Is chiropractic safe? Does it have any negative effects?!

Yes. Chiropractic is safe. Compare chiropractic care to medical care for back pain. Drugs are risky as they have side effects and you can become addicted.

It is effective. Some the of skeptics claim that chiro and medicine is just about equal in outcomes (depends upon the study, some say more and some say less). Well if chiro is just as effective for lower back pain and can do it without drugs then its a better option in the first place. If you dont see improvements within a 2 week time period then seek additional help from other healthcare providers.

Medicaid will vary office to office and what state you are in.

Good Luck

This "Massage Therapist" is for some reason totally biased. She/he seems to think that this whole profession is plagued by liars, cheaters and charlatans. This is simply not the case...not so much more so than ANY OTHER PROFESSION. There are doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, massage therapists etc that have motives other than the strict benefit of their customers. Massage therapy is a noble profession, however it is wracked with people who use it as a means for prostitution. Does that mean every LMT is a prostitute? Does it mean that if someone goes for a massage that they can get a happy ending just by waving some cash and asking for it. Clearly no. If i were to use the same logic that "massage therapist" is using I would have to say that anytime someone goes to a massage to make sure you bring some tissue to clean up with afterwards. If you want to make a comparison of LMT's to DC's all you need to do is go to craigslist and look at the therapeutic services listing and you can find countless numbers of LMTs who offer services that include things like "mutual touch", "happy endings", "body to body" and even downright sex offers!!! In my state I stay in touch with the local state boards and I have seen month after month and year after year literally hundreds if not more LMT get arrested for this behavior. While the DC's dont seem to make a common practice of it there are cases far and few that involve poor decisions made by docs that get involved in inappropriate doctor/patient relationships. Never have i seen a DC exchange cash for sex or sexual favors but this happens daily in the LMT world. The broad generalizations that this individual repeats over and over again are biased and untruthful. I have literally been in contact and around THOUSANDS of chiropractors who motives are to help people ethically and professionally. There are amazing leaders in the profession who teach the profession to use their craft with integrity, honesty and the highest level of professionalism.

"Massage therapist" should be more concerned with cleaning his/her own house before standing at the door and screaming how dirty everyone else's is. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones and all of that. You have attacked chiros at almost every question that I have seen. You know NOTHING of the profession, less perhaps some sideline observations with a few unscrupulous individuals. There is so much more that I want to say to you about this but I fear that if I was to continue I may say things that are vulgar and ill willed. Consider what you say before YOU open your mouth next time.

"chiropractic" is practiced in a variety of ways by different practitioners. overall it has proven very safe. the safest of all is non-rotary type adjustment. no therapy, of any kind, can substitute for correction of nerve interference through specific upper cervical correction. see an hio method chiropractor. (while a leg length difference is very common, it is certainly not normal, and is usually the product of various muscle imbalances from nerve interference pulling the skeleton out of alignment.)

It is safe, but I've heard different things about its efficacy. Some people love it and go all the time...other people didn't get much out it and consider it quack medicine. Try it for yourself and see how you feel.

My recommendation would be physical therapy,but you asked about chiropractic. Unless leg length varies significantly it usually isn't much of a factor,no ones legs are exactly equal. If you just have to try a chiropractor,ask around,to at least to find an ethical one,most are not. If they take x-rays, all sorts of horrible things will,with out a doubt, show up. What they point out won't really have anything to do with your discomfort,and if it did, can't be corrected by them anyway. Then they will offer you a whole year of "treatments" at a discounted price(because they really,really,really want to help you) Is going to a chiropractor safe? Well I guess that depends on the chiropractor(somebody graduates last in every class). I have been in business for 24 years,and have seen patients with ruptured discs,torn ligaments,and strokes,cause by incompetent chiropractors. I guess my question to you would be.....do you feel lucky?

edit: Wow,looks like someones feathers got a little ruffled. And typical of a chiropractor,when the truth is brought up,lash out.Lashing out at other professions in no way validates chiropractic.I know the truth hurts. I answered the question according to my experiences of 24 years of dealing with unscrupulous, chiropractors. I think I have a right to do so,and I think people who ask this questions also have a right to know. Did you ever stop to wonder,why do so many people question chiropractic? There's nothing that sophisticated or technical about a typical diversified "adjustment" that most chiropractors do. They would like you to think it's very scientific and technical,and that it takes years to learn,but in reality,you could learn it in a couple of months. X-ray calculations,muscle and motion palpation,leg checks,"direction of force',and all of the rest of the chiro show, play a minimal role in the whole process,as after all they are just mobilizing stuck vertebra,something that a therapist trained in muscle energy technique can do. I know Marc has to defend his profession and justify his years in chiro school and of course spending thousands on tuition, but can't you just admit it, chiropractic is a sham.

I would think that your lower back is out and maybe your hip. I would think with the extent of your problem you would want a chiropractor that would take x rays first...you can rub your buttock muscles, where they are sore, and sometimes break down the muscle spasms and get your hip to go back into place, it is what the chiropractor will do, and then puts your feet up and knows he has it right when they are level. Chriopractors can put your back back into place, but the muscles go into spasm and will pull it back out, it is best to go to a massage therapist to break down the spasms and to the chiropractor to put your back into place...should take about 3 visits to both...pro most chiropractors don't take medicaid but I would think at the teaching schools they probably would, like if you have a chirpopractic college in town. I don't know why anyone would say anything negative about them, just because medical science wasn't too happy to accept them, the surgery and little they have to offer and the risk with traditional medecine isn't spoken of too well either...I had one time I went when my ears were plugged and I could barely hear anything for weeks, and I went and after my ears popped clear and I got my hearing back...everything hooks up to your back, it is very important to keep it in good health and adjusted. Any massage therapist that knows how to file the medecaid claim I am sure would be willing to treat you.

I agree with Outlaw. While chiropractors have to follow state guidelines, i suspect most use hand manipulation techniques (aka messages) to make a person feel better. They may supplement these techniques with herbal "RX" concoctions since they can not legally prescribe traditional rx.
So some, not all, may be on the verge of medical quackery.

See an MD for your problems. Physical therapy and medication will be more beneficial for your health issues. as for medicaid, it may vary from state to state whether chiropractors will receive compensation from medicaid for his/her services. My guess is that medicaid will not cover it or may require a referral from your family physician.

Good luck.