I went to see a chiropractor today to be treated for mild scoliosis, and he used this machine called a “pro-adjuster” that looks like a little prod to stimulate my spine. It all seemed like snake oil to me - I was in and out in 10 minutes and didn’t seem to do anything at all to my spine.
Is anyone familar with this? Is it legitimate? Does it work? Has anyone else had treatment for scoliosis?
http://www.pro-adjuster.us/technology.html
Billy J
Never tried it, but I’ve had good and bad expreiences with chiros. Make sure you avoid the ones that tell you that you must come twice a week for twenty weeks.
Try and find a chiro that also does sports massage and maybe ART.
Yup - good and bad (as with any field, really)
There is definitely more “art” to chiropractic than “science” though (i.e. evidence based medicine) so it is even more important to find a good one than, say a cardiologist who practices more “science” then “art”. But good ones can be very valuable to people on this particular forum for example - not so much for others.
Never heard of it. There was something similiar called an “activator gun”. I had one and found it was good for a few things but never understood how anyone would use it exclusively. But then I’m an old school chiro that still believes that adjustments should be done by hand.
Personally I think 99% of them out there are quacks who make promises they cannot deliver on.
I think some legitimate back and neck problems and other musculoskeletal inuries can be treated by Chiropractors, but as with most treatments has to be done regularly and by someone who knows what the hell they are doing. Unfortunatley you do not have a governing body that watches over Chiropractors as you do Licensed Physicians. If I went to a Physical Therapist or Physician and they recommended that I go to a Chiropractor I would drop them like a stone unless it particularly dealt with neck or back. Now I know some people swear by them, and I do believe that they can create relief, but most people I talk to end up getting worse and making more frequent visits to get their fix.
Try and find a chiro that also does sports massage and maybe ART.
Yeah, I do have a good sports therapist who is treating me for ITB syndrome using ART (what a GODSEND that is!) and he is the one who noticed the scoliosis and recommended I see a chiropractor. He works on the affected back muscles, but he said a chiro would be needed to straighten the spine back up. I am just not convinced of this “pro-adjuster” thing - it looks too gimmicky. But I’ll give it a shot - I haven’t found anything really negative about it on Google - other than from the usual Chiropractor skeptics.
Someone who does mainly manipulation is a better choice than someone who needs to use one of those things. I ran from one chiro who pulled that out, and not out of fear.
“Unforunately you do not have a governing body that watches over Chiropractors and you do Licensed Physicians.”
In Illinois that is called the Department Of Professional Regulation and is the same board that oversees medical doctors as well as all branches of healthcare. The board is made up of Medical Doctors, if you do not know about a topic it is best not to speak to it, or to state that you are unsure. Making a statement like that is just plain false in every state and country that I know of, there may be an exception or two.
That was my initial reaction, too. I’m still up in the air on this; maybe I’ll see what other people who have tried it say, and also ask my PT guy about it. He’s pretty good and I don’t THINK he would steer me wrong.
Ouch… I should have taken up acupuncture cause obviously I hit a nerve eh Doc.
You cannot tell me that they are overseen the same way Physicians are and rarely does a wrongful death suit stem from a flawed Chiropractic procedure. Wrongful practice is soo extremly difficult to pursue in that field that mal practice is generally ignored.
I believe that the Pro-adjuster does work, but I wonder if it is not more of a gimmick to try to be different. There are good and bad in every profession, but there seem to be more nut balls in chiropractic than any other. They give us good guys a bad name. Watch out for long treatment plans, and you should see results within a short time period. If you do not like the Doc or are not getting results fire him and hire a new one.
I used to not buy into the chiro thing until I went to one out of depseration for my back. I think it is a good symptomatic fix and gets you back in action but, in and of itself, is likely not the ultimate answer to most problems. Most problems need to be addressed on a more holistic/structural level- at least the ones I was experiencing.
FWIW I did get good results from my visits and continue to go when my back gets really uncomfortable.
The incidence of injury from a chiropractic adjustment is very minimal, much less than in the hospital, I am held to the same standard of care as a MD in Illinois, I am a primary Care physician, I am not allowed to prescribe meds. In some cases by being a Chiro, with a board made up of MD’s they are actually harder on Chiro’s. I can only speak from my experience and for the state I am in. I am sure that some areas are much different than where I am, I treat every case that comes through my door with the best of my ability and I often refer patients to other physicians, if I can not help them or if I am not sure what is going on. Again, like I said good and bad in everything. We could discus many professions in this world that are much less regulated than Chiros and can effect your health as much if not more. We should not make blanket statements about any profession (except if we are discussing prostitutes you can call her a whore ;))
Since I’m a big advocate of chiro I hope it’s more science than quack.
To be truthful I couldn’t care less what others might label it as long as it works for me. I am planning on racing well into my 70’s & chiro is a key part of my wellness plan.
BTW - I have only had the “Pro adjuster” thingy used on me twice & both were small women. Could it be that you have to be a certain size to adjust without it? I don’t know, just a question.
Hope this help
Paul
I have used chiropractic treatment for 7 years and it has helped keep me running. The activator really works for me I use the treatments with part activator and actually adjustment now and have had success. I also used just activator only as well so it does work for maintenance and keeping alignment. Give it some time and see if it helps.
Between my training and my job (lots of computer work with subpar ergonomics), I need weekly chiro care. I feel it’s pretty essential to my overall wellness. I believe the poor skeletal alignment can definitely contribute to subpar muscular performance. Would you expect a race car to perform at its best with a misaligned chassis?
I have used chiropractic treatment for 7 years
Wouldn’t that suggest it’s not helping?
Some new age chiro used the gun on me. Seemed really silly, but then compared to all the crystals and other weird shit she had hanging around the room, it was pretty normal:)
Chiro is fantastic to when you really are in bad shape like Tom Demerly said. Long term it should be part of a whole array of ways to stay injury free, including weights, yoga, pilates etc.
I like your old school approach. Has worked for me.
My Bro-in-law uses one of these on maybe 10% of his patients. If and when I ever graduate from chiro school, I doubt I will ever touch one. Especially on a triathlete!
I see how a device like this MIGHT be useful, but mostly I’ve heard (from other docs and at seminars) how these types of devices allow similar treatments from different practitioners. In other words, it’s a practice-building thingy. The clinic owner can be in Kauai and know that the patients are still receiving the same type and quality of care (whatever quality that may be).
As an example, I got to view a LCL/PCL repair a few years ago and the PhysAssist did 100% of the procedure. Nothing at ALL against their field, but if I need a surgery like that, it had better be an ortho with his/her hands on me at least 1/2 the time. Similarly, my view with any manual therapy is: if the Doc his/herself isn’t willing to use their own hands on you, you might as well do it to yourself.
Maybe ask some training buddies for a referral to a more “active” doc?
After watching Penn & Teller’s “Bullshit!” episode about Chiro I’ve been pretty sceptical of the practice.