Hi, I got scoliosis, uneven hips, uneven shoulders, all that good stuff. I’m really overwhelmed with all the problems I have so I’m seeking out a specialist. The problem is that I don’t know who to go for.
A chiropractor? Physical therapist? Osteopath? How am I sure that they’ll try to solve my problem?
I guess I’m having trouble finding the right one for me. Can you guys help me out?
Where are you?
I live in Fullerton, California.
If you think, feel, and believe you are out of alignment then a chiropractor, osteopath and decent percentage of physical therapists with tell you the same thing then pretend to fix your malalignments, thus fulfilling any expectation you have while providing the maximal placebo experience. Unfortunately none of these have any form of research to back up there claims…
Go see a physiotherapist. I think you yanks call them “physical therapists.”
Try and find one that specialises in sports injuries. “Sports therapists” or something.
olifter1 what is your problem??? you hate everyone, PT, chiropractor, osteopath etc. Did you flunk out of chiropractor school??
Well I went with a local Korean group called Jaseng. The doctors took some x-rays and they had an in-house chiropractor assess my body. While I already know I have scoliosis, I found that it’s caused by muscular imbalances, so it’s not congenital.
So good news, it’s functional and fixable. I have to stretch my hamstrings because it’s causing my pelvis to tilt, creating my leg imbalance. I also have to stretch my left rhomboids, which is the overdeveloped part of my back. Meanwhile I have to strengthen right rhomboids, which is elongated due to poor posture.
The chiropractor also cracked my back, hips, and other areas. Felt great and I can stand up a bit better though feels a bit odd on my lower back.
Overall I’m satisfied. While the chiropractor didn’t give out instructions on what specific exercises to follow, he told me what I have to strengthen or stretch to reduce the the tilts.
A good posture assessment can be a wonderful tool for someone who wants to maximize his/her body’s performance and minimize the chance for pain/injury. It would probably be a good idea for you to question everything though, so that you can gain a greater understanding of why/how you progressed to the state you find yourself.
It is only then that you can fit the pieces together to make wise decisions concerning a corrective approach.
Limiting your search to “sports medicine” professionals would probably serve your best interests in finding a long-term, exercise-based solution–which is really the only solution. I mean, you can have many things, but, if you don’t have a targeted, specific, purposeful exercise program–you’re ‘dead in the water’. And, you MUST ‘learn your body’ to make the most out of working with any specialist.