Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group knife-like pain in mid back? could be rib heads.

by all means kevin, i think its important to present all sides. glad you added that.

until this past week or two, i just assumed some of my rib pain was "costochondritis" or tendon/ligament enthesitis, as for me no signs of fusing. so this was all new to me.

and do think the word of caution so important. i first saw a chiro who always wanted to "align me with a quick thrust", wouldn't let him. i went there for my ultrasound because it was far less of a hassle than going for PT (no referrals, could get in right away, no justification to insurance when i'd need to go, etc). then last year when my physiatrist couldn't help me with my SI beyond recommending yet more SI cortisone injections 6 months after she injected them bilaterally and i didn't want them so frequently, she sent me to a chiro that she thought was the most successful for SI dysfunction. but i could tell he was really good because he wouldn't work on me, when he heard my history, he said my doctor should have never sent me there, that his method works well for mechanical issues of the SI joint (SI dysfunction) but was way too extreme for someone with inflammatory arthritis issues like i have. he gave me the name of a chiro that uses the activator method and since i know kat does that felt pretty confident in that. but he would have also done my c-spine (neck) and i was leery of that with the spondylosis there, so held off, though i might go for other parts of my spine but maybe not my neck. and now once again i feel like i've found someone good as he said he could "pop" my rib back into place but he won't do that to me, too extreme for me, and he won't do much more if anything to my neck other than traction because of the damage there. he's the only one who wouldn't work on me without xray / CT / MRI reports upfront.

so i agree with you, caution is very important. and i only ended up here because last year a GP, rheumatologist, 2 physiatrists, and a PT couldn't help me and couldn't even send me to someone who could. so like you said, i went to all my doctors that i thought should be able to help me and couldn't and this is how i ended up where i am currently. my way is to err on the side of caution, i just don't do something if i'm unsure, and in almost every case, when i finally agree to something, in hind sight its like, why did i wait so long.

but i agree, i would only see a chiro who takes our individual circumstances into account and proceeds with extreme caution. certainly don't want to make matters worse.

i think chiropractic is seen the way i always thought, the old fashioned straight "crack the back" treatments. and i'm slowly learning that it has evolved into a profession with various approaches, a lot of newer approaches that are not so extreme, everything from using an activator for adjustments to massage, triggerpoint therapy, active release technique, ultrasound, all kinds of gentler things.

but if one is fused or fusing, not sure how someone should approach it. and would hope that person's rheumatologist would be able and willing to advise.