI they also looked at my spine, and noted small spurs on the inside of some vertebra in the lower back which might be the cause.
Not gonna let someone cut into my back around my spinal cord, so nothing came of that.
Haven't had any such throwings out for a long time though.

 

[fls]

What might be done about this witch-doctor?

If they are licensed, lodge a complaint with the licensing board.

Lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Place a review on Angie's List.

Linda

 

[Miss_Kitt]

I have had some back issues, and I have been referred by my GP to a local Physical Therapy clinic. I have had (rarely) massage; traction (pulling in a particular direction and strength to sort of stretch out the injured area); specific exercises; ice; electro-strim; and taught exercises to do at home. These have been helpful in varying degrees.

Most acute issues are helped most by anti-inflammatories and icing, and some very mild stretching/exercising as directed. After the acute injury is over, you can sometimes benefit by strengthening the muscles that should be helping the ones that got hurt. For example, I have to work on my abs because I'm compensating with my back for flabby muscles out front. (I am a recovering couch potato.)

Despite PT and seeing my doctor, though, there is an unknown amount of my recovery that is due to time and natural healing. I will say that at worst seeing my PT brought some pain relief, and at best--with my neck issue--gave me back the ability to use my computer and drive my car.

My reading suggests that at best a chiropractor is doing the kinds of massage and manipulation that a good PT would do; further, the PT's work is based upon actual science, while the theoretical foundation of chiropracty is baloney.

Good luck, I know how disabling back injuries can be, MK

PS - I, like many, find that getting more regular exercise and losing weight is the best way to prevent future injuries. And my mood is better, too!

 

[RobRoy]

Ok, so I’ve actually had good luck with chiropractors, but they were always referred from an internist. They usually took a back extra to check things out, and then did some minor adjustments, showed me different exercises, etc. . . . except for one.

My internist at the time was getting ready to move on to an admin position, which I didn’t know about, and didn’t really look too closely when I asked for a referral. The chiro seemed ok, although he didn’t start with the usual X-rays and whatnot. Just started some adjustments. After that, he did some massage, which was nice. He was really pretty good at that. Then things got weird.

I’d noticed people out in the foyer holding little bottles, but I thought they were perfume or something. Turns out they were “essence” vials. What the guy did was have me hold out one of my arms parallel to the ground, then he “asked my body” questions. He would say something like “flour” and push down on my arm. I don’t remember if when my arm went down it was “yes” or “no”, but he determined that I had a “wheat allergy”. He handed me a vial of “wheat essence” in one hand, and then administered little shocks to each of my fingers and then my palm. He told me that my body needed to know that wheat wasn’t bad, and that the shocks would signify bad on one side, while the wheat did nothing on the other. I then had to sit in the foyer holding the “wheat essence” for twenty minutes. I was told to not eat anything with wheat for 48 hours, and return for another session.

I never went back. I did some research and found out most chiros are woo-peddlers.

 

[Kevin_Lowe]

Chiropracty is 100% pure woo.

This is true for a strict definition of chiropracty. The original idea that spinal misalignment causes all ills is utter garbage.

However there is a wide variety in the training chiroquacks receive and the techniques they use. Some schools of chiroquackery have mutated into something resembling evidence-based massage therapy and some have not.

As an institution chiropractic can and should go jump in a lake as far as I'm concerned. The evidence-based chiroquacks may not do much harm themselves but they aren't doctors and they aren't willing to denounce their fraudulent and/or deluded brethren or lobby for the loonies to be excluded from the business.

However the (annoying) fact is that some people trading under the name "chiropractor" do provide massage therapy for back problems that works as well as anything else does.

Others trading under the same name are frauds who kill people of course.

 

[23_Tauri]

Hi Freakboy. It's not the 'scientific' solution you seek, nor is it a quick fix as it will take time, but I have known yoga to help people with chronic lower back pain. If the pain is caused by long term bad posture and under-use of the muscles holding up the spine, regular yoga practise will increase flexibility and strengthen muscles.

You do need to find yoga teachers who are very experienced and have a training in anatomy and physiology, not just anyone who's done a bit of yoga in India and thinks that qualifies them to teach back in the West.

 

[cgordon]

Massage - Relaxing and soothing. Otherwise, just stroking.
Chiropracty - Based on bad science, worsened by greed.

See a good GP for a referral to physical therapy. There ARE good manipulation systems out there, but they are based in medical science, not in 19th century quackery.

In re sciatica ... I had sciatic probs for years, mostly, my docs thought, caused by too many trips down a FAST rope or back landings therefrom, or an assortment of other military misadventures. In 07, I had to have a hip replaced due to degenerative arthritis. Since then, no sciatica ...

That's not a solution fitting for most folks, however.

 

[FreakBoy]

Tangent: Would it be unethical to not inform my wife where I've gotten my information so I can get some extra massages out of it?

"No dear, I need to have at least one therapeutic massage a week."

 

[Andrew Wiggin]

To be clear, your usual source of woo was closed, so you went to a new source of woo, who did something you weren't familiar with, and it left a mark, so now you're pissed off.

As for the 'without my knowlege or expectation' bit, unless the session started with the practitioner knocking you unconscious, no sympathy if you didn't bother asking 'what's that?' when something unfamiliar happened.

Get over it. You wanted woo, and that's what you got. It just wasn't your usual flavor. The marks fade, and at least it's not harmful, which is more than can be said about most medical woo, including chiropractic.

In the future, if you get your woo from an unfamiliar source, ask them what manner of woo they plan to do, and if you don't like it, then ask for something else, or go somewhere else.

A

 

[FreakBoy]

To be clear, your usual source of woo was closed, so you went to a new source of woo, who did something you weren't familiar with, and it left a mark, so now you're pissed off.

I'm sorry but I feel a bit like you're attacking me because I was ignorant of the fact that chiropractic was woo. Since before this discussion I have been under the impression that there was valid chiropractic that was being invaded by people who want to do other ridiculous stuff along side.

As for the 'without my knowlege or expectation' bit, unless the session started with the practitioner knocking you unconscious, no sympathy if you didn't bother asking 'what's that?' when something unfamiliar happened.

In this we're in agreement. I should have said something but didn't.

Get over it.

I am over it. After the opening post my focus turned more to my lack of information regarding chiropractic.

You wanted woo, and that's what you got. It just wasn't your usual flavor. The marks fade, and at least it's not harmful, which is more than can be said about most medical woo, including chiropractic.

Here you are incorrect. I didn't want woo. Never do I wish to have my health in the hands of quacks. Unfortunately I was ignorant about what I was searching for and the responsibility for that is solely mine.

In the future, if you get your woo from an unfamiliar source, ask them what manner of woo they plan to do, and if you don't like it, then ask for something else, or go somewhere else.

In the future I will be going to my general practitioner. After the exchange in the rest of the thread I have gotten my wife, and multiple friends to reconsider their opinion on chiropractic.

If there is any anger left over this entire incident it is only directed at myself for having fallen for the scam.

I don't understand why your response was so harsh, or at least appeared to be. I'm sorry if I upset you with my experience, but I'm glad at the responses I've gotten from this thread.

I'm known by my friends to be the one that's usually well-versed when faced with woo and I really feel embarrassed about this whole fiasco.

 

[Andrew Wiggin]

Please don't take it as an attack. If you didn't realize the extent to which chiropractic is based on medical myth, that's more their propaganda campaigns than anything else. I'm just pointing out some things that I saw in your post that didn't sound right.

My response was harsh because I saw what you said in your opening post as looking for revenge ideas to use against the cupping practitioner, for causing you marks. Your post title implied that your back problems were made worse by the treatment, where the body of your post stated partial relief from the pinched nerve and clarified that you were unhappy about the brusing. While I'm not arguing that cupping does anything helpful, the marks are a known and predictable side effect, and just as temporary as any bruise. I don't see this as something done to you against your will and in bad faith, so the revenge seeking isn't justified.

I also saw your post as refusal to take responsibility for a process that you initiated and participated in. This would be similar in my mind to ordering from the chinese language menu at a chinese restaurant and then calling the health inspector because you got an unfamiliar meal, but only after eating the entire meal with apparent satisfaction, paying for it without complaint, then deciding the following day that it gave you indigestion.

Hope that clarifies a bit. To the extent that I could have been clearer about what triggered my feelings here, and for the 'get over it' comment I made, which, upon reading again was overly harsh, I apologize.

A

 

[FreakBoy]

... I apologize.

A

Apology accepted without reservation.

I've been so good at avoiding woo for such a long time that this whole experience was pretty shocking to my ego. At least I've got a lesson (or two) to take away from this. Thank you to everyone!

 

[mayday]

Wow, I love getting new info.

I happen to have some pretty bad problems with my back... where should I go to deal with this stuff? The ER?

Go to the pain clinic.

Yea, use only truly "scientific" cutting edge stuff from the pharma companies, like hydros and oxycontin. They want you hooked on their drugs, not yours (natural and truly beneficial herbs, like marijuana.) And let some quack cut on you, that will really be beneficial in the long run: permanent scarring and more problems than you had before is what you'll get.

I have been to reflexologists and massage therapists and have nothing but good things to say about them. When your muscles are knotted up from lactic acid build up there is nothing like trigger point therapy to help get those knots out.

YOU went to the massage therapist, then complain they took $40 from you. What did you expect?

I decided I wanted to take a break from nurse practitioner school and become a massage therapist. But the licensing has become so strict there is no way I can take leave from my job and responsibilities to do this right now. But I would love to open a "Massage World" clinic where I could advertise my place or yours and specialize in reflexology and Swedish massage.
Anyone who would not get benefit from that is some kind of martian or something.

 

[mayday]

Massage - Relaxing and soothing. Otherwise, just stroking.
Chiropracty - Based on bad science, worsened by greed.

See a good GP for a referral to physical therapy. There ARE good manipulation systems out there, but they are based in medical science, not in 19th century quackery.

In re sciatica ... I had sciatic probs for years, mostly, my docs thought, caused by too many trips down a FAST rope or back landings therefrom, or an assortment of other military misadventures. In 07, I had to have a hip replaced due to degenerative arthritis. Since then, no sciatica ...

That's not a solution fitting for most folks, however.

I had sciatica with my first pregnancy. One trip to the reflexologist and it was gone.

But I can tell you where the REAL scam/insurance/Medicare fraud is: PHYSICAL THERAPY. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. SPEECH THERAPY. Rehab departments bilk millions for so-called rehab and therapy for people who are long past being helped. Mostly old and infirm nursing home material patients they drag them a few feet across the floor and call it therapy, and the rest of the time they are sitting or laying in a bed. Don't point the finger at naturopathic practitioners. I have seen how the mainstream therapy system functions and it's a joke.

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I went to a practitioner of Reflexology^WP because my feet hurt but she told me there was nothing she could do for me.

 

[stilicho]

I had sciatica with my first pregnancy. One trip to the reflexologist and it was gone.

This is a joke post, right?

 

[Mashuna]

I would love to open a "Massage World" clinic where I could advertise my place or yours

That's a different kind of service.

 

[pipelineaudio]

Here we go again with the light, nay tender kids' gloves on the subject of chiropractic...why is it always given such light wrist slaps in so many skeptic forums? Its 100% woo, based on total woo and yet it gets a shining pass from most

Thank you to the few who had balls enough to call it what it was in this thread

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

Here we go again with the light, nay tender kids' gloves on the subject of chiropractic...why is it always given such light wrist slaps in so many skeptic forums? Its 100% woo, based on total woo and yet it gets a shining pass from most

Thank you to the few who had balls enough to call it what it was in this thread

Everyone said it was bad except for one person.