Chiropractor... Anyone?.,, | Arthritis Information

 

My SIL's new boyfriend is a chiropractor. He claims he can help me get back some range of motion. He also says he'll just take whatever the insurance will since I am her brother (BIL really....). The question I have is has anyone tried it for RA and has it helped?

Never tried it for RA, but I did have a severe back sprain/strain several years back that lasted for weeks and weeks.  My doctor had tried Medrol (prednisone analog), NSAIDs, flexeril, vicodin... it still hurt like hell.  After a month of barely being able to lift my kids (they were toddlers at the time), on a whim I went to a chiropractor one day.  OMG.  After that visit my pain went away.  GONE.  I actually went through a day of mild opiate withdrawl because I went cold-turkey from 8 vicodins per day to none.  And prior to that I thought chiropractic was a big bag of BS.

I've not tried it for RA though - my main problem areas are knuckles (hands and feet).  I can't imagine how they could do anything about that, and besides, my drug/fish oil regimen seems to be working quite well.
I'm scared a chiroprater would break my bones. For real!I have neck/spine involvement and was told to never ever use a chiro...[QUOTE=owiemom]I have neck/spine involvement and was told to never ever use a chiro...[/QUOTE] someone with RA should never let a chiropracter touch their neck...and I was told that from insturcters in chiropracty at Life University a big training school

I used to work for a doctor of chiropractic that actually graduated from Life School of Chiropractic and we were located less that a block from Life and I have never heard that before.

I have neck/spine involvement and my ortho has no issue with me seeing my chiro.  My chiro has helped a lot in the past, less so as time has gone on and I have accumulated illnesses/injuries that just aren't helped as well by chiropractic.  I see him about once a month for an adjustment.  I have been seeing him since long before my RA started.

 

Like all docs, I believe there are good and bad chiros, so I always advise people to check with their state board.  My chiro actually sat on our state board for awhile and told me I wouldn't believe some of the horror stories he saw.

Can't help and can only say hope JSNM sees this.

[QUOTE=Pip!]

Can't help and can only say hope JSNM sees this.

I was told by a neck specialist at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Institute that repeated chiropractic neck adjustments would seriously damage the neck.   Never saw a chiropractor again.  Have had physical therapy. I went to a chiropractor for my neck after physical therapy and three epidurals failed to give me relief.   Actually, the physical therapy made me worse.  The chiro I went to DID NOT use manual manipulation.  He had a hand held device that he used to move the vertebrae.  He helped a lot.  I'm seriously thinking about going to him now for my back pain.  The only problem now is that my current insurance won't pay nearly as much as when I saw him last. I go to chiropractor for an adjustment about twice a year or so depending on what I have been doing. And I always feel great after. You should make sure the Dr knows about Ra and knows how to adjust around that.
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