I had a friend who stayed with us for a few months bring one when he moved down here. Scarey as hell for me, being fully upside down. I didn't like it. Now, I see them in a horizontal version in those airline catalogues.

Also, in there are these arched stretchers for your back, my massage therapist told me about. IIRC, they're called Bridges and they have 3 different kinds for parts of your back: cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions that stretch out those areas and open the spine. I was thinking of getting those but can't seem to find them online again. They weren't cheap.

Inversion tables don't work.

You are best off stretching, doing ROM exercises, and going to an osteopath should you have something out of place.

This irritates me to no end. And honestly, I'm not a fan of most chiropractors. That's a little strange seeing that I am one :) But there isn't a week that goes by that I don't hear something to that effect in my office and it's just maddening. Here's the deal though....just talk to one and ask questions and you should have a good idea of whether they're the real deal or just a salesman that believes in magic voodoo.

Here is what the chiropractor is good for: Neuromusculoskeletal complaints. They shouldn't replace your PCP. They shouldn't try to be your OBGYN. Nor should they give you advice or treatment in place of an oncologist.

Some chiro's want to sell you on a treatment plan before you've even started care. They tell you they're going to need to see you 3x/week for the first month and then 2x/week for the next and then they'll do a progress exam. Here's the problem with that......most conditions DO NOT require 25 visits for results. Sure, some people have chronic complaints and degeneration and daily activities that complicate getting better. But I tell new patient's from the beginning that we will take their care on a visit by visit basis. And as a patient, if you're not feeling improvement after the first 3-4 visits or over the first 2 or so weeks of care, then maybe we need to refer out for some additional imaging other than just x-rays, or see a pain specialist, etc. And you know what? Sometimes that happens. The majority of pt's I see in my office have good results, but chiropractic isn't the cure for everything.

I also don't sell ANYTHING. For me, I believe it clouds the line of what I feel like I'm good at and what I could do to suck some extra $$ out of patients. More power to the offices that sell supplements, pillows, allergy testing, ionized water and whatever the hell the latest trendy homeopathic remedy there is. Not interested. I know muscles, I know bones, and I know biomechanics. Outside of that, I'm not your guy. To the patients that are interested in losing weight, here's the number for a good nutritionist. And so on and so forth.

Just go with your gut. If you see someone who wants $1500 prepayment before you've even started care, go somewhere else. If you're seeing one and not getting results after 4-5 visits, try something else. There's good chiro's and bad ones. Just as there's good dentists and shitty ones, or PCP's that listen and ones that just write scrips all day.

It depends on what you use it for. If you need something put back in place no. But for just decompressiing your spine it's fine. I know some people swear by it.

Oh yeah, and stretching is something we all need to do in general.

Good post! I have a good friend who I went to pharmacy school with (he used to be a chiropractor...long story) and he sounds like you. Infact, I called him up and filled him in on that story and he asked me if that guy had snake oil he was selling too. Its just like anything in medicine, everyone has their part to make the whole thing run. It seems once a year I need a chiropractor and it does help..big time.

Completely disagree. It's just a reset.