I hurt my back

[Rich46yo]

Many chiro's have x-ray machines in their office and do an x-ray study before they start manipulateing the spine. But "cracking your back" isnt all they do. A good chiro does heat therapy, electric stimulation, massage, some even do acupuncture. Mine had a table in his office called a inter-vertabre-traction-whatchamacallit. You lay on your back and these rollers go up and down your spine gently stretching your disc's apart. It was bliss. Theres also a treatment called VAX-D which is a machine that operates on the same principle, that off stretching the spine which re-hydrates the disc's and promotes healing. Chiropracros can help someone an awful lot, but they are neither magicians or charlatans. There will always be a small percentage of people who can only be helped by surgery, but that % is much , much lower then the amount of folks that get flim-flammed into back surgery.

In Europe, where medicine is socialized and surgeons dont make more money by cutting you, they do 1/2 the back sugerys as we do here in America and have the same ,or better, 6 mo results. That means in Europe the same, or more, amount of people say they have gotten better with their treatment as people do here only in Europe they cut 1/2 as much. Now what does this tell you?

I think here in the States folks have a much more "cut and fix the damn thing attitude",that, and many people dont take responsability for their own re-hab. If you have a back problem your going to have to rehab it or you'll never get better. Your going to have to dedicate time each day to back specific strengthening and stretching exercises. This isnt much of a problem with groups like this who work out regular anyway. But other people? Its easier to blame chirpractors and others for their pain not being eliminated.

Sean I'd do two things. #1 I'd get a back workup includeing an imageing study. #2 I'd go to a chiropractor. Your going to have to lay off the lifting until you get a handle on your pain. Your going to have to be patient...............take care..........Rich

 

[Sean0621]

Well I haven't seen a chiropractor yet, I did get a second opinon from a different doctor today, and I'm going to see a specialst next week, and go to a sports medicine place next week as well, we'll see what they can do. If it doesn't seem like it's helping in a couple weeks then I'll see a chiropractor. So far the doctor diagnosed me with a chronic lumbar and cervical strain. Although there were no x-rays done. I'm on a limited time schedule anyways, I have to go to Camp Lejeune for two weeks at the end of July for training. I'll probably go see a chiropractor after that.

 

[JLB001]

Ok....so you basically need several deep tissue massages and to be hooked up to the little machine that does electric stimulation. Save yourself a bundle and go to the Chiro first. It's the samething I had in my back.

 

[Sean0621]

I'm gonna give the doctors guy a chance first and then I'll head to the chiro, thanks for trying to save me some money, but I'm as stubborn as an OX. But like I said if I feel like this isn't going to go anywhere then I'll move on. The doc told me that the sports medicine physical therapist will be able to manipulate my back....I just want to see what they will be doing and go the safe route. I may decide to go to the chiro after one trip to this sports medicine PT. We'll see, I go on Tuesday.

 

[JLB001]

keep us posted.

 

[Sean0621]

You got it

 

[Sean0621]

Well so far I went to the Doc once and the Physical Therapist once. The Doc has me on medication, one is called Naproxen and that's a muscle relaxer, and the other is skelaxen and that is an anti-infamitory. The Physical Therapist gave me a number of exercise to do as i expected. I've never been big on taking any medication, I kinda just let the headaches or the flu run their course, i don't take aspirin or anything ever. So I'm not big on taking whatever the doc gave me, I don't know if it'll help my back or just mask the pain, cuz I hate that, I'd rather just deal with the pain. I don't know how much the Physical therapist can do for me, I'll do the exercises she gave me, but I may have to go to a chiropractor. I just don't think you can tell what exactly is going on with my back without taking x-rays at least. I mean the PT took a good look at it, and I had more time to describe to her the whole history of what is going on with my back, but I am not happy with the way the doc handled me at all, I felt like I was being rushed out of his office and he diagnosed me with a straigned back when even I can tell it's more of a misalignment issue. Anyways I may yet be going to see a chiropractor, I've already figured out which one I'm going to as well.

 

[timt]

I have had back straining problems in the past, I stand up and it strains and then I fall down I don't get up for a couple of days.
The doc should have given you an anti inflamitories, take them they will help in the healing process. Do your stretches 3 times a day and don't sit to long. Also going to the Chiro can help releave pain but I found that it usually comes back in a couple of hours.