notagaragedoor on Nostr: It depends. Some chiropractors just run a practice that requires you to have things ...

It depends. Some chiropractors just run a practice that requires you to have things done to you (over and over) for a certain number of visits. This is probably a sign of a bad chiropractor. However, you are starting to find more and more chiropractors and PTs who are better than the physicians where they use active techniques to help you learn the things you’re doing wrong and develop a proactive approach to injury prevention going forward. Stretching and popping (ie passive treatment) should usually be a small part of therapy as most of us need a little of that to mobilize areas (and tissues that we’ve lost mobility). However, stability based exercises that focus on improving “mobility” (ie mobility being different than flexibility in that mobility focuses on developing strength and stability to the end of your safe joint range of motion). I think that a lot of popping that is done in these clinics helps bc they’re essentially mobilizing the thoracic spine (which most of us lose mobility bc of sitting) but a lot of chiropractors pop things (eg lumbar and cervical rotation) beyond a normal range of motion which is not wise. I could go on. See people who use techniques like Stuart McGill, dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS), etc. Also, if someone’s back hurts the problem may not be the back. It could be limited mobility or stability elsewhere (eg hip or ankle) which most physicians, PTs, and chiropractors will not look for.