I have a chiropractor that I absolutely love!  I’ve never seen him for any major problems, just for regular realignments.  Mine pointed out that a lot of women’s back problems come from sticking our hips out to use them as shelves for kids and laundry baskets.  If you find the right one they can be great!

My family loves our chiropractor!  I’ve been seeing a chiropractor since I was in high school and failed a sports physical for a curved spine.  After I got adjusted I passed the physical and was allowed to remain on the team.  Now I swear that if I miss regular alignments my digestive track gets in a funk. 
My son has been adjusted regularly since he was 4 months old.  He fights chronic ear infections (thank his dad for those genes).  Our pediatrician has been impressed at how well the chiropractor can get his ears to drain the infected fluid and says as long as the chiropractor can keep them draining we don’t have to get tubes!
My husband was very skeptical for years, but started going shortlly after our son was born.  He only goes when he has a crick in his back but swears it makes it better. 

We don’t think chiropractic is the be-all, end-all…but we do think it’s a healthy addition to anyone’s health care.  I won’t pass up antibiotics for my son’s ear infections, but I will get him adjusted and let the chiropractor check his ears periodically.

As a lifetime chiropractic advocate I would say this - make sure you are seeing a chiropractor who is taking the time to teach you how to correct the things that are putting stress on your spine (sleeping position, resting you muscles, core strengthening, resetting your spine in nuetral positions throughout the day, etc.).  Otherwise, you could see a chiropractor every day your whole life and continue to have problems.  A good doctor will help you find ways to correct/re-train you body to hold itself up properly and then you’ll only need a periodic adjustment to keep things moving freely.

PS - nursing moms have it the worst - they are either lugging a baby around on their hip or hunched over trying to nurse

Chiropractic has helped with some of my back pain and my TMJ.
I don’t get it regularly though as I have a difficult time finding a chriopractor who will just adjust me, possibly do a little PT if their office is set up for it and be done. I don’t like to be pushed to buy supplements, sign contracts, treat non-spinal disorders with chiro, have my “chakras” read etc…..
There are great chiros out there, there are some real snake oil salesmen too, IMO. Also some really blend too much New Agey stuff into their practice for my comfort level.

My ENT sent me to the chiro for the TMJ. I loved this particular office. They had a chiro, an MD, a couple physical therapists, an exercise physiologist and a certified massage therapist and they set up your therapy scheduled utilizing whatever modalities/therapies these different practitioners provided. Oh and everyone saw the MD, just in case.
Let me tell you, getting a 30 minute massage for $15 (my chiro co-pay) was heavenly!!!

I was so skeptical of chiropractics! I just started going about a month ago for low back pain. This man is gifted! He is also a kineseologist (sp??) and can figure out what’s wrong with your body by messing around with it basically. I am such a believer now. I’m sure there are quack chiropractors out there that give them a bad name, but there are quack doctors out there too…

I suffer from chronic pain and do not like the side effects of pain meds. I thank God for the chiropractors I have seen over the years who have been able to help me feel much better through adjustments, therapy, and acupuncture. I have a truly wonderful one I go to now and wouldn’t be able to function without his help.

God bless them all for the wonderful work they do!

We have had wonderful results working with our chiropractor.  My husband started going when he had severe shoulder pain such that he couldn’t sleep and the narcotics did nothing, even the specialists couldn’t figure out, and physical therapy sessions made worse.  It lasted over a year when he started seeing the chiropractor.  He has helped our family with asthma, migraines, gall bladder problems, plantar fascillitis, sinus problems, stomach and intestinal problems, as well as the time I threw my back out so bad I could hardly breathe, and more.  He is currently working with our ds with a lazy eye.  It is amazing what they can do.  The only difficulty I see is in finding a doctor willing to accept ideas from a chiropractor (someone mentioned above they found a great clinic that encompassed them both!).  We had a child with severe leg pain so bad she would scream and thrash for 4+ hours during the night, it went on for months and was almost nightly.  Doctors couldn’t figure it out but when we mentioned that our chiropractor thought the source of her pain was in her abdomen they thought we were crazy and wouldn’t pursue that route.  Turns out our chiropractor was right and our dd was almost septic before they discovered it.  So, yes, I think chiropractic care is great!  We drive 45 minutes (past probably 100 others) to see ours who is a faithful Catholic and someone we trust.

We love our chiro.  Anybody who has seen my neck x-rays askes me over and over “are you SURE you’ve never been in a car accident???”  My daughter ended up with torticollis after she was born.  We did physical therapy for a month with little improvement and after one chiro visit, the PT couldn’t believe I brought in the same baby.

I have had a wonderful experience with a chiropractor.  Since 2000, I have had intermittent bouts of vertigo.  I went to a specialist and after a bunch of awful tests, they concluded that I had ‘benign vertigo’ and that there wasn’t much I could do for it.  Come back if it gets worse type of advice. 

About a month ago I started seeing a wonderful chiropractor for some upper back stiffness (from nursing 3 babies, I’m sure) and during the extensive health history interview I mentioned that I have had trouble with vertigo at times, but the doctors could find no reason for it.  The chiropractor mentioned that sometimes vertigo can be caused by cervical vertebrae being out of alignment.

After some adjustments, I am pleased to report that the vertigo is gone.    I plan to go back at periodic intervals for ‘maintenance’ adjustments to keep it from getting so out of alignment again.

I’ve been going regularly again to a chiropractor and it has been great - except for the $30 co-pay each visit.  But I’ll tell you, I feel we get our money’s worth for that copay-therapeutic massage, alignment, athletic training as needed and ultrasound/electric stim.  My 17yo ds is going too for elbow/shoulder problems from baseball and he is there about 2 hours for just that copay.  But those $30 add up fast!!

Not all chiropractors are created equal, and I’ve been to at least four different ones in this town, as insurance has changed over the years.  It can be a bit overwhelming to go at first, and they ours has contracts and some pretty long pitches for their services, but ultimately worked well with what WE could manage financially-not three times a week.

One more thing, this chiropractor seemingly saved my life when I was pregnant with our 5th child.  I was at wits end with back pain that my OB blew off as just part of pregnancy.  After a couple visits to the chiropractor it was way better and I can just remember the relief that brouoght me to tears when he told me, ‘you are having terrible spasms in your back.  That must be so painful.  We are going to fix that’.  And he did!

Both an orthopedic doc & a PT were unable to help with the shoulder/neck pain I’d experienced for months as a result of carrying a big baby in a sling for several hours one day—an elderly chiropractic doc at our parish took care of the pain after one visit!
And, as a bonus, I know he was praying for my health & well-being, too!  :o)

I love Chiropractic! As a daughter and sister of Chiropractors I am bias- however I have my own (not family) and she has helped me tremendously, I second Jean’s comment that nursing moms have it the worse. I have had bad back pain with each of my four babies and the Chiropractors have help greatly! Good luck!

I’ve had chronic joint pain since I was an adolescent. None of the chiropractors I’ve seen have ever made it go away, and at all of them, it was better over time if I went often enough (had to be more than once a week), but if I went less often it would just be aggravated immediately after the session without the long-term benefit. I haven’t seen a chiropractor in years because it just didn’t seem worth it. (Honestly, the only thing that helps is no stress (ha!), no time sitting at a desk (ha!) and regular Judo classes.) The chiropractors I’ve seen have been good, but not miracle workers. What surprised me is how differently they all treated me, especially at the beginning “diagnosis” stage (though they never actually gave me a diagnosis). The first looked at my body very closely with the naked eye, and told me precisely which shoulder was higher than the other, what degree I held my head at, etc. The second didn’t do anything of the sort, but was shocked to find that the first had never ordered X-rays and did so immediately. The third may or may not have ever looked at the X-rays, but was shocked that neither of the previous ones had ever orderd blood tests, and did so immediately.

My husband, who has chronic back problems since being hit by a drunk driver on his way home from work a few years ago, Seen a Chiropractor whom is a member of our Parish and highly recommended by my Dad . This Chiro did the X rays,pointed to where the problems areas were and we agreed to treatment. The first treatment had my husband leaving in severe pain but figuring that it has to hurt to get better, we kept our next appointment two days later. After this next appointment, I basically carried my husband to the car as he hurt too much to walk. When we got home, I called and canceled all further appointments. That evening the Chiro called and asked why we decided to discontinue treatment. He was amazed that my husband got no relief from the two treatments and wanted to try another course of action, which we declined. I guess that as anything, if it works for you, keep with it. If not move on , would be my oppinion.

Yes, I too have been helped by chiropractic.  In High School / University I would get such bad migranes it would incapacitate me for days at a time.  Luckily for me I married a chiropractor!  It’s also a family business.  My husband, his brother, dad and uncle are all chiropractors.  So I’m one of those lucky people that if something is bugging me, I just bug one of them : )  I can’t say enough about the business, but I am biased…

I must say it did help quite a bit having him around going through labour and delivery for my 3 girls (with another on the way).  They’ve all been receiving adjustments since they were day’s old.  (Mostly to help with colic or bowel movements)  Delivery can be quite tramatic on a baby…especially if they are yanked out or get stuck!

Good luck with the adjustments Arwen.

Chiropracters are wonderful if you find the right one.  I went during all three of my pregnancies and I am now going regularly while nursing baby #3.  My pregnancies would have all been much more difficult without a regular chiropracter visit.  We also go just for maintenance and they can help a baby with colic.

Check out this website.

http://www.neck911.com/

Neck911 is a volunteer group of individuals who provide consultations on complications due to neck manipulation. Although most cases are due to chiropractic manipulation, Neck911 is equally concerned about cases that arise from physical therapists or medical doctors.

I didn’t read all the comments, but I want to shout out I LOVE MY CHIROPRACTOR!!!!!!!!!
I have horrible, terrible, debilitating sciatic nerve pain when I am pregnant for the whole 9 months.  It took until my 4th pregnancy for me to even hear that a chiropractor could help, and he did.  I had the most wonderful pregnancy, pain free, and I am convinced that my good alignment was one of the determining factors of my on time (I’m usually about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks late) and quick delivery.

My dh is a RN and it turns out had always disapproved of my receiving neck manipulation via chiropractor during my last pregnancy.  I did not know howe he felt, but went because it was the only thing that I could count on to relieve migraines during pregnancy and immediately afterward.

I just checked out the neck911 website and would tend to believe/agree with them; I probably just got lucky—there was some serious snap-crackle-popping going on up & down my neck every time.

They also regularly adjusted my spine and I think that w/o it I would’ve beein in a great deal of pain rather than just mild discomfort—lower back, hips, sciatic nerve issues.

Research, research, research.  Get references and interview them the same way you would any doctor before letting them touch you.

Here is a peer reviewed multi-scientific study that includes cervical manipulation (neck adjustments).  (It is not heresay) Please click on it for further information:

http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Fulltext/2008/02151/The_Bone_and_Joint_Decade_2000_2010_Task_Force_on.4.aspx

I agree with most of the above posters. If you find the RIGHT chiropractor you can benefit immensely.  I started going years ago when I was in a car accident.  I took my daughter when she was having headaches at the age of 7 because the doctor could not figure out what was wrong with her.  2 visits later we solved the problem.  Food sensitivities were found and her headaches were gone when we eliminated the culprits.  20 years later I still her, mostly for my sciatica and shoulder pain, and for nutritional consultation.  She was the one who told me to eliminate gluten from my diet Well, I did and I lost 70 pounds !  3 of my cousins have been diagnosed with celiac.  It is definitely
genetic.  I had been telling my doctors for years about my stomach problems and joint pain.  Both dissappeared when I changed my diet.  I trust my chiropractor more than my medical doctor. She has never steered me wrong.  I have only gotten more healthy under her care.

I love my chiropractor. I once spent three weeks on bedrest with muscle relaxers and painkillers for back pain. A year later, the same problem returned. A friend recommended her chiropractor, and since I knew I couldn’t afford to lose three weeks of my life again, I thought I’d give him a try. Well, I was walking around pain-free *the next day* and, as long as I visit him regularly, the pain stays away.

He’s also a deacon, and I love that, too!

To reiterate what many have said, research, ask friends for recommendations, talk to the chiro before having any manipulation done. . . .  I LOVE MY CHIRO!  He adjusts me and my whole outlook improves!  I much prefer this natural source of relief than meds.  This chiro regularly will refer one back to the physician if that is needed.  He does not believe, as some do, that chiro is the be all and end all solution for everyone!
(My chiro is a PALMER graduate.)