I have decided to stop going to the chiropractor for now, might go back but I want to try physical therapy instead.
I tried to make an appointment with a doctor at the spine care group associated with the clinic I used for my knees and shoulders. It was much easier to get an appointment with one of their nurse practitioners so I took that. I have generally been very happy with nurse practitioners in the past. Turns out the guy I got is unique. He spent 15 years as a practicing chiropractor then went back to school to get his nursing education. He's been with the spinal group for about 10 years now as a nurse practitioner, he no longer practices chiropractic. So lots of spinal experience and a unique insight into chiropractic. He ordered x-rays and MRI.
I saw the chiropractor just after the x-rays and MRI and showed him a copy of the report (report was by an MD at the hospital where the images were done). He was very down about my condition, emphasizing things like the "moderately severe" words in the report (posted in #30). He did not look at the images, said the report was all he needed. His conclusion was that I needed a lot more of his services to have any chance of recovery. A couple of days later I got a text from his office offering me gifts if I referred others to him... Got me suspicious.
Then I went back to the former chiropractor turned spinal NP, he had a very different take. First he looked at the images pretty carefully with me, he said he wanted to do that before looking at the report. He said much the same as the report, however he put a very different take on it. He said my "degeneration" was pretty normal aging and did not really look that bad. Said most folks my age without the pain would get a similar report. Then he spent a lot of time looking closely at the MRI and showed me a couple of my nerve channels coming out of the spine that were narrower than typical. They corresponded with the nerves that go my right shoulder, arm and neck where my pain is worst. He said he was pretty sure that was the source of my pain. He also said that with some physical therapy and the right exercises I had a very good chance of solving the problem. He wrote me a prescription for physical therapy and recommended a PT place that was not associated with his clinic, but close to my house. Then he said if that doesn't work in a month or I should come back, if it does we are done. No suggestion of gifts for referrals, or the need for lots of return visits...
I asked him about the chiropractor and what his take on how much good he doing was. He was careful not to be critical, but he said he doubted that the kind of things the chiropractor was doing would help a lot with my specific problem. Said going back was my choice, if it made me feel better then I should do it. Well so far the chiropractor only made me feel worse for a day or two afterwards....
So I am going to try the physical therapy route, fingers crossed. X-rays show my tooth implant well.
