Any opinion on chiropractor for a bad back/sciatica?

was hoping to get an opinion. herniated a disc 2 yrs ago. got sciatica as a result that progressively got worse to the pt where i needed surgery. have been pain free for a yr, but 2 wks ago, pulled my back again golfing. the back pain is gone, but i feel the all too familiar pinching sensation in the upper-left buttocks. no pain going down my leg yet, but this is how it started last time so would like to seek treatment as soon as possible. i tried medication, physical therapy, accupuncture & epideral injections last time to no avail so had to get surgery as a last resort. this time, i'm wondering if i should try chiropractic treatment as it was the only treatment i didn't try last time. however, i've heard mix things about it both personally & online, so if anyone can share their experience or expertise as it relates to herniated discs & sciatica, i'd appreciate it.

First, know that there are different approaches to PT. While you might have failed to improve with one approach to PT, you might have succeeded with another...just like medicine. The same can be said about chiropractic care...you might find relief with one, but not another. I fully encourage people who've failed with one conservative therapy to seek an opinion from another practicioner of the same discipline...much like people get different medical opinions.

Second, if you did fail to improve with your previous, various treatments, it's quite possible that chiropractic care might not have helped either. Sometimes herniations are just too large to be reduced conservatively. The fact that you were pain free after the procedure means that you were a good surgical candidate, and this was probably the best treatment for you.

As to your new pain, you are wise to seek to fix it before it progresses...you are right, it is the normal progression of these things to start to radiate down the leg if they are not taken care of.

I see no problem with seeing a chiropractor...just keep in mind what I said about different treatment approaches. However, I chose to become a physical therapist because we emphasize patient self management. The goal is to teach the patient what THEY can do to correct the problem...I only use hands on techniques when the patient cannot fully abolish the problem themselves (because I can't go home with them at the end of the day!). I have treated many, many patients without ever having to touch them...most are better in about 6-8 visits. Many therapists, and now many DCs are following the same approach.

My best suggestion for you is to get an opinion from either a PT or DC who is certified in mechanical diagnosis and therapy, go to: http://www.mckenziemdt.org The emphasis is on educating the patient on what they can do to fix the problem without external devices or people (unless absolutely necessary).

In the end, PTs and DCs seek to do the same thing...restore the joint to a normal position...just the mechanism by which we do it may differ. I defintely do not agree with all chiroprators, but I do agree with some...and I am sure they would say the same about me.

Good luck to you and don't delay!!

Do not go to a Chiropractor before you see a Dr. the Chiro could make the problem worse. See a Dr. first and ask about it, if they feel that would be the best route for you then look for a chiropractor. I have 3 herniated disks and physical therapy really helped me. you just have to stick to it and do the stretches and exercises.

My father used to go to a Chiropractor all the time, at one point he started having major back pain and he went to his Chiro, things go progressively worse. eventually he went to the Dr. he had herniated disks, and the Chiropractor had made it worse, his back was never the same afterward.

Just remember a Chiropractor is not a Doctor and cannot accurately recognize or treat some conditions. I have nothing against chiropractors, as long as your Dr. feels that is the best choice.

Edit- I have nothing against Chiropractors, but just think of how much training they go through compared to how much your orthopedic surgeon goes through. I would trust the Dr.'s opinion over the Chiro's. If you had some sort of infection, you would go to your Dr. before seeking treatment for yourself, wouldn't you?

I have a prolapsed disc, not nice, but no sciatica? What does happen, the disc dances as in disco I suppose and hits the nerve roots, whereupon I literally loose all function sensation to both legs! When this happens the pain is extreme to the point where I pass out, was out for three hours last time. This all started with lower right abdominal pain like appendix, two years before MRI revealed the problem, whereupon they started Fentanyl Pain Patches. Could explain why I do not have sciatica, but does nothing for the disco phase. On top of the Fentanyl I take 2mgs of Valium to stop muscle spasms and that has been a God Send!
Personally I would never contemplate Chiropractor, just in case the disc danced and I end up worse off, with disc resting on the nerve roots permanently! Due to underlying health problems RA, they are not going to operate, unless I loose my bowel and bladder function, whereupon they will class this as a emergency. No guarantee that I will regrain bowel, bladder function let alone legs. They are hoping that in 10-15 years time the disc will dehydrate, normal ageing process and I will be out of the woods? Yes I thought they were joking as well, seems not! However any 'pinch' and I do get a lot of them, brings the fear factor, but thankfully to date I have just slowed right down and given the back a few days rest, perhaps advoiding the surgery. I think Chiroprator would be good for people without broken discs, but once the disc has burst, I would not reccomend it.

I am sorry that their are so many negative answers where chiropractic care is concerned. I have worked for a chiro for two years and he has helped so many people and I have never known him to have hurt any one or even treated any one if he didn't think he could help them.. So with that being said I think you shoukd at least consult with a chiro and 99% of the time it's at no cost and no obligation to you.. If you see a good chiro then he will tell you if he can help you and if he does not think he can then he will send you to some one who can.. Good luck and Chiropractic care is the best alternative to surgery and addicting medicines.

There are a couple of things you should take into consideration.

1) A lot of the Anti-Chiropractic websites and forum/information pages on the net are actually set up by the same group of people who have something against Chiropractors. The net is always going to be a poor place to look for this sort of information because of this.

2) People such as the first poster will generally give you opinions that are not based on fact. Everyone knows somebody that has had something bad happen to them, does this mean we don't drive cars or fly in planes or take medicine? No.

Despite what some people have already said, Chiropractors ARE trained to pick up and diagnose different conditions. Sciatica being one of the most common ones. They also have different ways of treating such conditions which you may benefit from if you havn't from other treatments.

I would suggest giving it a go. What do you have to loose? If the other therapies didn't work, wouldn't you want to explore this option seeing as so many people have benefited from Chiropractic treatment?

Don't let the same few naggers let you miss out on something that could turn your life for the better. Give it a go. If you don't like it, you will be at the same point you are now, nothing lost....