****Disclaimer: This blog is my story and my opinion only, take it as such. This in no way replaces medical advice you would receive from your primary care provider.****

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Before I went to one two and a half years ago I had never been to one, but that didn’t stop me from having a very strong opinion about them. Even before I became a nurse I thought they were a bad idea. I don’t even know for sure where I got that idea. I just had it and I stood by it. In my mind they were opportunists taking advantage of hurting people, and I really disliked the idea of manipulating the spine. That’s their bread and butter, after all.

My first vertigo attack brought me to my knees and to the chiropractor. I was so miserable I would have done anything to make it stop. That first visit was in a strange town. I was travel nursing. I explained my distrust of chiropractics in general to the dr. and my hesitancy to allow him to touch my neck. He was very understanding and found humor in my candor. He “cracked” my neck and I received immediate relief from some of my symptoms. I saw him one more time that flare-up and he told me that he didn’t want to see me again. I was thrilled. It had worked and he had been brilliant in his approach and methods.

Right before I left that travel assignment, about three months after my first attack, I had another one, slightly less severe, but enough to make me return to that office for relief. It worked again. I was happy for the relief but somehow worried that now that was the only answer to my vertigo. I wanted a different answer and I really didn’t like having my neck tweaked. As a nurse and yoga instructor I am very protective of my neck, I have seen one too many cervical spine injuries in my career.

Fast forward a couple of months and I was home and had another severe vertigo attack. I found a chiropractor who would take me same day and I went in. This time it was different. His office wanted money up front for a three months’ worth of multiple appointments per week, he did x-rays, and multiple manipulations of other parts other than my neck, but mostly my neck. He sold me a song and dance about my spine. He helped my vertigo in the moment but he hurt my neck. He had no answers as to why I was getting vertigo.

I was frustrated with my body and frustrated with myself for having gone the chiropractor route. I did my own research on vertigo and I saw a physical therapist. I switched massage therapists and I quit going to the chiropractor. I have figured out what my particular vertigo issue is and what to do about it that does not involve having my neck “cracked” multiple times. The bottom line is that I now have daily neck pain, when I never had neck pain before. I get frequent headaches from that neck pain. Turns out I was right about chiropractics being wrong for me.

Having worked as a nurse and a legal nurse consultant, I have taken care of and heard of patients that have had strokes, become paralyzed, developed herniated discs, and otherwise injured from manipulations at a chiropractor’s office. I know many people who are in pain since visiting a chiropractor, myself included. Is this a situation where the risks outweigh the benefits when you could get pain and discomfort relief from some other less risky entity? I believe it is.

What can chiropractors do? They work on babies (for colic, constipation, irritability, stuck hips), they work on injury victims (car accidents mostly) and anyone else who has an issue that spine manipulation will help.

What does it take to become a chiropractor? They have to get an undergraduate degree and then get a doctor of Chiropractics. Five years of school minimum in most cases. They get the good basics of anatomy and physiology that an MD gets without the biology that ends up aiding in diagnosing etc. that an MD can do. They do earn the right to be called Dr. Like all doctors, there are good and bad ones. Not all chiropractors are sleaze-balls out to hurt you and take advantage of you, just as not all other business persons are either.

Let’s face it, Western medicine is a money-making machine and if a chiropractor can make a client/patient feel like they need their services frequently then they have just found their cash cow. When a patient is strongly encouraged to purchase multiple appointments upfront, is seen more than once a month, or is hurting more than when they started with the dr. then there is something wrong.

So what is the real and potential harm in seeing a chiropractor? Chiropractic treatments may cause minor, short-lasting or temporary side effects, such as: soreness or discomfort in the manipulated area, stiffness, or a headache. In rare cases, severe events can occur, such as: dissection of vertebral arteries, spinal cord injury, and stroke. A herniated disc can occur or a worsening of an existing disc herniation. Compression of nerves in the lower spinal column, resulting in incontinence. A certain type of stroke after neck manipulation can also occur.

Why exactly is it important to talk about and worry about the spine? The spine is a structure made up of bones that supports your entire body; it helps you to walk, twist and move in general. The spine, or spinal column, is made up of vertebrae (bones), discs, joints, soft tissue, nerves and the spinal cord. The spine gives your body its shape (structure); it supports the body (posture); protects the spinal cord which connects all the nerves from your brain to the rest of your body; and it allows you to be flexible.

Not all chiropractic work is bad. Not all massages are good. There will always be practitioners of any kind of body work and/or medicine who will take advantage of a seeker. When people are injured, sick, or curious, there will always be professionals out there ready to take their money and their trust. Before going to the chiropractor, or any other “healer” be wary of a few things. Providers should always have a care plan for you. They should never set up multiple appointments in advance and make you pay for them in advance. They should never do any sort of spinal manipulation without x-rays, CT, or MRI information. They should be willing to have a conversation, take a medical history, and explain what they are doing.

What are the other options for physical pain, and malfunction relief? First it is imperative to know what you are dealing with. A trip to your primary care provider is a good idea to first say exactly what is causing your issue: pain, constipation, vertigo, malformation, insomnia, etc. Once you have the information in hand, there are many ways to treat pain, etc that do not involve further injury: physical therapy (PT’s are amazing. They can do so many things, pain relief, balance, vertigo, migraine, strength, etc.), massage, reflexology, acupuncture, yoga, stretching, meditation, medication (steroid injections, muscle relaxers, etc.), and the old standbys of rest, heat and ice.

Recommendations in Billings, MT:

Billings Clinic Physical Therapist at the Lamplighter Square (800)332-7156

Massage: Katherine www.arkayashakti.com

Cindy Walter- (406)670-9059

Reflexology: Red Shoe Reflexology (605) 580-7236

Hot Yoga: Good Vibes Hot Yoga www.goodvibeshotyoga.com

Yoga: Limber Tree www.limbertreeyoga.com

Overall wellness: Sacred Grounds www.sacredgroundsstudio.com