Originally posted by: ScottFern
Thats promising to hear. I know HMO are notorious for denying claims and what not but I will talk to my HR manager and see if she think something like this might be covered.
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: azoomee
Remember about a year ago I heard a chiropractor advertising that if you were sick (ie migraines, infection!, etc) they could fix it by manipulating your back.
Still curious how that would work
depends on the infection... ear infections or sinus infections, yeah. but not skin abscesses or anything (at least, i don't believe it... they teach you that it's possible (which it is), but i've yet to see it).
as for migraines, it's one of the quickest and safest ways to get rid of migraines. 9/10 of migraine headaches are cervicogenic headaches anyways. depending on how the muscles are pulling on the bones in your neck and head based on the nerves coming out of the intervertebral foramina, you can get some pretty serious headaches. also, there's an unnamed piece of duramater that connects to the anterior aspect of the posterior arch of c1 and rectus capitus posterior minor which contributes significantly to migraine headaches. if c1 is out, it will pull on the duramater bridge which will pull on the duramater around your brain which will manifest itself in increased cranial pressure and visceral symptoms (like a migraine).
they found this duramater bridge eight years ago at johns hopkins and it was published about in the nejm. chiropractic was mentioned as the main healthcare outlet to help sufferers.
as for your treatment, op, the reason why your doc gave you ultrasound and massage was because your muscles are too fired up for him to give you any kind of proper adjustment. if he tried, it would have just hurt you and he wouldn't have gotten anything to move into place because the muscles are so fired up. there's something that happens with muscles and nerves where the nerve tells the muscle to fire a certain way and the muscle's internal memory wants to tell the brain how it wants to act... the signal goes back to the cord and a reflex occurs within the interneurons. so, instead of sending the signal back to the brain, it goes right back to the muscle, keeping it fired up. so, the nerve is telling it to lock up, essentially. in order to remove that afferent signal, you need to fix the problem with the muscles first, so they won't keep themselves locked up. whenever they're not locked up anymore, then you can get adjusted so the nerves won't tell your muscles to fire up like they were doing before, which would pull the bones out of place, which would only increase the afferentation.
Oooh, now I understand... Something about afferation... Anyway, I've always wanted to see a chiropratcor, but never had the money. It would be cool if insurance really did randomly cover it.
Originally posted by: moshquerade
of course he wouldn't tell him "come see me for life". he'll start out with 6 times because that is probably the insurance limit.Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: moshquerade
he'll keep 'em coming back for life.Originally posted by: KK
yeah, now tell us how many more times he recommends you coming back to him.
i'm pretty sure the op said 6 times. unless the op's life will expire in 2-3 weeks, i don't think you're right (again).
but he will have some spiel about him needed to come back in the future.
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: moshquerade
of course he wouldn't tell him "come see me for life". he'll start out with 6 times because that is probably the insurance limit.Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: moshquerade
he'll keep 'em coming back for life.Originally posted by: KK
yeah, now tell us how many more times he recommends you coming back to him.
i'm pretty sure the op said 6 times. unless the op's life will expire in 2-3 weeks, i don't think you're right (again).
but he will have some spiel about him needed to come back in the future.
yeah, the chiropractor might say something absolutely absurd like "you might want to come in every month or so just to keep your spine in good health so you don't develop problems later on." absolutely ridiculous... you're so right. why would ANYONE want healthy vertebral discs?
while we're at it, let's harp on the dentists, too, with their "come in every couple months for your check up to make sure you don't have cavities" bullcrap. those jerks are always out for your money... and you have to keep going for life?! please... who needs healthy teeth and gums anyways?
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
go to a massage therapist if you do pursue getting one.Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Originally posted by: moshquerade
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: moshquerade
of course he wouldn't tell him "come see me for life". he'll start out with 6 times because that is probably the insurance limit.Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: moshquerade
he'll keep 'em coming back for life.Originally posted by: KK
yeah, now tell us how many more times he recommends you coming back to him.
i'm pretty sure the op said 6 times. unless the op's life will expire in 2-3 weeks, i don't think you're right (again).
but he will have some spiel about him needed to come back in the future.
yeah, the chiropractor might say something absolutely absurd like "you might want to come in every month or so just to keep your spine in good health so you don't develop problems later on." absolutely ridiculous... you're so right. why would ANYONE want healthy vertebral discs?
while we're at it, let's harp on the dentists, too, with their "come in every couple months for your check up to make sure you don't have cavities" bullcrap. those jerks are always out for your money... and you have to keep going for life?! please... who needs healthy teeth and gums anyways?
you are going to be a chiropractor eventually? get used to the criticism the chiropractic profession has brought onto itself.
comparing it to the dentistry is a lame reach at best.
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Me too.
But get real, chiropractors are not like dentists at all. I hear about half good half bad about the back-poppers. It seems that the people who happily go to them always keep going back, like everything feels good for a while, but is never really fixed. That said, there are some of them who can work wonders in a few visits, or at least I've heard.
Originally posted by: joshw10
Went to a chiropractor yesterday for the first time. I hurt my back about a month ago, combination from squats and then playing basketball I think, just overall becoming active too quickly after a few years of inactivity. It hurt right on the spine in my lower back and I can't lean backwards very far. I got it x-rayed and it was negative, someone recommended me a chiropractor so I figured what the hell, I'll see what it's about for the life-experience.
During the exam, the chiropractor said he found a misalignment in my spine, which was right around the area that I said I had pain. It would have been nice to see if he had found that same misalignment had I not told him where the pain was, but I guess it doesn't work that way.
Then I got some kind of hot electric massage that was nice, then a couple of back crackings, followed by a nice deep massage for about 25 minutes, then some other kind of massage table with a roller that goes up and down the back for about 10 minutes.
So basically, I got a fancy massage that's partially covered by insurance and cost me about $20. Not too bad a deal I guess =)
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Me too.
But get real, chiropractors are not like dentists at all. I hear about half good half bad about the back-poppers. It seems that the people who happily go to them always keep going back, like everything feels good for a while, but is never really fixed. That said, there are some of them who can work wonders in a few visits, or at least I've heard.
my analogy was in the context of maintaining health of the spine and vertebral discs.
go and google degenerative disc disease. i don't have time right now to go into it.
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Me too.
But get real, chiropractors are not like dentists at all. I hear about half good half bad about the back-poppers. It seems that the people who happily go to them always keep going back, like everything feels good for a while, but is never really fixed. That said, there are some of them who can work wonders in a few visits, or at least I've heard.
my analogy was in the context of maintaining health of the spine and vertebral discs.
go and google degenerative disc disease. i don't have time right now to go into it.
I bet it isn't as prevalent as cavities.
Originally posted by: z0mb13
try this exercise to crack your lower back yourself (also very good for golfers):
lay down on your back, legs straight, both hands strecthed out with palms facing down (think the vertruvian man, but legs are not spread apart)
lift your right leg so that your thigh is perpendicular to the ground (the knee bend makes a 90 degree angle).
slowly move your right leg to the left, try to go as far as possible with your back still touching the ground. If you do this right you should be able to easily crack your lower back yourself.
Do the same thing with the left leg.
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: z0mb13
try this exercise to crack your lower back yourself (also very good for golfers):
lay down on your back, legs straight, both hands strecthed out with palms facing down (think the vertruvian man, but legs are not spread apart)
lift your right leg so that your thigh is perpendicular to the ground (the knee bend makes a 90 degree angle).
slowly move your right leg to the left, try to go as far as possible with your back still touching the ground. If you do this right you should be able to easily crack your lower back yourself.
Do the same thing with the left leg.
the problem with that is that it's not specific. you could just be making a small lumbar problem even worse by doing that, even though it feels good. the same thing goes with cracking your neck. cracking your knuckles is safe and good to do on your own, though
the exercise you just described is a good muscle stretch exercise for the low back. it works out the ql (quadratus lumborum) and illiocostalis muscles. it works even better if you have someone helping you stretch it.
Originally posted by: z0mb13
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: z0mb13
try this exercise to crack your lower back yourself (also very good for golfers):
lay down on your back, legs straight, both hands strecthed out with palms facing down (think the vertruvian man, but legs are not spread apart)
lift your right leg so that your thigh is perpendicular to the ground (the knee bend makes a 90 degree angle).
slowly move your right leg to the left, try to go as far as possible with your back still touching the ground. If you do this right you should be able to easily crack your lower back yourself.
Do the same thing with the left leg.
the problem with that is that it's not specific. you could just be making a small lumbar problem even worse by doing that, even though it feels good. the same thing goes with cracking your neck. cracking your knuckles is safe and good to do on your own, though
the exercise you just described is a good muscle stretch exercise for the low back. it works out the ql (quadratus lumborum) and illiocostalis muscles. it works even better if you have someone helping you stretch it.
yeah I do this exercise a lot to make my lower back more flexible. I need it for the golf swing.
Originally posted by: joshw10
ok to answer the questions...
my insurance is Anthem, which has a blue cross blue shield logo next to it. Im covered for $500 in "manipulation" per year. The chiropractor is not charging a lot of money so minus the copayment it would be hard to run out of coverage unless i was going the whole year.
eits, its hard to say if it felt better. i know i felt nice and relaxed when i left, but the pain was still there when i lean backwards. today it does hurt more, but i dont know if thats from going yesterday, or because ive tested the pain several times by trying to lean back.
the massage was by a professional, at least they said they went to school for it, was the spouse of the chiropractor
now give me some physical therapy exercises if my lower back hurts on the spine when i try and lean backwards =)
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: eits
Originally posted by: themusgrat
Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
just reading about back massages makes me want one.
Me too.
But get real, chiropractors are not like dentists at all. I hear about half good half bad about the back-poppers. It seems that the people who happily go to them always keep going back, like everything feels good for a while, but is never really fixed. That said, there are some of them who can work wonders in a few visits, or at least I've heard.
my analogy was in the context of maintaining health of the spine and vertebral discs.
go and google degenerative disc disease. i don't have time right now to go into it.
I bet it isn't as prevalent as cavities.
you'd be right. thank God for toothbrushes. if only there were a way to get adjusted at home on a daily basis...
Originally posted by: joshw10
no, it's a pain entirely in a small area right on the spine in my lower back, about the same height as my waist. when i press on the area that hurts it feels like its just 1 vertebrae, with a little more pain on the top edge of it. this is the only reason i even am seeking help, so i of course mentioned the pain and the inability to lean backwards. it doesnt radiate to the legs or anything. i had it x-rayed and it was negative
if im out exercising for a while there will be slight soreness in what feels like a muscle around the tailbone but underneath the big butt muscles
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I went to a chiropractor a number of years ago when I had a muscle spasm in my lower back. I couldn't even stand up straight, getting in and out of my car was excrutiatingly painful and even rolling over in bed at night hurt. This went on for about 3-4 days until I went to see a friend's Dad who is a chiropractor. He took x-rays and then cracked my back and neck and I swear I felt 50% better after that one visit. A couple more visits and I was almost 100%.
He also advised that I do some exercises to strengthen my lower back to prevent this happening again. I haven't had a problem with my lower back since then.
Say what you want but I am a believer. A traditional method of treating a muscle spasm is to heat it, take muscle relaxers and lay around like a slug for a month. I was back to normal within a week with no drugs. :thumbsup: