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  • Lovelife
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    Post count: 16

    Thanks again as always.
    The chiropractor had marked directly on the x-ray he took and said the spinous processes were “crooked” and thus needed “adjusted” back into place.
    Your answer to my question has helped guide me in the right direction tho so
    appreciated.

    Lovelife
    Member
    Post count: 16

    Dr. Corenman,
    I have one final question … sorry .

    The chiropractor I saw (noted in previous post) indicated that on x-ray my thoracic spinous processes aligned like forward and backward slashes:

    /

    /

    That mis-alignment seems pretty extreme but if true I would suspect chiropractic would be the only way to alleviate it. It is not something I have felt personally and has never been noted at that level of problem.
    I know you view a lot of images, but no other clinician made a note of this problem, other than the first doctor I saw thought T11 had “slipped”…. and there is the T7/8 weirdness. Is the above a reasonable assessment to you based upon what you saw (if you remember) on my images? Just trying to make sure that I understand the possible pain generators before trying rehabilitation as I don’t have much time to waste doing the wrong thing. I also have some sporadic twitching of my bicep muscle and don’t want to make that worse.
    Thank you again if you have any insight.

    Lovelife
    Member
    Post count: 16

    Dr. Corneman,
    got your message regarding my images and thank you.
    I figured it is some kind of joint dysfunction so I shall attempt rehab again as you suggest. I was probably a bit over tested in this situation but mistakes were made with my lumbar spine so there’s a bit of paranoia now.

    Hopefully my school academic advisor will allow me back in with better knowledge in August… they were more concerned about instability because of my history and want me to be able to succeed in a tough program.

    Thank you so much!
    You are an amazing doctor and person and I thank you for taking the time you have.

    Lovelife
    Member
    Post count: 16

    Dr. Corenman post=1516 wrote: I know that chiropractors use the X-ray as a tool to determine if the vertebra are “out of alignment” but the findings on X-ray indicating alignment issues are really not accurate. It is the palpation of the vertebra that really indicates restriction of motion. Using palpation skills, a chiropractor can “feel” restrictions in movement of one vertebra to the next and then deliver a thrust (adjustment) to mobilize that motion segment.

    Many chiropractors manipulate the entire spine as they believe that a spine without restrictions of movement, even in non-painful regions, will allow the painful segments to function better.

    Dr. Corenman

    Dr. Corenman,
    can you give me an idea of how long it takes for a new patient to get an appointment?
    I can contact Sarah to see about setting something up. What typically happens on a first visit for someone in my case with almost one year of thoracic spine pain (If you were willing to see me, I have no problems with traveling there). Sorry if these are basic questions, but I am beginning to think a clinician needs to just do a thorough exam of my spine to try to determine what and where the dysfunction is and why it’s causing pain. If there is not an answer to this, at least I know I tried everything.
    Thank you again.

    Lovelife
    Member
    Post count: 16

    Dr. Corenman, thank you again for responding to my message with very helpful information. I am not trying to beat a dead horse, just make sure I am doing the right things in order to feel better. I was in a graduate medical program before being put on medical leave and really want to get back and finish. If things are not improving by early summer, I may seek out a consult with you at your practice in Vail.
    Your advice and thoughts have been very useful and again I thank you.

    Lovelife
    Member
    Post count: 16

    I did end up seeing a chiropractor. He said my spine is indeed very painful upon touch/palpation from T4-thru probably T-6 right down the midline.
    Attempted to read my MRI’s and Bone scan but didn’t feel much info could be obtained other than he was curious about the level of uptake on the bone scan in my T-Spine. Was told by radiologist it was a homogenous uptake of no concern. Have to trust in that.

    The chiro took one x-ray (machine was SUPER old… like from the 50s) and
    indicated my spinous processes in my T-Spine were misaligned indicating misaligned vertebrae. I had an x-ray at the beginning of all this and the orthopedic surgeon did not mention misalignment. The chiropractor performed several rapid thrust adjustments of neck, t-spine and lumbar. I was a bit scared with that, especially the neck, which I did not know he was going to do. Was told most chiropractors believe in adjusting the entire spine. Care needs to be taken in my T-Spine because I have had a median sternotomy to repair an Atrial Septal Defect. I do not know how many adjustments are typically needed to get vertebrae back into alignment, if they are indeed out of alignment.

    In your experience as a chiropractor Dr. Corenman, did you generally take a whole spine approach when trying to alleviate pain in one region of the spine? This mid back pain is coming up on a year so chiropractic might not be the right solution.

    The Radiologist I consulted originally did not feel my spine was out of alignment, so was uncertain what the chiropractor saw that he did not. I will continue on with stretching, the foam roller, tennis balls, etc. I am a runner and cyclist and will continue these activities as much as possible as well. hope to feel better soon so I can get back into grad school.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 15 total)