How do you feel about Chiropractors? I get this question a lot in my office. I always preface my answer by letting the know that some of my best friends are chiropractors, so I feel that I have a more intimate knowledge of their philosophies and what they can offer patients.
I start off by telling patient’s that I have nothing against chiropractors, because many people think MD’s do not like chiropractic care and frankly some patients are even reluctant to bring up the fact they saw a chiropractor. I think chiropractors play a very important role in the healthcare arena especially when it comes to musculoskeletal care.
I have many patients that are actually referred to me by local chiropractors. Chiropractors are very attune to their patients and they know when they are having structural issues that cannot be solved with manipulation alone and may need surgical intervention. On the other side of things, at the Texas Comprehensive Spine Center at Arlington Orthopedic Associates we also know when surgical intervention is not the best option for the patient and we refer patients to chiropractors when this is the case.
Some people ask “When should I not be adjusted by a chiropractor?” There are many answers to this question, but some of the main reasons I tell people to not get adjusted are for herniated discs (its ok for bulging discs) in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine because the pressure associated with the adjustments can make the herniation worse. I am also very cautious about manipulations of the neck. Some people have very small spinal canals in their neck and can suffer spinal cord injury or injury to the vertebral arteries with manipulation of the neck. Make sure you trust your chiropractor before you let them adjust your neck. It is very hard to hurt anything neurologically in the thoracic spine or lumbar spine with adjustments so I generally am fine with adjustments at these levels.
Everyone is different with regards to their bodies and how they can be treated or need to be treated. Chiropractic care is an important part of care of the spine and we respect that here at the Texas Comprehensive Spine Center. Our goal is to make you better with regards to your spine care needs and we employ all methods necessary to accomplish our goals.- Dr. Eric Wieser, MD
