Truth: Why Doctors Don’t Like Chiropractors

It’s embedded in their roots . . .

But I would say some Chiropractors are improving their relationships with Medical Doctors, as of recent. Historically, the medical associations have demonstrated resentment to any other community treating the ill.  So first and foremost, it started out as a turf war.  Secondarily, Medical Doctors don’t really understand what Chiropractors do, as they were not trained in spinal manipulation techniques.  Usually, the only information they receive about Chiropractors is a one sided opinion from patients who did not have success with Chiropractic treatment.  Think of it like this, if 100 people went to a Chiropractor for lower back pain and 90 of them got better, but the 10 who didn’t get better went to the surgeon and told him, “I wen to a Chiropractor and didn’t get better!”, what is the surgeon hearing?  A one sided story, because he never heard from the 90 who did get better and avoided his office all together.  Now, as with any profession, there are certainly some bad apples among the Chiropractors.  But, when someone, including Medical Doctor hears a story about a bad Chiropractor, all of the Chiropractors get lumped into the same bunch. Then, there’s that age old saying, once you go to a Chiropractor, they want you to come back forever! Ugh!  That’s another topic, you can learn more about here.

Finally, many Chiropractors overstep their boundaries.  Some make false claims of treating symptoms and diseases there is no evidence to support, as well as preaching anti-medicine beliefs to patients.  Medical Doctors don’t take kindly to other healthcare professionals telling patients they don’t need to see their doctor anymore and not to take their prescribed medications.

But, I have some great news for you!

The true story is, not all Chiropractors are the same.  And some, like the Chiropractors at our office, actually have a working relationship with many Medical Doctors within the community.  That’s right, Medical Doctors like our Chiropractors and they refer patients here to get better!  How and why does this happen?  Because there are good Chiropractors that are looking to change the field of Chiropractic for the better.  Honestly, there is no turf war.  Medical Doctors are at the forefront of healthcare and have a broad scope of practice.  However, when it comes to musculo-skeletal conditions, like neck and back pain, the entire healthcare community knows (and many research articles have proven), movement is medicine.  Medication is okay for short term relief, but patients need to move, stretch and strengthen the proper areas to have the opportunity for a full recovery.

Also, some patients are not well suited for medications that may be indicated for pain.  For example, patients who have high blood pressure, previous heart attack, stomach or intestinal ulcer, pregnancy, and those who make a habit of drinking alcohol should not be prescribed to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen due to potentially harmful side effects.  Also, when taking muscle relaxers, individuals are advised to not operate heavy machinery or drive automobiles.  Many people cannot adhere to these restrictions due to daily responsibilities like work or taking care of children.  For these people, taking a drug free approach to managing pain is a much better option.  In fact, there is a significant amount of research that states spinal manipulation is safe and effective for neck and back pain, and even more research that states manipulation along with a home exercise program is just as good or better for long term effectiveness in reducing back and neck pain when compared to using medications alone.

The best part of all, and to put an end to an old rumor, at Select Spine & Sports Medicine, we don’t want you to come back forever! In fact, we want to get you better as quickly as possible and get you back to your normal life!

When most patients and doctors think of Chiropractors, they think getting their “back popped” or what we call spinal manipulation.

Spinal manipulation creates movement in the facet joints of the spine, which helps decrease pain as well as helps to restore motion and function to the spinal joints.  However, that is not the only treatment option our profession is limited to.  At Select Spine & Sports Medicine, not only is that not all we do, our office has a full list or conservative treatment methods including:

Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy for individuals with herniated discs;

Electrical muscle stimulation to help relieve pain, inflammation and muscle spasm;

Massage to reduce pain from tension and tight muscles;

Physical medicine and rehabilitation to help restore flexibility, strength and function to an injured joint or muscle;

Low level laser therapy to reduce pain and inflammation; and

Kinesiology taping methods to help support injured areas during their recovery.

Using these techniques, we have found a great amount of success in treating an array of different musculo-skeletal conditions like neck pain, back pain, herniated discs, sciatica, whiplash, sports injuries, shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, carpel tunnel syndrome, hip pain, knee pain, IT band syndrome, patella tendonitis, ankle sprains and much more.

If you are in need of a Chiropractor in Friendswood (Houston area), Select Spine & Sports Medicine is here to help! We are located at:

1100 S. Friendswood Dr. Ste B

Friendswood, TX 77546 P: 281-993-2122