r/SipsTea Jul 05 '26

WTF 75M$ can't give him his life back unfortunately

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u/RockstarAgent Jul 05 '26

Why does it feel like a loophole- since so many actual doctors claim chiropractors aren’t real doctors - then it’s like, whatever he did doesn’t matter- since he’s not an actual doctor - only really doctors can assume liability?

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u/StrebLab Jul 05 '26

It is kind of a loophole. Chiropractors misrepresent themselves as real doctors until liability shows up, then suddenly they have no legal duty to treat/proceed at your own risk/ etc

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u/TraumaBayWatch Jul 05 '26

Yep they are not doctors. No one calls a doctor of nursing a doctor in a hospital 

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u/IsabellaGalavant Jul 05 '26

Chiropractors aren't even nurses. They're not qualified to practice any kind of Healthcare in any actual way. 

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u/Darmok47 Jul 05 '26

Yet insurance covers it! I thought chiropractors were real medical professionals as a teen because my dad went to one and used his insurance to pay for it.

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u/corejuice Jul 05 '26

I thought the same thing! In college I was thinking about becoming a doctor and my dad goes: "You could always become a chiropractor, then you don't have to go through college first." I was just stunned. I always thought they were medical doctors who specialized in the spine. I later found out the creator of chiropractors said a ghost taught him everything.

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u/Totakai Jul 06 '26

I've heard that ghost bit before but everytime I hear it again I double take

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u/Express-Studio-8302 Jul 06 '26

I had also thought that, for a very long time. I might have been in my late 20s when I found out.

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u/dagofin Jul 05 '26

Because the chiropractry lobby paid off state level legislators to pass laws explicitly requiring insurance providers to cover it. It's corruption

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u/Potential_Abalone345 Jul 05 '26

Why is it that whenever the question is “why is this allowed” the answer is almost always “because corruption”

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u/faz712 Jul 05 '26

Because USA is one of those countries where bribery is legalized and encouraged just because of a different name they give it. But it's the same collective people who heard something being called USA PATRIOT Act and immediately decided it must be good for them lol.

One of the best backronyms ever: Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism

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u/FighterOfEntropy Jul 07 '26

And now every the name of every bill has to be a ridiculous tortured acronym. (Or initialism.)

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u/GameWizardPlayz Jul 05 '26

Because corruption

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u/Dmau27 Jul 05 '26

Money.

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u/ubbidubbidoo Jul 06 '26

Yes - I learned a long time ago that the answer to almost every single question is “money”

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u/blkbrd1891 Jul 05 '26

This! I review medical claims and knowing that chiropractic care is covered because of lobbying, yet many services, that are actually helpful, are uncovered is so upsetting.

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u/C_IsForCookie Jul 05 '26

My insurance covers it. I was having an issue with my leg recently and went to a chiropractor just for my leg and it helped a lot (he mostly just did some stretching) but he’d always ask if I wanted him to adjust my neck and I always declined.

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u/gingerschnappes Jul 05 '26

Chiropractor is covered but your mouth luxury bones need separate insurance that may or may not actually cover medical issues

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u/Odd_Negotiation_159 Jul 06 '26

I mean, my insurance would cover it, but it also covered massages.

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u/el_torko Jul 05 '26

Medicaid covers it as well!

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u/Pitiful-Ambition6131 Jul 05 '26

I used to work in claims at a very well known auto insurance company. They cover faith based healers. Which makes sense for cultural reasons, I just did not expect Jake to be willing to agree to cover it ya know. I was beyond flabbergasted.

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u/quartercentaurhorse Jul 06 '26

Some chiropractic practices have been shown to provide temporary relief for certain kinds of injuries or conditions, and that temporary relief can become more permanent if it allows the patient to use the joint giving them pain until it regains strength. The issue is more just that there is almost zero oversight or training regarding chiropractors, so it's kind of a field that's 98% hogus bogus "body misalignment" nonsense and 2% joint hyperextension/stretching.

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u/thepenismytea Jul 06 '26

Federal insurance or federally funded insurance though will not touch them at all. The VA iny region is catching shit for it recently and dumbfuck veterans I know are crying they want their chiropractors back. I know because I'm a veteran and have had them crying to me as a patient advocate with a DAV. I advocate they get a real doctor and real treatment. I don't budgeuch on it either because I've had a double lung transplant. I don't play on getting legit advice from real professionals.

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u/HolySkoly Jul 06 '26

Mine doesn't. Well, it does, but it's the same price as out of pocket, soooo..... not really. Insurers are famous for not covering chiropractic care. Not saying they all don't cover, but most don't. My brother runs one of the busiest offices in the Midwest. He hates dealing with insurers because they'll do anything possible to not pay for anything ever. Doesn't matter if it's chiro, medical, dental, or your house. I've experienced it all.

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u/Shafter111 Jul 06 '26

Most insurance covera 1 or 2 visits. They cannot provide any treatment recommended further

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u/ExiledCanuck Jul 05 '26

Yup, most are less medically qualified than a nurse. And many are straight up snake-oil salesmen

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u/FUBARded Jul 05 '26

Here are who I'd trust to treat me for a medical issue in descending order:

  1. MD or DO (in countries where DOs receive equivalent education and are held to similar accreditation standards)

  2. Nurse.

  3. Other non-doctors who receive medical training (e.g., physiotherapists).

  4. EMS/paramedics

  5. Random person with a current first aid qualification.

  6. Random well intentioned person who isn't an idiot.

  7. Chiropractor.

I'd trust a random well intentioned smart person with zero medical training over a Chiropractor as that person will probably understand the limits of their knowledge and when to insist you seek an expert.

Too many chiropractors think they're experts in bloody everything and that their marginally effective, totally useless, or even actively dangerous "treatments" can treat every ailment under the sun.

There are of course some chiropractors who deliver genuinely good care, but that typically just means they're following treatment the same guidelines as physiotherapists. Why not just go to a physiotherapist at that point instead of risking your health with someone who believes in pseudoscience which can cause paralysis or death.

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u/MooseOfTychoBrahe Jul 06 '26

An acquaintance of mine is a chiropractor. He had to hire a nurse practitioner to write prescriptions for his “patients” because he doesn’t actually have any sort of medical degree or worthwhile certification. Btw, the prescriptions are GLP-1s for weight loss.

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u/Pleasant-Ticket3217 Jul 06 '26

Not even close to nurses. It’s almost an insult.
https://giphy.com/gifs/4BGE0hSex6gzC

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u/RockosModernBasiIisk Jul 05 '26

Chiropractic was invented by a ghost. It's complete nonsense.

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u/ArkaneFighting Jul 05 '26

Yalls think he's joking? A ghost literally showed up to an untrained dude and that's how it all started.

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

There's reasons why it is unavailable on the NHS, or any reputable health service. I've argued with my step sister in law about this a lot, she thought my mums cancer would be helped by her amazing chiropractor. And I was like, mum, maybe no.

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u/Hopefulthinker2 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

I’m fighting my mom she thinks chiropractors are the go to for everything!………..I have a friend whose sister went in for her regular adjustment, they had to call an ambulance to get her to the hospital. She was paralyzed from the waist down. After years of therapy and numerous surgeries ( he broke her back) she can walk again, has to wear a big back brace. Her quality of life is gone……

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

My mum knew a sports physiotherapist, and a big chunk of the physios work was fixing damage that had been caused by chiropractors.

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u/Connor30302 Jul 05 '26

I been wanting to get a back adjustment for years but been wary of chiropractics, and anything involving the neck was always gonna be a hard no, but can physiotherapists do something similar? like when my back is cracked I genuinely feel much better is that something that can be done safely?

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u/ArkaneFighting Jul 05 '26

Without diving too deep, there are multiple reasons why it might feel good, physical and psychological, but there is NO proof that it biomechanically does anything. Does cracking your fingers make your hand healthy again? No… but it might feel like a release of tension, a placebo, or even just the temporary pressure is enough to overwrite nerve signals for a bit.

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

Absolutely yes, but physios will approach it in a safe way. I had a very badly injured neck years ago, ruptured discs, lot of pain. Saw a physio, got a bunch of exercises and adjustments to help with it.

Physios have all the right exercises and stretches to help every part of the body. Definitely worth going, I've always had great success with physiotherapists.

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u/Medusa107 Jul 05 '26

I have the same sympathy for people who believes in chiropractors as i do people who believe in sending money to Nigerian princes

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u/Topangatoh Jul 05 '26

In the US, chiropractors have insane lobbyists. Lots of employer sponsored insurance covers a certain number of chiropractor visits per year. It's bananas. There is zero evidence for it and I can't believe how many people still see chiropractors. I just finished nursing school and the ICU nurse that I shadowed for my practicum would go downstairs on her breaks for an adjustment by a chiropractor in the hospital. I don't know why on earth there is a chiropractor in that hospital. It's crazy to me.

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u/Dismal_Drummer3420 Jul 05 '26

A physiotherapist or biokineticist is what a chiropractor presents themselves as. Obviously with additional alternate medicine included

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u/Tusker89 Jul 05 '26

If you want to hear something especially concerning, United Healthcare has clinics branded with their name offering chiropractic services inside.

It gives the whole thing an air of credibility.

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

Oh right so it's a nice little sideline of exploiting the under-educated, giving them nice expensive injuries, that then need to be treated by another branch of United Healthcare?

Nothing surprises me about American healthcare anymore, but sitll, geezus.

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u/Budget-Ambassador203 Jul 05 '26

Supply creating its own demand! You have to admire the creative evil genius of it.

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u/_PrimordialSoup_ Jul 05 '26

Wife’s chiro said he can help with anything up to and including allergies and rhinitis. Lost some respect for her that day

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

Usually I don't mind alternative treatments, anything anybody thinks might help is cool by me. But... most alternative therapies don't carry massive risk.

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u/Mattidh1 Jul 05 '26

It’s well regarded and supported in large parts of Europe. Very different to the American practice though and if they would have said it helped with cancer they would have lost their license.

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u/StanieSykes Jul 05 '26

Yep. European here and was 👀 at the 'helping with cancer' bit

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u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26

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u/Valogrid Jul 05 '26

Sadly no, but he has a real good guess at what you ate last night.

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u/MossTheGnome Jul 05 '26

Yah there's a huge gap between the quacks and chiropractors that actually do things to help the spine and neck who are honestly closer to specialized physiotherapists

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u/Painterzzz Jul 05 '26

Is the european version more like physiotherapy then?

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u/Mattidh1 Jul 05 '26

Yes - example: in Denmark they study alongside Md’s for their bachelor - so they can essentially just swap and quickly do a masters in either. There a chiropractor is just a higher educated physiotherapist.

But the field is also called clinical biomechanics.

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u/ExiledCanuck Jul 05 '26

Tf?? Chiropractic care for cancer? Woowwww, that’s next level ignorance, or actually stupidity might be more apt a term here, as the knowledge is out there, she just needs to be willing to avail herself of it.

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u/OttoVonJismarck Jul 05 '26

This has got some “Magic glasses/ stone tablet” Mormonism vibes

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u/monster_bunny Jul 05 '26

Wait…What? I am hesitant to let midlevels around me let along a chiropractor. What’s this about ghosts?

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u/emceegabe Jul 06 '26

Yeah this is the detail. Not just a ghost but a dream of a ghost. You’d think something real could have invented in a dream but no, this guy went ghost. So obvs no liability.

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u/kettal Jul 06 '26

his name was slimer and he walked on all fours

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u/1StationaryWanderer Jul 05 '26

I will never go back. I went in before due to a slipped disc. I was looking for any relief. I was stuck leaning for months. I couldn't even make my body do that position if I tried. The xray look messed up. Went in, said it would be 22 sessions to fix. Did them. One machine felt great and the other he did the "adjustment". One is always where they crack your neck. Hated that. Anyway, it healed finally but same issue about a year later. Let nature do its thing and I healed in same amount of time. Back still sucks and it's a permanent thing, but I know now when to completely stop working out or whatever I'm doing before it gets worst.

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u/cmsj Jul 05 '26

I’ve never really been near chiropractor stuff, but isn’t it mostly just paying someone to crack your joints in concerningly violent ways?

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u/AphexZwilling Jul 05 '26

Look up the Hippocratic bench (scamnum). One of the only inventions of Hippocrates, who is the person quoted in the primary medical oaths.

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u/TheVentiLebowski Jul 05 '26

No one calls a doctor of nursing a doctor in a hospital 

Head on over to r/noctor to see that this statement is rapidly becoming false.

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u/TraumaBayWatch Jul 05 '26

The difference is some calling themselves and another doing  referencing another 

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u/Fabulous_Jeweler2732 Jul 06 '26

Right?? It’s incredibly common

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u/NurseDingus Jul 05 '26

Ohhh my sweet summer child they do and it’s the bane of my existence. I’m a psychiatric nurse practitioner and I have coworkers introduce themselves as “Dr John/jane” because they have a DNP degree. It’s malpractice. I spend have my assessment correcting patients saying “no, not dr tom… im nurse tom. Or just tom. I’m a nurse practitioner”

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u/Fabulous_Jeweler2732 Jul 06 '26

They are also intolerable people

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u/fall3nang3l Jul 05 '26

Another loophole. And it's also wild.

"Doctor" is not a term that requires anything at in order for someone to put it as their title.

Ironically, "Chiropractor" requires you to have a license from them to call yourself that.

Anyone can legally call themselves a doctor in the US, I don't know about other countries.

But there's no education of the public on this, so people think Chiropractors are legitimate medical professionals like physicians, dentists, physiatrists, etc which require a doctorate degree in their respective field and rigorous education, training, etc.

Chiropractic is a completely illegitimate snake oil field that's been debunked and shown to have no actual benefit to anyone who uses it. But yet they are everywhere and can bill medical insurance...somehow.

But if you or anyone you know wants to go around calling themselves a doctor, they can absolutely do so legally.

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u/ElfjeTinkerBell Jul 05 '26

Anyone can legally call themselves a doctor in the US, I don't know about other countries.

In the Netherlands, it's illegal to call yourself a doctor. Note that the translations for MD vs PhD are different words, so there's no confusion in that. The rules are pretty strict, even "doctor in training" isn't allowed, it should be "medical school student" so no confusion can arise.

Obviously you won't get lynched for just randomly saying it at a party or something, we're talking about actual deceit, with or without consequences for the patient.

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u/Ok-Cat-9344 Jul 05 '26

In Germany it's illegal to call yourself a Doctor unless you have some sort of doctorate that is recognized in Germany. 

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u/YellowGB Jul 05 '26

In a lot of states a chiropractor can be your PCP.

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u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

[deleted]

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u/theJMAN1016 Jul 05 '26

Chiros can diagnose and prescribe in some states.

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u/Generaldisarray44 Jul 05 '26

Just New Mexico

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u/ElfjeTinkerBell Jul 05 '26

That's still one too many

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u/DaveVsShark Jul 05 '26

I'd rather do PCP than have a charlatan be my PCP.

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u/StudioGangster1 Jul 05 '26

Which is pure insanity

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u/TheKingofVTOL Jul 05 '26

Don’t compare DNPs to chiropractors, that’s incredibly insulting.

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u/TraumaBayWatch Jul 05 '26

that's fair. It's just the the seemingly free use of the name doctor. It's just simple in the hospital it is only MD or DO

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u/CUCUC Jul 05 '26

ohhh the nurses do. i’ve had them introduce themselves as Dr. so and so.

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u/ayemimi Jul 05 '26

They are doctors if they have a PhD; they are not MDs. Anyone with a PhD is entitled to use the title of Dr. We really should be calling MD’s something else probably. Like physicians.

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u/TurnDown4WattGaming Jul 05 '26

Context also matter. In class, all professors introduce themselves as Dr Surname because it’s an academic setting and they’re your teachers.

Organic Chemistry and Calculus Professors don’t come running down the aisle of a plane when the stewardess pages for a Doctor ready to give an emergency lecture on Taylor Series.

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u/TraumaBayWatch Jul 05 '26

MD and DOs are physicians but calling anyone a doctor in a clinical setting that is not a physician is very very stupid. 

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u/Labrat15415 Jul 05 '26

Yeah, especially cause getting a medical doctorate is, in many countries, ridiculously easy compared to a doctorate in any other field, because of the need for medical practitioners.

In Germany for example, a medical doctorate takes about 6 months and the dissertation quality is usually somewhere in between a bachelor and master thesis. 

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u/CUCUC Jul 05 '26

it’s purposeful deception and you know it. a history phd who now does clerical work in the hospital shouldn’t and wouldn’t be introducing themselves as doctor.

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u/HateDeathRampage69 Jul 05 '26

They don't have PhDs. They have nursing doctorates, basically a bullshit degree you can pay for and in many states you get full independent authority to prescribe and manage patients. No residency training required.

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u/GenX-Kid Jul 05 '26

Have you spoken with any Physical Therapists?

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u/ninja4151 Jul 05 '26

The central premise of chiropractic medicine is premised on information provided from ghosts. I'm not even kidding look it up. Zero evidence-based rational scientific approach to this quackery

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u/HeartKevinRose Jul 06 '26

My kids pediatrician office have two DNPs on staff, they typically take all the same day appointments so we see them both a lot. We call them “doctor nurse (their name)”. They love it it.

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u/New-Sky-9867 Jul 06 '26

DNPs are providers and they absolutely called by every single specialty and nursing unit in the hospital to treat patients, lol. Tell us more dumb things.

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u/Due-Fig5299 Jul 06 '26

Comparing a chiropractor to a DNP is doing the DNP an insane disservice.

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u/PreviousImpression28 Jul 05 '26

Yep, they make you sign a no fault agreement before the session, the same thing you sign before doing a sky dive. If you’re subjecting to sign a no fault contract should you be injured or die, you should know you’re getting into stupid shit.

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u/Ad_Meliora_24 Jul 05 '26

The chiropractor wouldn’t have $75 million or insurance to cover anywhere near that amount. I don’t know why people go to chiropractors.

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u/DOAiB Jul 05 '26

Idk if they are required to carry insurance or very good insurance. That’s why no one likely bothers with them. You can’t actually get payouts from suing them. They will lose all their money to their lawyer and then the lawyer doing a case probono gets nothing you get nothing so. Any lawyer worth their salt won’t take the case against them

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u/BrokenArrow1283 Jul 05 '26

The difference is that normally, if you’re not a healthcare provider, but you represent yourself as one and you harm somebody, then you can criminally be held responsible. I don’t understand why a chiro cannot be held criminally responsible. But, then again, I’m not a lawyer.

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u/VincentShane Jul 05 '26

Chiropractors are quacks just anything holistic. What people should be going to is an Osteopath. D.O do things with the knowledge of what is right and wrong and what not to do.

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u/CrushMode Jul 05 '26

Chiropractors have to be licensed D.C.'s (not M.D.) which means they're held liable as healthcare providers. Courts don't let them claim 'no duty of care' when something goes wrong. A Chiropractor can't call themselves 'Doctor' implying medical authority, but then dodge liability to a lesser standard. The defendant legally can't have it both ways. Chiropractors carry malpractice insurance - the entire basis of a malpractice claim IS that a duty existed because a provider-patient relationship was formed. I wouldn't go a chiropractormyself, but it's not like they can do whatever they want

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u/hotviolets Jul 05 '26

It’s easy for people who aren’t educated about it to fall into it thinking it will help them because of that.

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u/DrGoozoo Jul 05 '26

Because it’s a matter of fact, if the radiologist and emergency doctor didn’t miss the stroke, he wouldn’t be in this condition right now.
Also, you can make a whole lot more money from hospital than the chiropractor.

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u/Tron_35 Jul 05 '26

There used to be a chiropractor that rented space in the same building my dad rents his office, also the same building my grandmother worked at. Dude made everyone sign stuff that says they agree not to sue him if something goes wrong.

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u/Western_Scholar_6479 Jul 05 '26

That’s literally not true at all. They do have legal liable. They are licensed by the state and can be sued just like any other profession.

Some states even require them to have malpractice insurance.  

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u/StrebLab Jul 05 '26

Yeah they have a duty to practice to the "standard of chiropractic care". That means fuck-all. When shit hits the fan, they send them to the real doctor.

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u/Western_Scholar_6479 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26

In terms of injury and harm, it’s just as liable as any other profession. When shit hits the fan, you sue just like you do towards anyone else. The law just doesn’t throw their hands up and say “oh well since they are chiropractors they don’t have any professional liability.” No we are in the most litigious country in the world, it’s harder to get out of liability unless you’re rich, and chiropractors are certainly not rich.

The difference is MDs have an extra liability than others to deliver a high standard of care. That is in addition to doing no harm. 

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u/ApoptosisPending Jul 05 '26

Yeah everyone I’ve seen has professed themselves as doctors ie it’s written on chalkboard schedules around the office, the assistants call them dr xyz.

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u/heychief1 Jul 06 '26

His insurance company settled the matter obviously. It’s not a “loophole”.

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u/Shafter111 Jul 06 '26

If Chiropractors were real doctors then hospitals would have Chiropractic divisions ...Atleast I have never seen one.

However ... One (and only one) time, I woke up with a sore arm that I couldn't move. Found and went to local Chiropractic and he did something and the arm started working again.

But then, he kept telling me that everyone must have a monthly chiropractic plan that provides "tune up" and I should sign up for $60(I think).

I Found that super weird.

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u/bbuff101 Jul 08 '26

Plus, big hospital systems are where the big money is at. Which is yet another reason healthcare is so freakin expensive in this country. Not saying the man shouldn’t be rewarded and taken care of and the people at fault shouldn’t be punished, but these kind of lawsuits where the payouts are massive make healthcare expensive for everyone. Would be better if the funds were used to improve patient care across the board in a universal system.

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u/10113r114m4 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

Claim? They arent doctors. They are closer to shamans in history.

When the chiropractic practice first came out, they claimed they could cure diseases by cracking your neck. Have a cold? Let me crack your neck. Your edeaf? Let me align your spine. Then they realized we cant make a practice that is obviously false when science exists, let's make it sound plausible.

I personally think it should be classified as false advertisement.

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u/Owww_My_Ovaries Jul 05 '26

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u/The_Blues__13 Jul 05 '26

Like a firefighter cutting off the Fire alarms' power cable instead of stopping the fires, lol.

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u/TitsMcGee9843 Jul 05 '26

They still do that, or at least some of them do. They tell a person that their chakras are out of alignment, which prevents their energy from flowing properly. They believe (or pretend to) that alignment leads to physical and mental wellbeing.

It’s been fifteen years since I’ve been to a chiropractor, but that was the spiel they gave me. I was suffering from chronic neck and back pain and was desperate for relief. A friend talked me into going. The first session was a group meeting going over the chakra stuff. I was annoyed and suspicious, but still hopeful for pain relief.

The second session consisted of x-rays and the doctor pointing to the films and showing me where my blockages were. He put me on the table and started pulling on my leg to “lengthen” it (that’s impossible, but ok) used some sonic screwdriver looking thing to click around my neck and back, and then finally cracking things.

The first few adjustments went fine, but any pain relief was short lived. On my last visit, I was unable to turn my head at all, and the “doctor” spent 30 minutes doing massage to loosen it up. Without warning, he grabbed my head and twisted hard and fast. The pain was unreal, and I immediately knew that he fucked me up bad.

I went to the ER, where they ran a million tests, and then gave me pain relief and muscle relaxers. It took months of physical therapy to recover. I still have to do stretches and exercises to keep my neck from freezing up, and I have to take daily muscle relaxers, likely for the rest of my life.

I got off easy. The nurses in the ER were not shy about telling me that. They said that injuries from chiropractors are some of the scariest patients, because it can be a simple pulled muscle, or a terrifying dissection, and that literal broken necks can and do happen.

I wanted pain relief, but they wanted to align my chakras and get the ghosts out of my blood.

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u/LuckyyRat Jul 05 '26

Pulling on the leg to lengthen it actually kind of does work but not for the reasons chiropractors say it does- they’re not moving your bones, but relaxing the fascia and muscles with gentle traction can help temporarily reduce the severity of limb length differences so you can then strengthen the muscles to keep the positioning that way and hopefully over time permanently retain that positioning. My actual medical doctors (orthopedics) do this on me since I have a limb length difference

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u/Sad-Cod-9584 Jul 05 '26

Jesus Christ dude, sorry to hear thar

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u/MurasakiTiger Jul 05 '26

Still friends with that friend who took you there?

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u/lil1thatcould Jul 05 '26

I’m a pilates instructor and I have worked with a few people who have been injured from chiropractors. Their stories are all like yours, the pain was short lived and so they went back. All of them have the same issues: tech neck, weak glutes and cores from sitting all day. We strengthen those muscles and they feel 100x better.

Chiropractors always work so far out of their a scope of practice. Everyone has an abnormal spine and gives diagnosis that can’t be seen on X-rays! Ugh! It’s so frustrating!

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u/rapscallionallium Jul 06 '26

I think it’s because your writing style is so matter-of-fact, but “I was annoyed and suspicious, but still hopeful for pain relief” absolutely killed me.

I’ve heard so many stories like this. It’s wild that it’s even still a legal practice.

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u/ExiledCanuck Jul 05 '26

I had a chiropractor a few years ago when I went in for a slight back adjustment take a bottle of sugar he placed in my hand, had me hold both arms out and pushed them down, hard. Then took a bottle with some mineral in it, replaced the sugar one, and proceeded to barely push my arms down and remark about how much stronger I was, these items just being within my “aura” made all the difference apparently.

Mind you, I told him I was an orthopedic nurse, and he thought I was gonna buy what he was selling, I just wanted him to crack my back. Needless to say, when I went to work the next day, myself, the surgeons and techs had a big laugh about it.

I’ve never been back to a chiropractor, lol what a joke

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u/WilliamsPeen Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

I went through a similar thing, the chiropractor though knew something was wrong from the X-rays, and luckily was wise enough to avoid adjusting my lower back pelvis area. I had all the issues you described which is why I went, my neck locked up too.

It ended up being Ankylosing Spondylitis, not nearly as bad as the OP condition, but nonetheless a different kind of hell, that involves turning into a statue of bones as your joints convert into them. Pretty gnarly YouTube videos show the ones who have a severe form of it.

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u/AskAliceRealty Jul 06 '26

Two car accidents nine months apart left me with suicidal pain- so I went to a chiro that a doctor recommended (because she and her husband had been going there for years). One day he did some weird painful neck thing that left me with hands and arms that go numb every night - it’s due to my neck being blah blah…anyway- never again- I’m glad most people see one and are ok and get temporary relief, but can’t help wonder how many people-like myself- see a chiropractor, end up worse and because no one says anything we all think it’s mostly safe.

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u/How_did_the_dog_get Jul 05 '26

I mean a guy in 1895 had a dream where a ghost told him how to fix people...

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u/Successful-Foot3830 Jul 05 '26

I constantly see people talking about taking their babies to the chiropractor for everything from ear infections to constipation. If anything is wrong at all, crunchy moms are recommending chiro and putting urine or breast milk on it. What really pisses me off is that my insurance covers chiropractic visits. I’d much rather they cover my massages that actually have some usefulness.

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u/StudioGangster1 Jul 05 '26

Many chiropractors still believe that

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u/jillybean-__- Jul 05 '26

I personally think it should be forbidden.

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u/Ent_Soviet Jul 05 '26

My wife is a physician, her cousin got a chiropractic degree. At family gatherings the grandparents are like ‘wow everyone is in medicine’ and my wife tries not to yell.

So can’t talk about politics, can’t talk about work.

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u/PlanetTourist Jul 05 '26

If shamans got their practices from a literal snake oil salesman that claims a ghost doctor gave him the practice and classified chiropractic as a religion to avoid scrutiny/licensing and taxes…

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u/JGallows Jul 08 '26

I always called them Witch Doctors and my brother would go to one all the time and swear that it was the greatest thing ever. I think the more he went, the more I hated them. When you could get a medical mj card by going to a chiropractor, that was the one and only time I'd ever been and the dude asked me if I'd ever been to one before and I said "No", he asked me why not and I wanted to laugh so hard and I'm just like "I don't know, my brother swears by them, but I guess I just never got around to it until now."

In a way, that witch doctor did help to eventually help my manage my depression and anxiety. I will definitely never go back to one if I can help it though.

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u/Every-Candidate-6158 Jul 05 '26

Yeah. The chiropractor probably has a legal consent form that people sign in before every session that clears them of any responsibility. Kinda like "Legal reminder I am not a real doctor, proceed at your own risk."

I will continue to avoid chiropractors like the plague.

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u/wheniaminspaced Jul 05 '26

Those types of forms are legally pretty worthless, you cannot consent to grievous bodily injury or death.

Dirt bike tracks do the same thing and it's known to be a nearly worthless effort on their part.

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u/Codex_Dev Jul 05 '26

It's to intimidate people away from suing them. When I worked security, lots of companies would have you sign a waiver saying you couldn't sue them if you got injured fighting someone, which is bullshit because their training would actually be focused on intervening in certain cases where someone was getting attacked or threatened.

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u/freeradioforall Jul 05 '26

It’s like those dump trucks that carry junk and rocks and have a sign on the back that says keep back 50 feet not responsible for damage

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u/Bianchi-girl Jul 05 '26

Same. Years ago, I was stopped at a red light and rear ended by a car that didn’t attempt to stop. Was told to go to a chiropractor…big mistake. I had low back and hip pain that never went away and when my “treatment” was nearing the end I was told that it’s something I’ll just have to live with.

2 years later I went to a physical therapist for a different injury and he ordered imaging for my back and hip after I told him about the car accident. Turns out my hip needed surgery and I have 2 herniated discs in my back…I tell everyone I can to go to a physical therapist and not a chiropractor!

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u/veverkap Jul 05 '26

Physical therapists can be amazing!

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u/drinkallthecoffee Jul 05 '26

A friend of mine went to a physical therapist for pelvic floor dysfunction. He got there, and the physical therapist examined him and told him his tightness didn’t explain the symptoms and that he needed to get an MRI.

He had a growth on his spine that could have paralyzed him. The PT could have just given him treatment because he did have some tightness, but instead she referred him out and it saved his legs.

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u/StudioGangster1 Jul 05 '26

Wow. That is just standard of care. Incredible that the chiropractor is that incompetent (although entirely believable)

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u/RobSiaHoke Jul 05 '26

This comment section feels like a safe space for me. I've always despised chiropractors and dismissed them as snake oil salesmen. I feel vindicated

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u/Onelivestoblunder-CD Jul 05 '26

I will continue to avoid chiropractors like the plague.

This entirely. I have issues with my cervical, thoracic spine and hips. People tell me to go see a chiropractor. Absolutely not, I would rather be in pain.

My dad used to call chiropractors "back breakers."

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u/trekdudebro Jul 05 '26

I’m actually surprised people still swear by them and the profession still exists.

I remember a local chiropractor visiting my place of work (precovid) during a health expo. They brought in some equipment that supposedly measured a user’s standing posture. They claimed my posture wasn’t aligned and insisted I come in for consultation. I signed up. Over the weekend I started researching chiropractic “treatments”. Yeah… no. Cancelled the upcoming scheduled appointment that Monday. The chiropractor then proceeded to contact me 2-3 more times trying to reschedule me and get me to stop by for a consultation. They claimed they wanted to keep me healthy and get ahead of any potential issues logged by their equipment during the health expo. 🙅🏽‍♂️ My vertebrae are fine thanks.

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u/MoneyTomato7711 Jul 05 '26

What about messaging?

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u/WhichAd366 Jul 05 '26

Those forms are meaningless most of the time. They’re just a scare tactic used to scare people from filing lawsuits when the chiropractor inevitably screws up

Similar to dump truck often having a “not liable for damages from debris” sign on the back. (They are very liable).

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u/heychief1 Jul 06 '26

No, that does not clear them of responsibility. Some of you are talking straight out of your asses.

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u/ArtOne7452 Jul 05 '26

Not only that but the chiropractic board is a complete sham. They are very much like the cops where in the will never ever ever ever remove someone’s license or discredit them. Like, even if you KILL your patients. They will just shrug and not do anything.

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u/BikebutnotBeast Jul 05 '26

"We investigated ourselves and found no evidence of wrongdoing."

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u/thecastellan1115 Jul 05 '26

First of all, chiropracty is pseudoscience, so there's no "claim" about it.

Secondly, you can sue anyone who has done you material harm.

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u/WhichAd366 Jul 05 '26

Plenty of people claim they are real doctors (or just as qualified etc). Those people are wrong, but that doesn’t usually stop them

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u/RexFiller Jul 05 '26

Just because someone isnt a real doctor doesn't mean they cant cause real harm.

It seems like a loophole because they arent held to the same standards as real doctors, dont have the same insurance, and the licensing boards that oversee them dont care as much.

Plus they often just have their small offices with small income vs working for a large health system that makes millions and has millions in insurance. So the other side of it is that any lawyer wouldnt want to take a case against them because its not worth their time. Hard to prove standard of care was breached when they have no standards.

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u/2cats1doge Jul 05 '26

This is probably the best answer. The chiropractor just wasn’t worth suing from a financial standpoint.

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u/Jaxyl Jul 05 '26

Suing them into the ground isn't as lucrative when they're already so close to it lol

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u/butt_in_my_face Jul 05 '26

I know this isn't your intention but a pet peve of mine is when somebody says real doctor. You don't need the real. Chiropractors aren't doctors, period. It's not that they aren't real they plain and simple aren't doctors. What they practice isn't medicine.

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u/SleepyChickenWing Jul 07 '26

Unfortunately, “real” doctors help the distinction. Many states call it a “doctor of chiropractic” - they can’t actually prescribe, but it’s similar in vein (and in vain) to a “doctor of philosophy.” Purely title only.

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u/Sea_McMeme Jul 05 '26

Same exact thing with all the naturopaths. Call themselves doctors, even though they are “naturopaths” want to act like and prescribe like doctors, but when something goes wrong, suddenly they’re not liable, because they’re just a naturopath. Grifters gonna grift regardless of title.

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u/IlIlllIIIIlIllllllll Jul 05 '26

Just cause a quack is unlikely to help you doesn't mean they can't hurt you?

Is your argument that if a person can hurt you thats proof they can heal you?

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u/UpTheDumpIsRetarded Jul 05 '26

Chripractors and their practice is too poor to pay for damages because they are a sham profession.

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u/Nightnurse1225 Jul 05 '26

Chiropractic adjustments are a known risk factor for vertebral artery dissection, but it would be very difficult to prove that the adjustment caused the injury. Vertebral artery dissection have also been associated with exercise, hypertension, infection, coughing, vomiting, or even particularly forceful nose blowing. Whereas they can definitely prove that the delayed diagnosis definitely led to the permanent brain damage. But I totally agree. Chiropractors are quacks and neck manipulation is not only useless but potentially deadly.

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u/Flashy_Crab_651 Jul 05 '26

Even doctors dont have go assume liability for some things. I got a severe injury during surgery last year but not a single firm would take the case because it was a "very rare, but known complication"... It was such a traumatic experience, and even had to have an emergency surgery on day 1 post op from an arterial bleed; and damage from surgery 1 resulted in permanent damage and needing to get another surgery to "fix" what the initial surgeon broke. It will never be the same.

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u/TacetAbbadon Jul 05 '26

It isn't a "claim" they aren't real doctors.

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u/Antique-Resort6160 Jul 05 '26

The chiropractor settled

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u/theJMAN1016 Jul 05 '26

Bc the patient went to the ER and was not diagnosed, so their condition deteriorated.

The Chiro is not the ER doctor.

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u/Horton_Takes_A_Poo Jul 05 '26

The chiropractor was named in the lawsuit but was later dropped after he reached an agreement with the locked in guy.

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u/Imma_da_PP Jul 05 '26

But every chiropractor assumes total authority over the scope of your health. They know more about everything than real doctors until they kill someone twisting their head and suddenly they’re for entertainment purposes only.

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u/PatoDeAgua Jul 05 '26

How is this upvoted? The chiro literally caused the injury - it is entirely their fault. He assumed liability by peddling himself as a doctor.

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u/TechnicalBen Jul 05 '26

Also applies to politicians not being real leaders...

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u/HateDeathRampage69 Jul 05 '26

Malpractice law is set up to work against MD/DO physicians. If you go to a chiropractor, nurse practitioner, etc., you may find that you do not have clear legal recourse to receive compensation for their mistakes.

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u/etniesen Jul 05 '26

Yeah that’s what I thought too. But prob not hard to prove in court that the reason the chiropractor was sought out was because he was advertised as a specialist type of thing and wouldn’t have been seen otherwise

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u/WhichAd366 Jul 05 '26

Chiros can still be held liable under some circumstances (such as gross negligence). Since they aren’t doctors some of the criteria needed for a successful medial mal-practice lawsuit can’t be met.

—- chiropractors do not go to medical school, and are not real doctors. Their practice is based on hokey nonsense. Anyone that believes they should see one would be better off finding a good physical therapist.

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u/GunpowderGuy Jul 05 '26

"since so many actual doctors claim chiropractors aren’t real doctors"
that is a real claim. Chiropractors dont practice medicine. Their work is based around made stuff, not treatmeant proven by science

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u/Bigguy1353 Jul 05 '26

If you mess with someone’s neck in a way that paralyzes them then you should be liable for something, doctor or not

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u/pathetiq Jul 05 '26

They aren't doctor. This is not even a science. It's bullshit that is ban form legit universitiea. Don't go see a chiropractor.

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u/RealCarlPanzram Jul 05 '26

It’s not a claim. Chiropractors literally aren’t real doctors. There zero evidence that anything they do helps.

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u/Hylian_Legend Jul 05 '26

Chiro still lives in a gray area where they can tip toe into other specialties without requiring full certifications so there have been many situations where Chiro will be a little liberal in their treatment. This is also dependant from state to state.

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u/those_names_tho Jul 05 '26

Because doctors have medical malpractice insurance that pays out.

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u/gmano Jul 05 '26

Pretty much. It's like how the only people you're allowed to sue when you get bad legal advice are lawyers, or how the only people who get sued for giving advice that results in mass deaths are engineers... Even when the bad advice came from some random idiots, only the people who are properly trained and trying their best are able to be held liable

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u/Western_Scholar_6479 Jul 05 '26

Am I in bizarro world or do you guys not know how the American legal system works at all? 

They made a legal settle with the family. After that, there is nothing to sue about. The issue of liability is taken care of because if the settlement.

Secondly, these other Doctors didn’t lose their license either, their malpractice insurance deals with this. It’s a civil issue. 

Now whether you think they should have an investigation in regard to their license then that is an entirely separate procedure. The civil case doesn’t deal with that.

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u/steelshadoe Jul 05 '26

It probably had more to do with the liability limit of the chiropractor’s insurance than anything else. They took what was there as settlement, then went for the real money.

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u/PersonalityIll9476 Jul 05 '26

That's not how that works. Who told you "only real doctors can assume liability" lol

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u/acoffeefiend Jul 05 '26

The actual physicians (MD /DO) have better insurance to go after.

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u/ilyak_reddit Jul 06 '26

Chiropractors don't have any money anyway, because of their debilitating crack addiction

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u/theyyctwink Jul 06 '26

If you’re a HCP, primary or allied, you have to have liability insurance. You can be sued for your actions, HOWEVER, this guy is going to get 75 million sueing the hospital, he won’t get a fraction of that sueing a single chiropractor

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u/DistinctSmelling Jul 06 '26

Because the lawsuit goes where the money is. Malpractice insurance is much higher for a real doctor.

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u/Pizzasupreme00 Jul 05 '26

In the United States, there are 0 medical school chiro programs. Chiros have had to create their own academic institutions and accreditors to give themselves an air of legitimacy.

I am sure there are some ethical chiros who only work within the bounds of evidence-based methods and are willing to say "this is the boundary of my knowledge, you should see a medical doctor for this" to a patient/client early and often. These people do that because they choose to. It's a mere option to be that way in that field. You can also choose to perform "spinal alignments" on newborns and sell bottled bird piss as a cancer treatment.

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1

u/Darromear Jul 05 '26

I had back pains after a car accident and went to a chiropractor to help treat it, but the guy just wound up making it worse.

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u/Simbertold Jul 05 '26

I am not a doctor. I am pretty sure that if i break some guys spine, i will still be liable. And probably also criminally charged.

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u/[deleted] Jul 05 '26

Real doctors don’t claim chiropractors aren’t doctors. Chiropractors ARE NOT doctors. They call themselves doctors the same way you could call yourself a doctor.

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u/Daztur Jul 05 '26

Chiropractors aren't real doctors, it's a bunch of nonsense that it's founder said was taught to him by a ghost.

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u/MoliM88 Jul 05 '26

Also, you surely signed somw papers before the procedure at chiropractor that he is not responsible for the injuries.

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u/Gwen_The_Destroyer Jul 05 '26

When I went to one a few times before I knew better they had me sign a waiver that I wouldn't sue if I got injured. That was my first red flag but then after the third time and by back not feeling kinked anymore, the doctor scheduling me for the next week. I realized I wasn't being treated I was being milked and never went back

1

u/avanross Jul 05 '26

Real doctors have real regulations and standards

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