I think I might be falling in love with my chiropractor. Not only does he work magic on my back and shoulders, but he gives me such sound advice about chiropractic care and general self care too.
Take the other day for instance. My shoulder had all but seized up again, and I was having sleepless nights. A few clicks and pulls and a little massage and I was in much better working order.
Tick, tock, tick. Trying to keep this over 50 body of mine well oiled.
Then he gave me a little lecture. All about the holistic philosophy behind chiropractic care; the need to eat a balanced diet, to have adequate rest, not to stress about things, and very importantly to keep up the weight bearing, stretching and stamina based exercises (or start them under the professional eye of experts) as we get older.
Like I said, sound advice. If you ask me.
Seeing a chiropractor works for me.
He reminded me that the pharmaceutical industry spends millions promoting prescription medications to relieve pain but do not treat the cause of that pain, and that natural chiropractic care has survived for over a century.
My chiropractor has helped locate and reduce the cause of my painful shoulder naturally without drugs.
Whereas, for weeks previously the only thing that helped reduce the pain were regular doses of ibuprofen and hot wheat packs applied to the sore area.
Now I’m not saying you should rush out and see a chiropractor but I am saying it seems to work for me. It’s also maybe more beneficial than some other alternative back massages to relieve pain … Ahem … as in the photo below 😉 Oh dear, Puleese not!
How can you explain chiropractic care?
“Simple”, says Greg Marslen from Marslen Chiropractic Centre in the newsletter, “The focus is on reducing nerve interference, usually along the spine because the moving bones of the spinal column are common culprits producing the nerve interferences. Your body is constantly dealing with the force of gravity. When one area of your spine malfunctions, an equal and opposite reaction can appear elsewhere.”
Although I walk for about 50 minutes every weekday, and generally cycle at the weekend, there is room for improvement in my daily life, Greg advised me.
He suggested to improve my spine health I should also be doing …
Regular Yoga – for stretching and lengthening.
Shoulder weights – under the watchful eye of a sports trainer to improve the muscles around my shoulders.
Keep up the regular walking and cycling for aerobic exercise and stamina.
Eat properly – get adequate good fats (for hormonal health) and eat a balanced diet.
When to see a chiropractor
I’ve read that any of the following ailments might be helped by chiropractic care and could be a reason, on the advice of your Doctor, to seek out a qualified and recommended chiropractor.
- Headaches
- Joint or Muscle Pain
- You sit at the computer for long periods of time
- You get frequent back, neck or shoulder pain
How to find the best chiropractor
I’ve also read that there are risks involved with chiropractic care, so it’s important to find the best chiropractor for your needs. Find a chiropractor you trust, who has proper qualifications and a good referral rate.
- Firstly ask your Doctor to recommend the best chiropractor he/she knows.
- You should see significant improvement after a few visits, so a chiropractor who tells you otherwise may be dodgy.
- The best chiropractors will explain that chiropractic neck manipulation can cause serious injuries, including stroke. Make sure they inform you about this and other procedures, make sure you accept the risks, and make sure they ask you to give informed, written consent prior to any manipulation.
- In addition to your Doctor’s advice ask around … have your friends had positive results with a particular chiropractor?
Are Chiropractors Doctors?
Chiropractors should have studied for 4 or 5 years at university and are considered allied health professionals. but they are not doctors. They shouldn’t claim to treat disease or infections, for instance.
The origins of chiropractic
“Chiropractic has its origins in a quasi-religious system of healing invented by American bonesetter and magnetic healer Daniel Palmer, in the late 19th century.
At its core was the belief that the body possessed an innate intelligence, defined as an energy or vital force that enabled the body to heal itself, but whose functioning could be impeded by subluxations (displacements). The chiropractor’s remit was to detect and correct these subluxations.
As any doctor will tell you, an orthopaedic subluxation is a real thing – it’s a painful partial dislocation or misalignment of a vertebra that can be seen on an X-Ray image. They rarely affect nerves though, and don’t cause disease. But a chiropractic subluxation refers to a functional entity, and can’t necessarily be detected via X-Ray or modern medical imaging.” Your Guide to Chiropractic Treatmentby Karina Bray.
Benefits of chiropractic care
I’ve read that chiropractic care can relieve stress, improve posture, improve your mood and improve your sleep.
Now I’m a woman over 50, quite frankly, all of those things have become issues for me.
I can only speak for myself, and I’m not a health professional, but as I spend a lot of time sitting down at the computer regular visits to see my chiropractor seem to help keep me free of neck and shoulder pain.
I also follow my chiropractor’s advice when it comes to exercises I should do at home, which ensure I give the manipulations he performs the best chance of working over time.
If I’m ever in doubt though, I refer to my Doctor, as you should too.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. I am not a medical professional nor am I providing medical guidance. This post should not be taken as specific health advice. It’s a post that relates only to my own health and what I’ve found out about chiropractic care for myself. I advise you to speak to your own Doctor or health professional before seeking chiropractic care yourself.
Do you already have chiropractic care?
Does it help you?
Do you believe in the benefits of chiropractice?
Women Over 50 Tell Their Stories – Jan Robinson
I tend to go to a physiotherapist as my first port of call when I have muscular issues. I also ended up with a frozen shoulder a year or so ago – the physio couldn’t fix it, but recommended a great sports doctor who did an U/S guided cortisone injection that marked the turning point in getting things back to normal. I probably need to do some more resistance/weight bearing exercise and stop being so lazy!
MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Leanne 🙂 And thank you for sharing too 🙂
Great advice Jo and so much good information in your post. I’ve been to an Osteopath this year and she cured my back pain. I was able to run another marathon because of her treatment and advice, like your Chiro – yoga, stretching and strength. I now rarely have back pain and my posture has improved. Isn’t it great when you find a practitioner who you just click with? Thanks so much for sharing with us at #MLSTL and have a beautiful week. xx
Hi Sue, I’m so glad you’ve had positive experiences and are no longer in pain. Isn’t it great when things actually work for us and are a success. Go you with the marathons – seriously impressed!
I’ve never been to a chiropractor, but my husband swears by his. I do love my massage therapist.
I confess to preferring a massage Christie 🙂 but it doesn’t sort me out like a visit to the chiro.
Hi Johanna, I went to a chiropractor for 2-3 years some time ago. I’d slipped on an icy footpath on my back and had a terrible pain in my neck. For a while I couldn’t even turn my head. He did wonders, was very expensive (sometimes I was seeing him up to 3 times a week), and I suspect, but can’t prove, that he took photos of me when I was lying on the bed, face down and unable to turn my head to look behind me, as my gown had fallen open at the back and my entire back and underwear was exposed. I didn’t confront him, but I distinctly heard 2 strange sounds that sounded like the ‘click’ you can hear sometimes when taking photos. I just didn’t know what to do. I continued going to him until I thought I could manage without him, then took my x-rays and never went back. It’s terrible to be in such a vulnerable situation, knowing that this person is necessary for your well-being. I hope others have had only positive experiences with their chiropractors!
Crikey Cheryl – that’s terrible. Poor you. I’m surprised you had to put a gown on though, I’ve always kept all my clothes on, and just made sure that I’m wearing a comfortable t-shirt and stretchy trousers. The only good thing is that it seems this chiropractor helped you with the pain in your neck. I think I would have said something though if my gown had come undone. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with chiropractors so count myself very lucky.
Yeah, the worst thing is not being 100% sure about it (although in my heart, I’m sure of what I heard). I always had to be in just underpants, with a hospital gown on that’s open at the back (not even any ties). Yes, he did help with my neck, that’s true. I expected him to be professional, so with a gaping gown I didn’t think anything of it. I guess we forget that health ‘professionals’ are people too. It’s difficult here (Russia) to find health care providers whose English is good enough to not only understand them, but to be understood – misunderstanding because of language can cause all sorts of problems. I think that’s why I continued seeing him after it happened, I wasn’t sure I could find another chiro with good English language skills. I just wonder about it from time to time, I don’t think I’m psychologically damaged by it (well, not too much anyway). Another time when my gown opened accidentally, he said ‘I like what I see’, and I ignored him. I was frozen actually, couldn’t have said anything even if I wanted to. They know that we depend on them to ease our pain, so they feel they can abuse us without fear of being challenged about it, I guess.
How awful for you Cheryl. It must be so hard with a language barrier to actually know how to deal with something like that. I hope you have found a health care provider now that you feel you can trust.
Thanks Johanna, yes, it’s hard. Especially at our age and everything’s starting to change in our bodies. I have found the solution – I no longer go to doctors or health professionals! 🙂
One of the instruments used in Chiropractic makes a clicking sound. This may have been what Cheryl heard and mistook for a camera. The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique is a type of manipulation described as follows: A spring-loaded, hand-held mechanical instrument called the Activator Adjusting Instrument provides a quick, low-force impulse at specific points.
I’m sure that anyone wanting to take a sneaky photo would surely turn the sound off…this is very easy to do.
Hi Alison, thanks for your comments and explanation. Thank you for pointing this out. Although it may not have been the reason for Cheryl’s experience, I also wondered if the noise she heard could have been the instrument you mention. I’ve also experienced this technique and the clicking sound it makes.
Great to hear you benefit from Chiropractic care! I enjoyed reading your story.
I do wish to point out, that in fact, Chiropractors are Doctors! All Chiropractors receive a doctoral degree and must pass both National Board Examinations and state licensing exams to practice.
Chiropractors are not a MD, which is a medical doctor. Which is what I believe you were trying to state in your article. There are many different types of doctors. Such as a dentist, psychiatrist, PhD., Accupuncture, etc. The title of Doctor is actually the highest level of education given by a graduate school and its Latin origin means “teacher”.
Thanks again for the wonderful story and keep up the good work of living a healthy life!
Hello Richard, I’m so glad you enjoyed the story, but thank you so much for pointing out my mistake. I didn’t realise that in fact Chiropractors are Doctors, but not MD’s which you rightly assumed I was putting forward as the only kind of Doctor in my post. Thank you for reading, and for putting me straight on this point, I really appreciate it 🙂 Yes, I shall try to continue to keep living a healthy life, and hopefully keep on inspiring others too 🙂