Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Chiropractor, anyone? Suggestions needed

I have been on/off this forum for a little while now, as my research on AS continues... I believe that I could very have it. My range of motion has not changed in months, and I cannot bend forward. I have left my job because of sitting, and I am not unsure of how to move forward.

I recently went to Chiro...and this is because I have been to RMT weekly for 8 months, sports-med doctors, rhematologists, and more! The chiro was quite invasive and there was a hell of a lot of cracking and twisting which made me feel uncomfortable. However, it did not make matters worse, and that is why I am not sure whether or not to return.
The feeling of cracking my joints/back was scary - I initially thought I was going to be doomed for sure, but it ended up being OK.

Has anyone been to a Chiro and found major help? Which specialists have you found to be the most helpful?

If you have any fusing, I'd strongly recommend against any type of adjustment.

If you aren't fused, I think chiropractic adjustments can help but buyer beware - there are a lot of quacks out there. That being said, a very good chiropractor can help immensely. I've had ribs, sacrum, and a tailbone that used to pop out of alignment regularly and a chiropractic adjustment was the only thing that made a big difference.

When it comes to chiropractic adjustments, I will only get activator adjustments. It's a lot less stressful for the body to take. I strongly advise against the traditional cracking techniques... www.activator.com can help you find an activator practicioner if that's the route you want to go through. I would limit yourself to advanced proficiency rated practicioners.

Like anything else, it's not a panacea, it's just one solution to help manage your situation.

Good luck!

I will echo a lot of what FF suggested.

I had a very good manual physical therapist back in another state for several years before I moved. Two in succession actually. Both were very good. I had a few useless ones in between those two good ones. So like with anything else, there is a lot of difference from practitioner to practitioner. Manual PT is the place to start with PT, but even those are not all created equal.

Up here, couldn't find a good PT, so after years of that, tried chiropractic care.

The first one wanted to do that quick cracking of my back, after that first session, I wouldn't let him do that.

Went to another highly recommended chiro; I knew he was good because he told me he'd do me more harm than good, that he was a traditional chiro, and that was not what I needed.

Then went to someone that used an activator, but that was not enough for me; I need more than just spine adjustments.

Then 3 days within disability (school started on a monday and I was in a flare where I could not sit to drive to work, couldn't sit to do anything, was in so much pain, and it was a friday)....in desperation, I went to yet another chiro. He works with the local sports teams so I knew he'd be good. A lesson I learned a long time ago....professional sports teams don't waste their time or money, they only use the best.

He discovered that I had a rib stuck under my shoulder blade (no wonder I was in so much pain!) and he gently pressed on it to get it mobile again.

He will gently press on my spine when my ribs get stuck not aligned properly. No severe cracking, just gentle pressing.

Without it, I am doomed. With it, its like pulling a thorn out of ones foot, so to speak, what relief.

My neck is another big source of contention, and he will do manual traction.

He does a lot of very gentle things that involve stretching, gently pressing (usually while stretching (ART)), other mobilization to get things "moving" when they are "stuck".

I don't completely understand it all, but I've been going to him 1-2 times a week for the last three years and it is the best money that I spend on my care.

He starts me off with electrostim and ice and I think the electrostim helps me too.

Ice helps me a lot. Heat helps some.

Muscle relaxant (zanaflex) helps me at bedtime.

Ultrasound (initially at PT, then at chiro, now at home) helps me a lot.

Triggerpoint injections (upper back mostly), cortisone injections (of SI, facet joints in neck) by a physiatrist or interventionalist have helped me a lot too.

Others here have had nerve ablation and found that useful; I haven't gone there yet.

The rheumatologist for the diagnoses and drugs: Humira, prednisone, flector patches, zanaflex.

The gastroenterologist for my GI inflammation.

The dermatologist for my psoriasis.

The podiatrist for my plantar fasciitis, heel pain, other foot pain.

The ophthalmologist for my eyes (to make sure its just dry eyes and not iritis).

These have been the specialists that have been most valuable for me.

PS if I were you, I'd probably find one that is less traditional / gentler, does things closer to what a manual PT does. Things like joint mobilization, aligning things that are misaligned, etc.

Disclaimer that I don't have AS diagnosed although I have AS symptoms...

I've tried the chiropractor on and off for the past four years. I've tried three different ones and the experience over a few months is always the same - initial improvement, then no improvement, then makes it worse. I wouldn't recommend it personally.

Thank you all for your feedback and your experiences. It really helps me to hear about what worked for all of you. That being said, we all react differently since all of our conditions are slightly different. I don't see myself going back to this Chiro anytime soon as it was far too rough and "traditional."

I have heard of some chiros not supporting the whole cracking technique, which I may look into soon. My neck, shoulders, and back have felt so inflamed recently, not even advil or tylenol eases pain. I know that I am not fused (yet), and don't plan on it fusing anytime soon.

My recent MRI of my SI joints did not show any fusing or inflammation - and accoridng to most research, AS typically starts showing signs here first. Hoping to keep up the NSD and continue swimming, however, the exercise often times makes my shoulders flare up - and sometimes my back too.

Thanks everyone

My chiro will be a lot more gentle with me if I'm flaring. Even more gentle than he normally is with me. And he says he's much more gentle with me than with others. Having someone experienced with inflammatory arthritis patients is key.

Swimming started bothering my SI joint so I had to stop that.
When its flared, no exercise for me; gotta let it settle down.

Light exercise (walking) keeps it loose, but if its flared, even walking will make it more inflamed. Gotta change things up depending on how one feels.

When not in a flare, scans don't really show much inflammation in my joints (like SI)....

For me, its highly variable.

Hello...

Just adding my experience. My rheumatologist, pain management dr. and neurosurgeon all told me to avoid the chiropractor completely. They each said it could be very dangerous for me. They said my back could break easily.

I think that is why we all need to remember whether it is drugs, exercise, diet, surgeries or treatments that we each need to make decisions for our care based on our situation.
We are all so different.

I passed even making my comment for a while because I know it sounds very negative but I am very afraid of chiropractic treatment after what they told me.

I hope you get relief.

Blessings.

I think it is important for others to hear all of our experiences so the comments are balanced, and remember that we are all a bit different. I know I make decisions based on 1) weighing all of the advice and experiences and 2) deciding who sounds most like me.

It is so true, that we are all so different and many of the cases can be far more severe than others. I can understand why a chiro could be very detrimental to certain peoples' situations. I can say that I will NEVER go back again. I can only tolerate massage and continue swimming lightly. I am just so worried about when my next flare up will occur. It has happened 1 time per year for the last 3 years, and taking at least 6-8 months to fully heal.

Loving the feedback - if there is anyone who has other helpful tips or practitioners worth seeing, please comment.

I've been to chiropractics over the years and they've never done one bit of good for me. Not a fan. I go to a physiotherapist and I get results very quickly.

Check out:

http://www.chirowatch.com/