Chiropractor Visits; Miracles in Pain Relief or Unsuspecting Danger?

Chiropractor is defined in part as a manipulation of the spine, other joints and soft tissue. Chiropractic was formed in the late 1890's by D,D. Palmer. Since it has been around people have been going to see their chiropractors for almost any type of back pain, from the smallest bit of pain to the excruciating people mostly come away feeling better that they went.

Chiropractic practice has been widely scrutinized as being a "quick fix" for a long term problem or in some later cases as we will soon find out it can be the cause of; paralysis, death, usually because of a stroke that was suffered when the neck was being manipulated.

I will start off with the basic's first, the one question that all the skeptics ask the enthusiasts "if it works so well then why do you have to keep going back on a weekly basis?" Some people say this is because the Chiropractor manipulates your spine in a way that you will have to become a repeat customer. They offer short term relief for their own long term benefits (your payments). I myself do not know if this has any real truth to it. I myself have never been to a Chiropractor yet like most others I have wondered this as well. This is not what is scary about seeing a Chiropractor it's the thought of having a stroke that keeps me from going.

While rare there it is reported that about 1.46 per 1million of peoples visits to the chiropractor will end in a stroke which was the cause of the neck manipulation done on the patient during their visit to the chiropractor. That does seem like a small number, but the risk is still there and always will be when you visit the chiropractor. When the Chiropractor works on your neck it can cause a tear in your vertebral artery, this is what can lead to a stroke. People younger than forty-five have been reported to have had strokes due to this, so age is not always a precursor to stroke.

Don't go to the Chiropractor for neck pain if you have a headache along with it, that is a warning sing, Most of those people who had a stroke due to neck manipulation had a headache to begin with.

Things to watch out for after your visit to the Chiropractor:

~One side of the body becomes weak~
~Severe Headache~
~Any change In Vision~
~Loss Of Balance~

If you experience any of these symptoms then you need to go into the Emergency Room right away.

While picking out a Chiropractor be wary if he/she:

~Tells you that they have a "magic secret" to alleviating the pain that only they know about.~
~If they make claims to anything that sounds to good to be true~
~Or if they try and pressure you into signing up for a long term treatment plan~

Those are all big red flag's.

There are a lot of reputable Chiropractor's out there take time to find one that is in the business to help people and not just themselves. Ask around to find one that is right for you. Don't be scared to go but you probably should not consider a trip to the Chiropractor a miracle either.

References

http://en..wikipedia.org/wiki/chiropractor

http://www.quackwatch.org/chirostroke

http://ezinearticles.com/choosingachiropractor

http://chirobase.org/general/controversy