haven't been working out the past few days, not since i swam on weds.
my back started killing me weds. night and i'm not real sure the cause.
it was so bad i couldn't get out of bed, i was like an upturned turtle trying to right itself.

so i visited a chiropractor and they took xrays. i got the results friday and he said all of my lower vertebrae are misaligned.
(weird sidenote: I'm so used to doctors coming back to me and telling me all my tests are normal despite me not feeling well that i was actually thrilled to hear confirmation that there was indeed a reason for my discomfort!)

Upon examination, he asked me if i knew my right leg was about 1/2 an inch shorter than the left. I had been told something like that a few years prior by a physical therapist. Then he started tapping out my spine, hips and leg and after a few minutes told me that he wished i could see what he was doing because now my right leg and left leg were the same length!

Definitely one of the strangest things i have ever had happen to me. and i could really feel the difference after standing up again.

great stuff that chiropraction.

anyway, i 'm so excited about this, they said i have a good prognosis. my lower back's been stiff for about 10 years. i so hope that i will be able to take on running again after this therapy is through!!!!! i have about 6-8 weeks to go i think.

Wow, that sounds facinating! I've never gone to one, but I have friends that swear by their chiropractors.

I'm a chiropractic student and I love hearing about people's positive experiences. I think you will notice a big difference when you start running again. Thanks for sharing!

I'm glad you had a good experience. I love my chiro. I only need to see him maybe once or twice a year for a basic adjustment. I can tell when I need to go because I won't be sleeping as well. He puts me back in place and I'm back to normal!

I love my chiro and desparately need to see him soon because of the pain in my back. I do understand the difference in leg length. My left hip has a tendency to hitch up and my legs can be over a inch different when its bad. I have literally taken off my right shoe and been able to stand straight with the left on.

I'm gld yours helped you.

What school do you go to? I live only minutes from the NY Chiropractic College.

I'd never been to a chiropractor, but I took a free evaluation at a local chiropractor from a telemarketer. The initial visit all they did was a couple of surface scanning tests that are supposed to be new (checking tension and temperature down each side of the spine). My neck was way tense apparently. I don't know if I believe that is much more than a gimmick to make you think you need work. But, the next evaluation (an actual chiropractic examination) is also free, so we'll see. I don't have back problems, but I was curious, so I did it anyway .

Love my Chiro!

I don't know what I would do without her. I have degeneration in my spine that causes it to slip out of alignment. A tug, a pop, and push and I am good as new. I also lived with the pain for 10 years . The doctors kept trying to give me meds. They didn't work and I hated taking so much medication. Finally my friend at work suggested I go to her chiropracter. OMG! After a couple of sessions I was good as new. She also does massage therapy which is amazing.

Squeak351: I didn't even bother going to see a regular MD cuz i knew from past experience with knee pain that all they would do was give me anti-inflamatories. And i could feel my back locking up and spasming, so I knew that simply masking the pain or reducing inflammation would not provide the relief i needed. I knew right off i needed someone to work the kinks out. Turns out i get 12 visits per year covered by insurance, so this turns out to be a good choice. Plus i can pop tylonol on my own, why see a doctor just to be told that...
I don't know how that little popper gun tool works but it does something!

i swear by my chiro..i have a great one. She took rads..and fyi..most dr don't take the correct "back" xrays...one of the most important one that isn't taken often is a shot straight on but where you mouth is open and head tilted down..it allows view of cervical 2...which is the most common malaligned and will cause numbing in arms hands etc. I found my C2 was totally out of whack from many falls off horses growing up..and that my right side of my pelvis was shifted forward. I initially went for a back issue..but also my left foot was "diagnosed" as plantar fascitis...an inflammation of the plantar fascia on the bottom of the foot. After the first adjustment...that night my foot was KILLING me...but when i woke up the next morning..it was 100% better. come to find out when my pelvis was shifted forward it was pinching my siatic never. Also, i ride dressage (a form of horse back riding) and my instructor use to always tell me i need to "drop my right hip and extend my right leg"...i felt like i could not physically do what she asked...then i went riding after a chiro visit and found out what my instructor meant...i REALLY physically could not "drop my hip" before the visit. After riding with routine chiro i am more mobile on that side of the hip. I love chiropracters..and trust me..i'm a veterinarian so I believe in medicine..but i know my body and can feel when its time for an adjustment...also as a side note...it has significantly. helped my migranes. I swear by a chiro...for all those skeptics...it is so vital and really can make a total differnce in your life.

I was a sign language interpreter for years and I swore by my chiro. He kept me from totally locking up in my upper back and neck and from needing what other doctors told me was carpal tunnel surgery (turned out NOT to be that). I went religiously.

I'm not in that line of work anymore, but I still think chiros are valuable. I haven't been for years, but my inlaws and hubby go every few months for routine maintenance. My husband snores less after his adjustment. I swear! I'm not making it up! Sometimes I wish I could call at 2 a.m. and have a housecall so I could get some sleep! Ha ha

Kaebea - that little popper gun thing is COOL! He used to do that to my wrists and it was tremendous the range of motion I would have afterword and no need for Tylenol or anything. It was awesome.

fyi...the popper gun thing actually sends small electrical impulses..that's how it works..it helps "break" up the knotted muscle thr electrical impulses...i love that thing...i usually have horribly tightned muscles near my shoulder blades and it loosens up everything immediately

My chiropractor is a god-send. I started seeing a chiropractor because of intense lower back pain and frequent headaches and it wasn't until I found this particular chiropractor that I found the relief I needed.

I was able to stop taking headache pills and haven't had chronic back pain in years. Apparently my x-rays showed severed deterioration of some vertebrae in my neck that looked like the result of a car accident about 15 years earlier. I have never had such an accident and the only thing I could pin it down to was an bump in gymnastics perhaps as a child.

I like that chiropractors (or most of them) have a holistic approach too. I've never been a fan of GP's who just hand out prescriptions for the symptom without finding the actual problem. I treat my appointments as preventative rather than a cure which I think is what chiropractics is all about.

Good for you Kaebea that you found a chiro you like and is working their magic fingers You'll be running in no time.