response 1 of 28:

Jun 25 19:43 UTC 1997

Not me.  I simply got a book on stretches and paid particular attention
to the section on back stretches.  The basic idea that works for me is to
move till it hurts, hold till the pain goes away, move further till it
hurts again, hold, move, etc. till you've run out of range of motion.
Repeat this several times till you can go full range with little or no
pain.  Repeat several times during the day to keep the tigh spot limber.
I use to suffer from neck and back pain that would last for weeks at
times.  The stretching helps me a lot!  It *might* work for you too.

response 3 of 28:

Jun 25 21:58 UTC 1997

[Agora item 23 has been linked to Consumer cf item 83]
 
bruin, what is it you like about Klapp Chiro?  I'd prefer one who doesn't
overwhelm me lectures, brochures, newsletters, etc. on how to eat right,
what a great thing chiropractic is and whatever (though learning a few
good excercises, such as mentioned in :1 doesn't bother me, and I've
found to be helpful).

response 5 of 28:

Jun 26 00:56 UTC 1997

Try to find one that uses the "activator method" 

response 7 of 28:

Jun 26 03:57 UTC 1997

I'll let arabella get in here with a glowing recommendation for 
Dr. Sue Anderson on Packard; I've been seeing her for six 
years, Leslie for nine.

response 9 of 28:

Jun 26 07:59 UTC 1997

As Ken mentioned, I've been a patient of Dr. Sue Anderson on Packard
for 9 and a half years.  She is gentle and caring, and she has
really helped me improve my sacrum problems, and also relieved 
a really bad case of wrist tendonitis.  

response 11 of 28:

Jun 26 11:51 UTC 1997

I use to do that too.  It just prolonged the agony for me.

response 13 of 28:

Jun 26 16:15 UTC 1997

Aerobic exercise classes, as much "non-guy-thing" as they are, do tend to do
wonders for putting all the muscles back into balance.  It's what I'm doing
this summer to get rid of accumulated karate class damage.

response 15 of 28:

Jul 1 16:07 UTC 1997

(This item now linked to the Health conference)

So what *is* chiropract-- anyway?  My HMO seems to class chiropractors with
faith healers and snake handlers, preferring phyical therapy instead.

response 17 of 28:

Jul 1 22:31 UTC 1997

 Chiropracters treat the spine, and make spinal adjustments. You might want
to do an AltaVista search on the subject.

response 19 of 28:

Jul 2 00:44 UTC 1997

Chiropracters range from "true believers" in the old chiropractic creed
(who practically claim that proper chiropractic spinal manipulation can
cure anything short of death) to hustlers who want to sign everyone they
can up for (expensive) twice-a-month "treatments" (for life) to rational
dudes who realize that they're basically an alternative school of PT with
some dubious mumbo-jumbo left over from rather pre-scientific beginnings.

For the sort of stuff that chiropractic is good at treating, a good
chiropracter is better than a good PT.  The biggest problem is finding
one who's neither a cwackropracter nor a clod.  A good one will refer
you to a PT, MD, or whatever as professionally as a good dentist will
refer you to an oral surgeon (when that's what you need). 

response 21 of 28:

Jul 2 17:57 UTC 1997

Scott, I don't think it works that way.  Or at least, there's a difference
between a specific trauma and general maintainance.  It's like the difference
between saying; "the muffler shop did a good job of fixing my exhaust after
the tail pipe hit a pot hole and broke" or "my mechanic always does a very
thorough tune up and leave the car running smoothly"--see?  I mean, between
uneven pavement, awkward loads and poorly fitted chairs, not to mention shoes,
we're continually abusing our spines, so visiting a chiropractor once a month
is sort of good basic maintainance.  If you're fixing a specific trauma, it
might be once a week for, say, two or three months, then back to basic
maintainance.  PT is much the same way, although they only do trauma so you're
on your own to continue with healthy exercizes that straighten and strengthen
the musculo-skeletal system.

response 23 of 28:

Jul 3 12:05 UTC 1997

I have always tried to do my own maintenance when it comes to my body.
It not only gives my a deeper understanding of how it works but also
of what its limits are.  We are also all unique enough there is not
one cure-all.  Cure-alls tend to be tweeks to ease the symptoms instead
of figuring out the cause.  (Hence having to take the old bod back
into the chiropractor to bring the wayward back in like.  The poorly
fitting chair, uneven pavement, awkward loads mumbo-jumbo is just that.
What did the human species walk on before uneven pavement?  Sit on before
poorly fitting chairs or carry before awkward loads? Get the ole bod in
shape so it can handle that stuff without breaking down on you all the
time!  It's a living thing, unlike your car, fully capable of
repairing itself, in most situations, if you treat it right and give it
time.)