Masters Running

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Chiropractor or Sports Medicine Dr.? (Read 374 times)

    Even though my injury is improving, I might still go see a specialist about it. It has also occurred to me that, although I haven't had that many running injuries, all the one's I've had have been on my left side, so maybe it would be worth getting a posture or gait analysis to see if there's a general problem there. I talked to some people that I know on the Hanson's team and they gave me the names of a chiropractor and a sports medicine specialist that the team uses, so I can at least start off with someone who's runner-friendly, and they're both in my current medical plan. But I'm wondering if anyone here has had some experience and can advise me of which way to go, since I'm not really sure what each of these specialties are best at. I have never been to a chiropractor and will admit to being a bit leery of them; I 'm sure that they are skeleto-muscular experts, but I'm a major skeptic when I hear claims such as that they can cure my allergies by manipulating my spine. But I will give him a shot if I'm more likely to get close personal attention to my problems (M.D.s can be pretty rushed). So does anyone here have some experience or recommendations to share?

    Doug, runnin' cycling in Rochester, MI

    "Think blue, count two, and look for a red shoe"

    spacityrunner


      Hi Rochrunner... did you see mr. ribs post yesterday, ask spareribs? talks about chiros..... but, my vote is the sports doc. if the sports doc thinks the chiro is a good idea...then I would consider this. I have never been to a chiro..so I may be biased in my opinion. Why sports doc? this is what they are trained for. And one that works on the hanson brooks runners....how do I get an appointment??? Wink But, I would only go to one that says...lets see how we can get you back to running....I went to one (very highly recommended) who told me to consider taking up another "sport". The one I see now is always looking for the next thing to do to get me back out there. There are more experienced runners here that can offer up much better advice. But this is mine fwiw.

      Trails Rock!

      spacityrunner


        ok, not sure how I got the double post....but getting rid of one.

        Trails Rock!

          I know this post is going to bring a lot of not very happy replies. But given you asked: a chiropractor is basically an expensive massage therapist. The reason the AMA does not constantly rail against them is that they lost an antitrust suite of all things. Sometime in the '70's? This has effectively banned the AMA from commenting about the nearly total lack of scientific research backing up the idea that the manipulations a chiropractor performs have any medical benefits beyond that of a massage. Go to the sports doctor if you want real medical help. But, there are sports doctors and there are sports doctors. But as runningindc already wrote make sure you find one that is sympathetic to the idea that you want to get back to running pain free. My wife and I have both had very bad experiences with doctors (although not sports doctors) whose practice was mostly composed of couch potatoes. Ok, let the posts defending chiropractors begin!

          Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.

          Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way -->  http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/

            Ok, let the posts defending chiropractors begin!
            OK, I'll play. I used to go to a chiropractor about 15 years ago. I was a church musician at the time and was having serious problems with tingling and numbness in my neck, arms, wrists, and fingers. Not a good thing for an organist. Learning the Alexander Technique (with its focus on body alignment) finally helped me solve the problem, but every time I was driving home from the chiropractor's, my sinuses would drain and I could smell and hear things better than I could before. That said . . . . . if I had a sports injury today or suspected that body alignment was negatively impacting my running, I wouldn't even consider going to a chiropractor. I'd go to the best sports doc I could find. FWIW, I found a fantastic podiatrist through my local running store who is connected with a greta physical therapy practice. My primary symptom was foot pain, but part of the problem was body alignment and the doc and the PTs helped me with it immensely, partly through teaching me stretches to align my hips more evenly. Good luck.

            flomotioncoaching.com


            King of PhotoShop

              Doug, I know by now you saw my parody re the chiropractors. It's hit and miss with them. You get a good one or a bad one, or one who can help your particular injury, or not. So it's a crap shoot with them. I wasted a lot of time over the years with them. Also, aside from chiros, I can't tell you the number of times I fooled around with injuries and did this and that, before finally going to the sports med. doc. One thing that will help you is that quite often the doc will simply diagnose it and give you to the therapist, and that is where the real healing begins. The reason for it is that the therapist will often figure out how to rest the affected tissue, relieving the stress upon it, while strengthening the supporting area, thus accelerating healing AND helping you correct the flaw that caused the injury in the first place. I have never gotten over any injury over all my running career until I finally gave way to the therapist. In Texas, as with many states, you cannot go to a PT unless you have the referral from the sports doc. So by all means, suck it up and go to the sports doc. Spareribs
                I know this post is going to bring a lot of not very happy replies. But given you asked: a chiropractor is basically an expensive massage therapist. (snip) Ok, let the posts defending chiropractors begin!
                This isn't probably the pushback you were expecting, but here goes: As a licensed massage practitioner, I can guarantee that a chiropractor is certainly not an expensive massage therapist. Expensive - yes. Massage therapist - not so much. Yes, they learn some soft tissue techniques, but nothing even close to what I had to learn. Chiros have their place. I grew up in the home town of Chiropractors. They tend to fall into two camps: those who believe they can cure anything with spinal manipulation and those who believe they can treat your spine with spinal manipulation. I prefer the latter. As for massage therapists, I'm in the camp that can treat soft tissue injuries without drugs. I don't tune chakras or balance chi. I can, however, tune a guitar or balance on one foot, just not at the same time. Wink
                Have you got a flag?
                PJH


                  Doug - we share something in common ... a lot of injuries on the left side of our bodies. I've had a gait analysis done and the results were "normal" meaning everything looked great. However, I'm convinced that I have something wrong on my left side. I just haven't discovered what it is. It may be very minor, but it's throwing something off. Two hamstring pulls, a calf pull, piriformis tightness, and most recently an achilles issue, all on the left side - seems like too much of a coincidence to me. I recommend a sports therapist for many of the reasons already given. My guy is a runner and seems to deal with most injuries well. Having said that, he acknowledges that there may be something there that he hasn't been able to uncover. This might require some additional "finer" testing. My MD just tells me I'm getting older and should take it a little easier. I've had a bad experience with a chiropractor when I was playing lacrosse as a teenager. I believe I had some 'whiplash' from being hit from behind. After several visits to a chiro and a lot of 'twisting and jerking', it never really got much better. In fact, I had residual pain for months after. Not sure it was necessarily the chiro, but not convinced it wasn't either. I think the gait analysis testing would be good, but I would recommend you find someone really good at doing this. Obviously, the guy I used (not my ST) was not able to discover anything. I may have to get it done again. PJ
                    Doug - we share something in common ... a lot of injuries on the left side of our bodies. I've had a gait analysis done and the results were "normal" meaning everything looked great. However, I'm convinced that I have something wrong on my left side. I just haven't discovered what it is. It may be very minor, but it's throwing something off.
                    I actually noticed a while ago that, if I'm running in a quiet area on pavement, the sound of my left vs. right footfall is a bit different. And it's not something that I can control: I feel like I'm running the same on every stride, but my left foot definitely hits the pavement differently. Anyway, I'll be making an appointment with the sports doc ASAP and see what happens from there.

                    Doug, runnin' cycling in Rochester, MI

                    "Think blue, count two, and look for a red shoe"

                      Ok, fbgrrl sorry! I never did figure on getting a reply like yours! But, you are 100% right. It is true a well trained massage therapist can help with soft tissue problems and it is likely a chiropractor will not.

                      Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.

                      Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way -->  http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/

                      coastwalker


                        IMHO, chiropractors, sports medicine specialists, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and physical therapists can all play a role in improving your health. It depends on what the issue is, and it depends on how good the particular practitioner is. I happen to have a good chiropractor who knows what he can and can't do, and doesn't promise the moon, and leaves it up to me to decide how many times to visit him regarding any particular problem. However, I've also been to chiropractors who were awful. I've also had doctors who were awful. As with any specialist (medical, automotive, construction, whatever...), some are very good at what they do, and some are less talented. So the first step in finding any kind of specialist is to ask people you know and trust for a recommendation. The second step is to do some research on that specialist on the internet to see what more you can learn about them. The third step, assuming that you decide to go to them, is to ask a lot of questions and opt out if you don't get answers that are reasonable.. The fourth step is to remember that you are in control of your body, and if a physician is telling you to do something that you don't believe is in your best interest, you have the right and the responsibility to say no, or to at least get a second opinion. Given all that, and based on the little that I know about what ails you, I'd suggest getting a referral to a physical therapist. You may have some muscular imbalances and, if that is the case, they should be able to help get you back on an even keel. Good luck! Jay

                        Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.

                          Ok, fbgrrl sorry! I never did figure on getting a reply like yours!
                          "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"* Jay - you nailed it on the head. We are ultimately responsible for our own health. A lot of people keep going to the same person because the assume the provider is an expert or they are afraid that the provider will be hurt or angry if the patient goes to someone else. I tell clients, "we're not dating and if I'm not the right person for you, I probably know someone who is." Doug - I get the same thing. My right foot slaps for at least 15 minutes, until I'm really warmed up and sweaty. I really did a number on my right ankle in November, it still hurts a little and I still don't have full range of motion in it, and I'm sure that the slapping is from that lack of ROM. As the tissues warm up, the ROM increases and my foot fall smooths out and the slapping goes away. The point being, it doesn't take much to affect your running gait and it could be an old, old, old injury that has limited the ROM in one of your joints just a little bit. You may have some tipping or rotation in your pelvis which will show up in a postural analysis. I know a PT who is brilliant at that work. You may have some small limitation in movement anywhere from your ankles to your neck which affects the symmetry of movement resulting in unilateral injuries. I agree with the general consensus that you would probably be best served by a good sports doc at this point. S/he will take a more all-encompassing view of your body to find the cause of your issues. After you get an accurate diagnosis, then you can start going to specialists. *Monty Python reference that I'm sure most of us are old enough to get.
                          Have you got a flag?
                            Chiropractors would lead you to believe that it is easy for your spine to "fall out of alignment" - like the bones are freely movable. As someone who has dissected spinal columns and removed spinal cords from many different domestic animal species (sorry to be so graphic), I find it laughable when chiropractors talk about misalignment. Our vertebrae are essentially "glued" to each other by fibrocartilagenous intervertebral disks, and we basically don't get "misalignment" unless we have a severe traumatic episode (i.e. fracture). There are disease conditions that result in spinal instability and misaligment but these are not very common and best left to real doctors and not chiropractors. Twocat is right on about the lack of scientifically sound research to back up the claims of the chiropractors.

                            Sue Running is a mental sport...and we're all insane! Anonymous

                              i missed this thread when it first came out, but i think jay sums it up nicely........mainly, i think all the disciplines can work nicely together as long as you find good practitioners...........i used(and still use) a combination of a chiropractor - my best friend's husband who i've known for 25 years and trust implicity - have never gone to anyone else but him, a massage therapist who is sooo good - absolutely amazing and seems to know just what my body needs, and a physical therapist - who was just ok - felt i wasted some time there but i take responsibility for not shopping around more after the first month to find a PT who really understood runners!! hope you find what works for you!!

                              denise