Chiropractors and Deadlifts

copperman · 19-Sep-07, 07:37 PM

A little over two years ago I was hit by a car and seriously hurt my lower back. Since then I have been unable to do deadlifts without excruciating pain. I have went to specialist after specialist, and they all say the same thing, "You will just have to deal with it, here is some vicoden". To make a long story short, I finally decided to try a chiropractor, and after only three sessions, most of the pain in my back is gone. Today I was able to deadlift 365 lbs for one rep. I know that is not very heavym but after not being able to do much for over two years, I am happy.

**.V.** · 20-Sep-07, 12:33 AM

Way to go. And heavy is relative to your ability. That's about 50lbs better than my own personal 1RM ever. I've noticed that when my back hurts sometimes deadlifting actually helps it feel better.

F_Mac · 20-Sep-07, 12:45 AM

Congrats..........if you can pull that much after such a long layoff you must be a natural puller. Or just a big strong dude.......

**gymgirl** · 20-Sep-07, 09:09 AM

congrats man, that's great news!

**minime** · 20-Sep-07, 12:52 PM

congrats! that is great news. I always thought chiropractors were a bunch of rip off artists but perhaps i was wrong! that is great to hear, i know how frustrated i would be if i had been in your situation.

copperman · 20-Sep-07, 07:28 PM

Thanks for the support, I hope to get my dead over 500 at some point. It would be nice to be able to do bench and dead at the same competition!

Eric_B · 22-Sep-07, 04:53 PM

That's awesome man, very good news. My dad was in a similar situation until he worked with a chiropractor and now he's been able to start deadlifting too. Good luck and be safe!

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Merrida · 12-Oct-07, 06:15 PM

Why do people hate chiros?

I know some are charlatans, but so are a lot of other fields. There are dentists that will make you come back for tens of thousands of dollars worth of work you don't need. Insurance has pretty much cut out doctors ordering excessive testing (but I think that's a BAD thing, because they actually get PAID, money in their pocket, to under-treat us). How do you feel about acupuncture, Feldenkrais, Rolfing? Cranio-Sacral therapy?

Personally I think a few of those practices are helpful and a few are fake ways to make money (just my opinion).

But if you think that 98% of your nerves run through your spinal column, why wouldn't it make sense that manipulation of your spine could have an impact?

ajarvis · 14-Oct-07, 01:15 PM

I personally think Chiropractors are great. They definitely helped my neck problems. Since having my son some of them are back - along with back issues, but that's from carrying him on one side, and just from being pregnant in general! As soon as I can afford it I'm going back to the Chiro - just gotta make sure to find a good one!

Merrida · 14-Oct-07, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajarvis

I personally think Chiropractors are great. They definitely helped my neck problems. Since having my son some of them are back - along with back issues, but that's from carrying him on one side, and just from being pregnant in general! As soon as I can afford it I'm going back to the Chiro - just gotta make sure to find a good one!

I'm with ya. And it IS about finding a good one. The best way, I've found, to find the best of any practitioner, is,.....word of mouth.

**Firehawk** · 15-Oct-07, 06:34 AM

Well once a chiro adjusts you, don't you have to keep getting adjustments, or no?

**midgetcop** · 15-Oct-07, 10:27 AM

I have a very strong opinion on chiropracters....but then again, that's my personal experience (and experience of my girlfriend). If it's working for some people, then I can't argue with that. I know that going to a chiropracter for 2 years delayed me from going to my doctor and getting a REAL diagnosis for my back problems. My chiros (I saw more than one) just kept telling me to come back for adjustments, without concern for the underlying cause of my back pain. I'm fairly sure that these manipulations just aggravated my arthritis, which I've now discovered I've had all along.

I think the tipping point came for me when I saw some recent x-rays of my back ordered by my doctor. When I went to my first chiro he had taken x-rays as well, and showed me some curvatures of my spine. He told me that that was a "bad thing", and that with regular adjustments this could be straightened and corrected. When I took a look at my more recent x-rays, I could plainly see that my back was just as crooked as when I started. 2 years of adjustments and hundreds of dollars later didn't really pay off, now did it?

F_Mac · 15-Oct-07, 10:40 AM

Funny, I just saw an episode of Penn & Teller's "Bullsh1t" and they were talking about "alternative medicine" and they focused on magnet therapy, reflexology, and (drumroll) chiropractors.

Basically the whole thing was about how there is really no proven science behind anything they do.

Merrida · 15-Oct-07, 12:31 PM

But you know what's interesting. Chiropractors are required to have more eduational hours put in than medical doctors in almost all areas except ob/gyn. They put more hours in under diagnosis and evaluation studies, more in gross anatomy. If you ever saw a side by side chart of the comparison it may shock you just what areas your chiro is more schooled in.

That said, I think it's a pretty unrealistic thing to say that adjustments can straighten out any type of scoliosis. I don't think they're the cure-all for everything, but I've found relief, especially when my dorsals get hung up, and affect my breathing.

Not all chiros make you come in 3 x week forever. But like anything else, we see our docs every year, our dentist twice a year, what's wrong with seeing a chiro a few times a year for maintenance IF it works for you.

Penn & Teller can debunk it all they want but there's also science to it that you can't deny: When you manipulate the joints around your spinal cord, how can one imagine that there cannot be an effect.

A good chiro who isn't a charlatan won't make you a repeat customer and drain you dry. A client who's an MD sees a DC,...works for him, which I find interesting.

**midgetcop** · 15-Oct-07, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merrida

Penn & Teller can debunk it all they want but there's also science to it that you can't deny: When you manipulate the joints around your spinal cord, how can one imagine that there cannot be an effect.

It does *seem* like it should be obvious, but there actually isn't any scientific proof that backs that claim. It's even still widely disputed that "vertebral sublexations" exist at all.

Again, I'm not railing against anyone here who does find relief through chiropractic care. But I certainly feel duped through my experiences.