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Ok, so for years I have had muscle tension requiring massage, tension headaches, sinus issues and just felt heavy in general.
I saw my GP and he suggested it was stress manifesting as physical symptoms and suggested I start taking Lexapro.
My grandmother suggested I see her chiropractor- so I did. They do a consultation & xrays for free. I have a curve in my spine, neck misalignment & uneven hips. Per xrays that I saw myself.
I was all in until I saw that after insurance it would be nearly 2k to get my spine as a whole balanced. I want to feel better & balanced but I feel selfish spending that kind of money when I have a family to think about.
Your experience with chiropractors.......? Was it worth the seemingly huge cost? Thanks in advance for sharing.
Ok, so for years I have had muscle tension requiring massage, tension headaches, sinus issues and just felt heavy in general.
I saw my GP and he suggested it was stress manifesting as physical symptoms and suggested I start taking Lexapro.
My grandmother suggested I see her chiropractor- so I did. They do a consultation & xrays for free. I have a curve in my spine, neck misalignment & uneven hips. Per xrays that I saw myself.
I was all in until I saw that after insurance it would be nearly 2k to get my spine as a whole balanced. I want to feel better & balanced but I feel selfish spending that kind of money when I have a family to think about.
Your experience with chiropractors.......? Was it worth the seemingly huge cost? Thanks in advance for sharing.
For me, no. I spent a ton of money, and even WORKED for a chiro for awhile. It gave a little bit of temporary relief, but honestly, massage therapy and exercising on my own helps me WAY more. I have problems just like you do. I would save your money, just go with massage and do a lot of stretching and exercising. That's just my experience.
I also like massage, but from an experienced and trained/licensed person who specializes in spinal massage. It helps work out the kinks from unbalanced walking. Around here you can get a massage for an hour for about $45.
Or find a good yoga and / or chi gong class.
A good teacher and a good class may be a way that you can at least begin to address the imbalance in your system without paying a practitioner.
It's very empowering to find that you can actually heal yourself by incorporating practices in your daily life.
And it's good for your entire system .... not just the part of your body that is expressing / manifesting the imbalance.
As you become more aware of your body and its needs, then finding a healer of some kind may be the thing to do.
Or you may want to find a healer first, get some relief and hope that you can heal and then find a class.
Acupuncture is another option.
It's always best to find someone by way of a recommendation as opposed to just finding someone in the yellow pages or on-line.
If you can find a way to address your issues without the use of surgery and meds, it will be a very good thing.
NOEM...please find a different chiropractor. That is a ridiculous sum of money. The Lexapro is ridiculous as well. Ask your friends for chiropractic recommendations. I have had the exact SAME problems you have listed. Luckily, through word of mouth, I found an awesome chiropractor who charges $25 and adjusts your entire body. It is a walk-in clinic and he is highly respected. I saw him twice a week for a month and now just go back when I feel I need it. I do this in combination with deep tissue massage and accupuncture (once in a while) and it has reduced my migraines and "heavy feeling" by probably 75%. I used to miss a lot of work and now I don't. Ask your massage therapist to show you how to do some good stretches and watch your posture. Also, I bought one of those curved neck support pillows and it has also helped greatly. Uncomfortable at first (and expensive), but you will get used to it. It saves me on trips to the chiropractor.
Thank you all for your input. The figure of 2k is based on this- after the xrays are analyzed the chiripractor best predicts the # of visits it would take him to get my spine, hips, neck optimally balanced over the course of a year. His theory is I will likely need 64 visits over the course of a year to feel my best. He charges 40/visit. After my very limted insurance coverage I would be paying nearly 2k for this plan.
I am still thinking on this. Yes, I have tried various types of massage and they do help but only for a few days so I am having to have 3 a month or so($65 each around here) just to get relief for a few days at a time.
Thank you all for your input. I also will get a second opinion.
NOEM...just call around to various chiropractors and see if they have a walk-in clinic without using insurance. As I said, I only pay $25 per visit...NO insurance involved. I have good insurance but this guy doesn't even use it. I hope you have an honest, hard working chiropractor in your area!
Ok, so for years I have had muscle tension requiring massage, tension headaches, sinus issues and just felt heavy in general.
I saw my GP and he suggested it was stress manifesting as physical symptoms and suggested I start taking Lexapro.
My grandmother suggested I see her chiropractor- so I did. They do a consultation & xrays for free. I have a curve in my spine, neck misalignment & uneven hips. Per xrays that I saw myself.
I was all in until I saw that after insurance it would be nearly 2k to get my spine as a whole balanced. I want to feel better & balanced but I feel selfish spending that kind of money when I have a family to think about.
Your experience with chiropractors.......? Was it worth the seemingly huge cost? Thanks in advance for sharing.
Few of us have spines that are perfectly symmetrical. All of us have curves in our spines. If you actually have an abnormal curvature --- scoliosis --- that is usually picked up at an early age by the pediatricians these days. If you do have scoliosis, no chiropractic manipulation is going to repair it.
It is likely that the things pointed out to you on the x rays are perfectly normal variations.
It is interesting that you do not describe muscle pain, just tension and it is improved temporarily by massage.
You do not need a chiropractor.
Evaluate your activities. Which muscles are tense? If it's your neck and back, are you doing anything to strain them: lifting children, carrying a heavy shoulder bag, heavy yard work? (My neck and shoulders have been bothering me because we have a large, stubborn puppy that pulls on the leash. ) Are your muscles weak because you are not exercising?
If you identify a problem, fix it.
If you feel "heavy," is it because you are overweight? If so, do something about it. Improve your diet. Start exercising.
Have someone in your family learn the massage techniques that you find most helpful.
Start a yoga class. That will increase flexibility, stretch your muscles, and reduce the tension headaches.
Yoga will also help with mood. I think your GP is wise. The tone of your original post does suggest an element of depression. Lexapro is a very benign drug, and you really have nothing to lose by trying it for a few weeks. You might find it helps while you do the other things I have suggested.
There is no way that a chiropractor could "predict" how many sessions you would need. He will keep you coming back as long as you keep paying. And you will be told you need many unnecessary x rays.
And chiropractic cannot do anything for your sinuses. See your GP for that.
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) Are your muscles weak because you are not exercising?
