So I just joined Capital Fittness. They have a Doctor who is a Chiropractor and Nutritionist that you can see for free when you join. I've never had my spine/neck checked out so I figured it would be good. She was feeling my neck & asked if I have ever been in a car accident. I said yes, one where I hit the concrete median. I felt fine afterwards so I never got checked out. Anyways she said she wanted to take x-rays (free of charge) so I agreed. Met back with her today & she says I have a reverse cervical curve & that I need to do at least 24 sessions (3x a week) plus streches & exersizes. I saw the x-rays compared to a normal neck & it looks bad. Wondering if it is a scam & it is really my x-ray though. I don't feel any neck pain. She says it is the early onset of osteoarthritis. My Mom says sometimes Chiropractors can do more damage. If I really have a problem I definetly want to fix it instead of having trouble later in life but I am sure it will be $$$ (although there is a student plan plus insurance). I have a family doc... mabye I should get re- x-rayed. Has anyone ever been to a chiropractor? Was it successful? Thanks

11/8/2005 11:35:17 AM

Dude... scam. They can really fuck you up too. Plus Penn & Teller says it's BULLSHIT!

11/8/2005 11:40:16 AM

Go to an MD to get his/her opinion.

(Orthopaedist)

(Take the x-ray already done by the DC)

11/8/2005 11:40:27 AM

usually in a situation like that it's a scam - they have you situated so that it looks worse than it really is - the make you sit/stand/lay in a certain way so that the x-rays will turn out how they want them to

11/8/2005 11:42:03 AM

fake doctors. avoid them

11/8/2005 11:44:21 AM

yea, don't go to the chiropractor. people often say, "i have been going to the chiropractor for 10 years, and still have problems." Well, thats a sign they can't help. Like OEPII1 said, go to an Orthopedic, not a chiropractor.

11/8/2005 11:44:48 AM

It sounds shady, but it's probably worth having your doctor check it out, just to be safe.

11/8/2005 11:45:00 AM

i saw a clip of a man doing chiropractic shit to A FUCKING TODDLER! There's no way I would ever trust them if they're twisting a 3 year olds head around to make their neck snap.

I don't trust it.

11/8/2005 11:45:25 AM

^^yea

[Edited on November 8, 2005 at 11:45 AM. Reason : ]

11/8/2005 11:45:37 AM

Quote :

"scam "

11/8/2005 12:02:39 PM

scam. do chiropractors even go to med school? i think it's more like community college for spine cracking.

11/8/2005 12:36:26 PM

You actually used your free visit? Good for you...now go see your real doctor and get their opinion.

I still have my "Free First Visit" certificate they gave me when I joined - never felt like taking advantage of it. I hate going to any sort of doctor in the first place, so I'll be damned if I'm going to the pseudo-doctor at my gym of all places. I love that gym as a gym, not a dr.'s office.

[Edited on November 8, 2005 at 12:53 PM. Reason : .]

11/8/2005 12:39:42 PM

Quote :

"do chiropractors even go to med school?"

no

11/8/2005 12:46:38 PM

Go to a real doctor. You can get a chiropractor degree out of a cereal box.

11/8/2005 12:50:18 PM

what cereal?

11/8/2005 12:51:04 PM

cheerios

11/8/2005 12:55:04 PM

rice crispies...Snap crackle POP

11/8/2005 1:16:55 PM

chiropractors go through more training then most doctors

11/8/2005 3:10:37 PM

11/8/2005 3:12:52 PM

Reverse curve? haha, never heard of that. You can feel the spine in your neck, it should be curved inward at the middle, called lordosis --> (. If it was reversed it would be thrust out the most in the middle of your neck, i think you would feel that. So my call = big scam.

11/8/2005 5:22:09 PM

i've been to one, i felt a lot better after i left
dont think id go if i was paying for it and definately wouldnt go back for multiple sessions. if they told me something was wrong id go to an orthopaedist

11/8/2005 5:32:54 PM

definitely agree with comments above. take the x-ray and show it to your doctor. if they won't give you the x-ray, go talk to your doc and have him take one. chiropractors are good for one thing - popping your back. they aren't any sort of qualified doctor. and they are most of the times a rip off.

11/8/2005 5:34:15 PM

yea, total scam ... i find it ironic that they work hand in hand with personal injury ambulance chasers.

11/8/2005 5:42:19 PM

It makes complete sense

11/8/2005 5:43:47 PM

tww is giving good advice. next time someone wants xrays, ask to see their liscense to practice medicine.

11/8/2005 6:38:43 PM

if you wanna know the name of a good chiropractic clinic in raleigh, lemme know - i went to a really great guy when i lived there

but id assume that shit is more of a scam
i mean, chiropractor and nutritionist? interesting...

11/8/2005 6:46:58 PM

Quote :

"do chiropractors even go to med school?"

They go to a chiropractic school, and get a DC: Doctor of Chropractic.

Same 4 years after your undergrad, but different training.

There are also "osteopaths", who go to osteopathic school, and get a DO: Doctor of Osteopathy.

Also 4 years after undergrad. They also do bone manipulation stuff, but also know most of what MDs know, as their first 2-3 years of education are the same.

Osteopaths go through an education very similar to medical students, so they are a lot more accepted by orthodox medical community than are chiropractics, who are essentially seen as quacks.

But then you always hear good stories (on this board also; do a search) about chiropractics. So I don't know what it is... call it the placebo effect, call it a science not yet understood by traditional scientists.

http://www.quackwatch.org is an AMAZING site. The guy who runs it gets death threats!

Quote :

"Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions Operated by Stephen Barrett, M.D. "

Basically calls out dubious or fake treatment methods, doctors, advertisements, products, theories, etc.

Osteopathy has a tiny entry there, but there is a WHOLE HUGE section devoted to chiropractic In fact, he has set up a WHOLE NEW WEBSITE for it, along with a registered DC! (http://www.chirobase.org)

http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/osteo.html

11/8/2005 6:53:23 PM

I am extremely happy with my chiropractor, but I agree that setup does sound a bit suspicious. I would get the opinion of a chiropractor unaffiliated with your gym. Let me know if you'd like the contact info for mine. She has honestly solved problems that I have been having for years. Yes, I do still go from time to time, but it's much less often and I am no longer experiencing daily pain.

11/8/2005 6:53:40 PM

This is a big time pwnt:

http://www.chirobase.org/03Edu/webclaims.html

11/8/2005 7:01:06 PM

Quote :

"Plus Penn & Teller says it's BULLSHIT! "

Greatest show, ever.

11/8/2005 8:36:41 PM

I have gone to a chirotpractor and they helped me out tremndously, my back was better in no time.

11/9/2005 3:20:01 AM

Quote :

"rice crispies...Snap crackle POP"

ahahahahaha gg

11/9/2005 4:23:37 AM

Quote :

"It sounds shady, but it's probably worth having your doctor check it out, just to be safe."

11/9/2005 4:44:02 AM

not all chiropractic work is bs.

I do know several people who have benefited from it for migraines. You can actually have your neck and back move out of alignment and have it put pressure on the nerves and not realize that the entire cause is from the bones and only use pain meds to treat.

Example: alot of teachers spend time bent over a desk. Instead of straightening up to look up, they just crain their neck. My friend gets alot of headaches which she though was just from reading and grading. When she started getting her neck worked on which the chiropractor said was from this craining most putting pressure and actually shifting slightly of the bones, she actually got off of all pain meds and 90% of her headaches went away and she now goes maybe 1 time a month or every other month.

Another friend was in a car wreck and years later had headaches and was told what you were told, jenbncsu, and after several treatments got off narcotics and stopped seeing a neurologist.

I'm seeing a neruologist for migraines at UNC and even he has mentioned the *possiblity* of seeinga chiropractor, though yes he is skeptical. So if a published clinician at a research hospital is willing to even mention the use of chriopractic work, then I would not call it all BS.

That said... I would not rush into it.

11/9/2005 10:36:51 AM

Quote :

"I have gone to a chirotpractor and they helped me out tremndously, my back was better in no time."

Never underestimate the power of persuasion. Using emotional language can do a lot for a process. A study was done where they had these "magnet" vests at a mall saying that the magnets would realign your electric field... except the magnets had been demagnetized. People would wear it at the mall for 30 minutes and say "oh my God I feel so much better."

Half the time, believing that you'll be better is half the equation. I won't fault you for buying a magnet vest, but when you let a quack modify the structure of your spine and pop your bones... that's where I stop with the whole mess.

[Edited on November 9, 2005 at 11:06 AM. Reason : .]

11/9/2005 11:06:00 AM

i was really skeptical and only went so i could say "see that didnt help at all" and i left feeling a lot better
i guess it could have been persuasion but i think its probably him cracking my back and neck

11/9/2005 11:12:23 AM

For anyone who really is interested in the bullshit that is chiropracters, pick up season one of Penn & Teller's showtime documentary "Bullshit." It'll expose more than just chiropracters... including penis enlargement treatments, the environmentalist movement, near death experiences, ouiji boards, and more. And they're highly entertaining.

11/9/2005 11:17:22 AM

SCAM - Don't waste your money.

11/9/2005 2:11:47 PM

if you have real problems a chiropractor can't help you. I was amazed that the chiropractor I went to could even tell what my problems were (I guess having gone to real med school might helped him on that one)... but I went to six sessions and I swear that he had no clue what he was doing and just made me worse. The exercises helped a little.... but chiropractors just make their money off of telling you that your problems are worse than they really are and then persuading you that you are slowly getting better when in all actuality you are just gettind addicted to the techniques they do.
physical therapy works so much better.... if you really have a problem with your neck, go see an orthopedic, they are more qualified.

11/9/2005 3:04:00 PM

i have had great experiences with chiropractor over the years

the key is finding a good one

11/9/2005 3:07:12 PM

me too my chiropractor worked miracles on me! It twas amaziiinnnggg

11/9/2005 3:26:16 PM

I <3 chiropractors and massage therapy

11/9/2005 3:28:40 PM

BULLSHIT!

11/9/2005 3:32:59 PM

The shit Chiropractors do feels good but it's really not helping any medical condition. They always find something wrong on an x-ray too. Decreased/increased lordis, subluxations, herniations. A bunch of stuff that they see on an x-ray that ortho's don't mention when they take x-rays or MRI's. I guess if you are in a lot of pain and nothing else works you could give it a try, but you won't see me at one anytime soon.

(I might be biased though because I'm an insurance adjuster and I see their bullshit constantly)

11/9/2005 5:32:21 PM

i've gone to the chiro after ive been in car accidents...and currently seeing one now cause i was in a wreck about 2 weeks ago. i think it works well, but the ones that i go to also work closely with back/nerve doctors and aren't afraid to refer you to an orthopaedist if chiro won't help.

i wouldnt trust one at the gym...a free nutritionist is cool...but a free chiro is sketch

11/9/2005 5:52:14 PM