any positive experiences with a chiropractor?

I just starting seeing a chiropractor again recently for neck pain associated with my chronic migraines. I saw one (the same one) before for a few months and noticed a small overall improvement and he is very supportive of me and understanding. Recently, my neck and back have been hurting and really stiff, so I decided to give it another shot. But, I have been hearing some horror stories about chiros making migraines worse. And, at this point, I can't imagine my migraines getting any worse!! So, what has been your experience with a chiropractor??

I tried two regular chiropractors and one NUCCA chiropractor. They did not help with the neck and shoulder pain nor with the chronic headache.

The two therapies that have helped have been Bowen Therapy and the Myofascial Release (John Barnes type). Also, I had some relief with trigger point massage therapy. However, all three therapies will cause me dizziness if they touch the SCM muscle (the muscles that connect the back of the ear to the front of the sternum).

For awhile, of the six acupuncturists, that I tried, one really helped. But, for whatever reason, his treatments no longer work on me for more than a day.

But, what has helped a great deal has been trying different pillows. Right now, I am using "mypillow" and the "sleepmatterzzz" pillows. The jury is still out on the latter one, because it is an dual valve air adjustable pillow and I am still working out the right air pressure for my neck and for my head (two separate valves). Take a look on Amazon.com, I reviewed it (under mxgo): http://www.amazon.com/Roho-Sleepmatterzzz-Dual-Valve-Cervical-Pillow/dp/B000Q4EV8W/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331839190&sr=8-1-fkmr1

Martin

I also did not get much help from chiropractor for my M, nor for my neck pain. He was also very nice, but sadly their claims that they can help with M are just not true.

Later on I discovered that the neck pain was caused by 'wear and tear' and some osteaporosis on the neck vertbrae and resulting inlammation, as well as as pain radiating downwards from M.

You can try it of course, perhaps your experience will be different. I hope so.

my head hurts like crazy today, and i'm too tired to post, but feel i must, because of the subject.

a NUCCA chiropractor ruined my neck. ruined it so badly that i had a completely fragmented/ruptured disc up high (C3-4) which required surgery. the lower down the disc damage, the less likely is paralysis if the spinal cord is impinged. in my case, if i had fallen i might have been paralyzed or in a w/chair.....

i'd been to numerous chiros in the past, believing all their (sorry) crap. i now think they are dangerous people. perhaps not, with adjustments of other parts of the body, but the neck........eeeeeeeeeek. just my opinion.

dianne (43 years of head pain, and most days are better than this one)

I used to see a chiropractor for my migraines and neck pain before I moved here. It did help somewhat. My neck was much better and the migraines got a little better. He did adjustments, trigger point massage, and ultrasound therapy.

I saw one Chiro who did not help much, and another one who was much better. I have found there is a significant difference between chiropractors. I recommend doing your research first. Try a person for a few times to see how their method works for you before getting locked into any commitments.

I tend to stay away from those who want you to spend time on "rolling beds" and muscle stmulators as those just rack up costs and don't seem to do much for me. I also want to make sure they are really checking on alignment and are sensitive to where my problem areas are.

Finally I don't allow physical manipulations of my neck as that just makes things worse. I only allow adjustments with the actuator (a device like a metal plunger that puts pressure in a specific spot). This works much better for gettingsmy neck adjusted in a way that is more likely to hold and avoids large physical adjustments that make the headaches worse.

I thankfully haven't had any lasting chiro damage, but knowing what I know now, I would never go back to a regular one. They can do lasting damage. I would be very careful. I had thought the NUCCA type (upper cervical) was much more safe, but reading dcook's comment, it scares me. I've been going there more recently. Four visits and no significant help yet, so I'll try one or two more. He does such gentle adjustments at my jaw for my neck that it feels like nothing is being done. The fact that x-rays are done, and then measurements each visit (mostly of the hips) made me feel that it was more science based then just crack and collect lol.

Proceed with caution is my best advice. Better, yet, stay away until you are really desperate. There usually are other options. Sure I have heard some great success stories, but very few with headache/neck problems (more with more minor back pains). I think its more muscular, nerve, ligament based than alignment. Yeah a lot of chiros definitely have that I can cure anyone attitude. You also often get into an endless cycle of needing to go in every so often.

I would definitely try physical and massage therapy first. I think they are more likely to help and it would be very tough to have them cause harm. The massage can at least be relaxing. Insurance often covers all of this. The pt postural exercises were more helpful for me than the strength training, but I think its a good idea to at least rule out that stuff. I do better with a myofascial release type of massage...nothing like deep tissue, but it is still very restorative. Shop around to find someone that is a better fit. My neck is very tender/sensitive, but I find if the right person works on my back and such for at least 40 minutes first, by then I can tolerate some work on my neck. I really need that comfort level...if my neck gets worked on only 10 minutes in, I'll tense up and it'll hurt. Best wishes.

On the other side, I had a very bad experience with PT. They generally made my headaches much worse by manipulating the neck. In the end you need to sort out what works for you. We all have slightly different physiology and underlying problems.

Thank you all for your responses! I am not scared to pieces!! Seriously, though, I have an appointment tonight, and I'm going to keep it, but I will have to see how it goes. I have been seeing him again for only a few weeks now and I have noticed minor improvement but only for short bursts of time and it seems like I have a lot more stiffness and pain in my neck in between sessions. I don't know....

I guess I will give it another couple of weeks and see what happens..

chelle, when a person has a very delicate neck, as i've always had, any manipulation at all can make the pain far worse.

my neck was bad BEFORE i went to all those chiropractors for all those years. several times i've also tried P.T.....same story. now, i will not ever let anyone touch my neck again. not for any reason, however much they swear they can help me.

been there/done that, should have learned that lesson way before i did.

i certainly hope you get some relief with whatever route you choose. dianne

Got a freind who is a Chiro and so I went for about 6 weeks. I am used to hands on manipulation etc so there were no issues with being made worst IMO. Great guy and worth a try, but while my posture and alignment benefited sadly nothing changed with M's. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone as it can be a dangerous business in the wrong hands.

I had 15 appt in 30 days. Did not help . The Doc seemed certain he could help, and upset I did not get any relief.

I saw one for siatica with good results. About 2 x a week for four months. Good Luck.

saw a chiro for migrianes for 2 yrs, pain was lessened but they damaged an artery which caused a stroke!! dont go nr them!!

I saw a chiropractor regularly for over a year. While the treatments did not have a definite effect on my migraines, I saw it as something positive (like massage or yoga) which put me in a good frame of mind. Sadly, though, I have to echo everyone else's sentiments here in that it doesn't cure the big M.