I'm as skeptical as the next guy when it comes to health stuff but I've always had good results when I go to a chiro. I go once a quarter or so when something is jacked up. I get rib subluxations a couple of times a year and one visit to the chiro ends a week or two of pain and discomfort.

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I had a total hip replacement in 2014. Doctor said I would be back in 2015 to have my other hip replaced. I immediately started pilates training and I never had to have the other hip replaced. I would recommend looking into reformer pilates

I have been going to the same Chiro for a few decades now. He has bailed me out of many occasions where I have really hurt myself. I would disagree with the statement that 'all Chiro's are BS.' Mine is sports oriented and the fact that he has many signed jerseys ( Elway, Montana, Bonds, Davd Logan, trained 'Worlds Strongest Men', etc) on his walls should provide some reassurance.

The trick, like any Doctor, is to find a good one !

db

I have been going to the Chiro my whole life as I have family members who are Chiros. I agree some Chiros are BS but not all. Ask the athletes in your area who they recommend and start there. Any Chiro that tells you that you need to see them twice a week for several months is total BS.

I have the same issue as you as my hips get out of alignment. When this happens one of your legs is longer than the other. If you don't get that fixed that can lead to injury. A good chiro can fix that in a single visit. I go once every 6 weeks as long as I don't have any injury (like a bike crash) when I will go more often.

Awesome alternative option, thanks. Did you find that pilates helped more with strength or mobility? Both? I guess the question is, what about it saved your hip?

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I'm DaBaby but ya baby daddy really wanna be me

And are they...'cracking' or 'popping' your hip? That gives me a certain level of unease...

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I'm DaBaby but ya baby daddy really wanna be me

I'm willing to give chiro the The benefit of the doubt when it comes to some musculoskeletal issues. But, anyone that says they can cure any infectious disease, cancer, or anything like that with a bone realignment is just fundamentally wrong. So, if a chiro knows the limitations and refers to MD for things outside their realm...... Ok, maybe. As the poster above said, anyone who says "come see me x times a week for the next xxx months" is also highly suspect.

Nevertheless, I will never go see one.

I am with Tom on this. I have seen a Chiropractor for acute musculoskeletal issues and it has definitely helped. I went for a visit or 2, it felt better and she said i was good to go.

I recently went to a new chiropractor who tried to insist i need twice a week adjustments for 6 months at a cost of hundreds of dollars a month. He also claimed he was going to fix my allergies and asthma as wel as every other ailment and disease under the sun. Once I saw the anti vaccine articles on the wall in the office and completely filling their Facebook page I never went back. Telling people to bring their kids for regular(and expensive) spinal adjustments in lieu of vaccinations goes beyond BS and into criminal in my opinion.

On a side note i have found hot yoga does wonders for my hip pain and flexibility.

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Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, "Would an idiot do that?" And if they would, I do not do that thing.

In my experience, BS. I've seen 3 fairly well regarded chiros in the DC area and can't say I ever felt better after being treated. Found rest/taking a break from the activity that caused the problem to yield better results. I think many people believe they will lose their fitness if they take a week or two of complete rest, probably won't lose any fitness in reality.

They can be expensive buggers but I've never had a bad experience with chiros.

I started with "regular" chiro - those that only pop things back. Not much luck. Then I went with one that does ART (where they work the muscles as well) -- whole other ball game. If you don't deal with the cause of the issue (normally my issue is my muscles pull my hips out of alignment), then things will return.

I have gotten to where I don't see to see him often. But I will call him when something goes wrong (like a solid bike crash!).

Like anything else -- there are good ones; there are others to not bother with. Ask those in your areas that race like you for referrals.

I have had really good luck with them. I did go to one that I did not like, but he was the old old fashioned style. He only cracked and popped and never even took an x-ray (only 1 I could find open the day I threw my back out), got things back in, but not in the best way.

The newer one I went to required an x-ray first and the way he did things was great and also he worked with giving tips and exercises that could help the issues from re-occurring. My thought is if they do not x-ray to double check things (if working on the back/neck) then you probably should find another. Hips x-ray probably not needed.

There is such a thing as maximum lifetime radiation dose. Torso xrays are a pretty heft dosage.

In my opinion, they are not. They have been a game changer for me for both acute issues and general well being. I can cite multiple instances of signficant back/hip/neck issues which were quickly resolved in a few visits where PT and/or drugs did nothing. I have also walked into our DC's office literally carrying a box of Kleenex due to a horrible head cold and walked out breathing free and clear. I generally go in once a week, and haven't had a cold or the flu in at least 10 years, and I travel at least two weeks out of the month.

Yes, some sound like quacks at times, but get a referral to a good one and your life might just change for the better. And of course most MDs are going to say they are quacks - anything that runs counter to the western medicine establishment (aka pharmaceuticals) is quackery. I'm not saying PT is useless either. Give it a shot - worst case you're out a few bucks, best case you're back to 100%.

You mean evidence based science?

Speaking as a chiro, I would say that you may benefit from treatment (impossible to know without a history/assessment) if you are also experiencing pain with running. Your best bet would be finding a good evidence-based sports chiro or physio and will be able to identify what is going on and provide a treatment plan. That being said no chiro or MSK provider is going to be able to realign your hips or pelvis. That is pretty old school thinking - bones don't actually go out of place because if they did that would result dislocation and of urgent concern. Overall, I would say advice you are getting from good evidence-based chiro is going to be the same information an evidence-based physio is also going to give you.

I couldn't agree with your post more. I could have written about the exact same experience.

My massage therapist works out of a chiropractor office a couple days a week. He told me not to bother with chiropractic for years then one day a new chiro enters the practice who does ART and he says give her a try. She adjusted and then described the cause of the underlying issues and suggested strength training and stretching exercises that could help. She said she loves dealing with athletes because they will do the work so they don't have to constantly be adjusted. The lack of desire from patients to fix the underlying issue is what she told me keeps most chiros in business.

There are good and bad in all professions.

Limb-length discrepancy isn’t mostly a FUNCTIONAL problem, and not an anatomical problem.

I had really bad lower back pain that affected my run so badly that I couldn’t take a running stride for weeks. I worked at a college then, and the head trainer measured my legs. This measurement was from the navel to the medial ankle. It found that one leg (I forget which one now) was 3cm (!!!) shorter than the other. He suggested I get heel inserts and that I run on the other side of the street so that my hips wouldn’t be torqued to that side as I lean. I ordered 1.5cm lifts, splitting the difference. My run got mixed results and little recovery.

I then saw the assistant trainer. She decided to measure my true limb lengths. She measured from my lateral hip bones to my lateral ankles. It turns out that my legs were EXACTLY the same length on five remeasurements. Not a fluke. She suggested that I had a functional length discrepancy, essentially how my core muscles aligned my hips during my run stride. She suggested core exercises. As a coach, I knew many. I started doing those immediately daily, and I ran better in a matter of days.

The lesson: trainers (and PT’s), who train specifically in sports modalities, and who have evidence-based training (and earn MS degrees), should be consulted. Sports-doc Orthos also. FWIW, my uncle is an orthopod and a team doctor, and had very little good to say a out chiros. I thought he’d also have a problem with DO’s, but he pointed out that they’re medical doctors who trained at WHO-certified mes schools.

It took a running show saleswoman at a LRS to diagnose my back problem, as well as my penchant for wearing out my left heel quicker in my running shoes. She knew I’m a lifelong swimmer. She asked if I breathed to one side. Yes. Right side 98% of the time over a conservative estimate of 30,000km in the water over 41 years. Makes sense. One set of lats is more flexible, and the other set of obliques is also, and I roll more on the left to breathe to the right. The fix is core exercise.

For what it is worth here is my view. I have been an orthopaedic surgeon for 25 years and have operated in over 2000 hips. You cannot realign a hip joint from a mechanical point of view. What is often meant by that is what Kelly Startet preaches: Improve your range of motion with mobility exercises and you will be fine.

Celebrity endorsements are not a replacement for evidence or good judgement.
There are many, many, celebrities endorsing all sorts of utter snake oil. There's no shortage of folks enthusiastic about homeopathy nonesense like Goop!

Just like anything else there are good and bad Chiros. I have been going once a month for 35 years (whether I need it or not) . . . I think it has helped. Others disagree. I feel better, have had reasonably good longevity of performance and health, and tend to nip injuries in the bud; so, I'll probably keep going.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

This!

Not to mention that unfortunately many of the bigger sports celebs are outright morons - who nonetheless got very far in life on the strength of superior talent and/or work ethic.
You get some exceptions like Shaq and what not, but generally you're talking about people with very little education and who frequently go flat broke.

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I have the same issue and it has stopped me running higher volumes for years but I've struggled to find someone that can fix it and not need regular visits. I will try again once I recover from my surgery

It isn't the name on the door more what they end up doing with you.

IMHO the chiropractors that are most effective are de-facto physios. Like if you have a MSK problem they get you doing stretches and learning new patterns of motion strengthening muscles that are out of balance etc. I don't think you can re align a hip by simply manipulating it.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot