I saw the one I take my husband and sons too just prior to my dx. I was having severe knee pain and thought he might help.

Needless to say it made things worse. I went for almost two weeks and by then I was almost unable to walk.

That being said, I take two of my boys to see him when they have sports injuries, and my husband goes for his migranes. I also go to his sister for massages. I totally swear by her.

All that to say, it has to be personal choice. I think I avoid him because I am afraid of how he adjusts my boys (and me when he gets a chance). He might be able to help...if I could relax enough to let him.

Hang in there, the pain can be overwhelming--esp when we don't know exactly how to treat it.

Marianne

I think many of us try different things to help with pain. If something does work for you, good. I try to keep an open mind.

That being said, I have had a good chiropractor in the past that always "fixed" my pains. However, he's no longer in the area, so I tried a new one recommended by a friend. They were really nice but very pushy about being in the office 3 x week. They also seemed stuck on the thought that if they could get me adjusted I could stop my meds (there's no way I'm doing that). They also didn't seem to understand RA; they were not very gentle with me -- handshakes, etc. The last time I went was the most painful and I hurt for days afterward.

I've also read that with RA you should never get your cervical spine adjusted by a chiropractor, especially if you have affected joints in the cervical spine area.

I had better results working with a physical therapist. They used ultrasound as well as massage therapy. They were able to get my back and neck to relax more than the chiropractor did. I also take muscle relaxants, and those also seem to help loosed up my back, neck and shoulders.

I have worked with been treated many times with chiro's, but I stopped going when my neck got so bad, plus I just can't relax. If you tense up, it can make it worse

so I way prefer a pain Dr

I don't have an answer about the chiropractor choice, but I wanted to add that I don't have chronic back problems but when my hips are in a flare, specifically the right one that I get lower back pains too. I believe that this is due to compensating for the pain I have when I walk and shifting the weight of my body to take the stress off of that joint. Maybe you might be doing something similar in how you move when the shoulder is flaring? Lots of times we do these things subconciously to just try and keep going especially when we have been in unrelenting pain for a long time. It just becomes something of second nature to us. It can certainly be difficult to figure out what is RA and what isn't. for me, I would want to try and figure out the source of the problem before I started covering it up with pain meds. If you can heal it, then I think that would be better than medicating it. Just a thought.

I've been wondering if I should start seeing an osteopath - a physician who includes manipulation in his/her practice of medicine. The last couple of times I was adjusted by a chiropractor (many years before RA), I could barely move afterward, but I've heard that osteopathic manipulation is different. I wish I knew somone who had gone to an osteopath though.

I had back pain for 2 years that was cured with a simple stretch - lying down and rotating the right leg over the left while 'trying' to keep the hip flat. I'm pretty sure thats a normal chiropractor adjustment.

I have some upper back pain when my RA flared up recently. I simply have to remember to get up and stretch as my pain was causing me to sit/sleep in unnatural positions.

I have good luck with my chiropractor, however I have a good relationship with him. He does understand RA and only adjusts the areas that are giving me trouble. Be sure if you utilize this kind of practitioner that you trust them. I often have trouble with muscle spasms in my lower and mid back, that benefits from chiropractic care.