Marti, I'll be waiting to see how this goes and if she really is cured. As it stands now, you can't pay me to go to a chiro. First of all, how can anyone with only 2 years of "training" with no undergraduate degree even be called a "Doctor?" They don't even qualify for a Ph.D!

I just had a thought. How old is your GD? When my youngest son was about 12 he was suffering severe pain in his heel and ankle. Took him to an ortho and he said it was growing pains and he'd outgrow it, which he did.

I sure hope this works though, the pain has got to be miserable. Did your ortho's have any idea what causes it?

I have mixed feelings about chiropractic, having gone for years, not currently seeing one, but they certainly do have more education than stated above.
" In North America:
Before a student can attend a chiropractic college he/she must complete at least 3 years of an undergraduate university degree (eg: bachelor of science). Most students (90%) at chiropractic colleges have completed their full 4 year undergraduate degree. Further, many American States now require that chiropractors have their undergraduate degree in order to qualify for a license to practice. Students with non-science undergraduate degrees (eg: Bachelor of Arts) are eligible for chiropractic college, but will find it more challenging without significant background in any of the sciences.

Following an undergraduate degree, chiropractic college last 3 or 4 years, depending on which school you choose to attend. The World Health Organization has stated that to become a doctor of chiropractic a student must attend no less than 4200 hours of schooling in a chiropractic college after their undergraduate degree. Some schools squish this all into 3 years, others spread it over 4 years.

The chiropractic program at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) is 4 full-time years and courses include cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, histology, embryology, anatomy, neuroanatomy, physiology, immunology, neuroscience, pathology, pharmacology, nutrition, biomechanics, functional rehabilitation, clinical diagnosis, orthopedics, nutrition, radiography, radiology, research methods, clinical education, ethics and chiropractic principles and techniques in the first two years. The anatomy and neuroanatomy courses include about 200 hours of human cadaver dissection. The fourth year is in a clinical setting as an intern with real-life application of this knowledge. Students treat real patients with musculoskeletal conditions in clinics and/or hospitals to gain hands-on experience in diagnostic, prognostic and treatment skills.

Lastly, before a student that graduates from chiropractic college can practice they must pass regional and/or National board exams to prove their competancy. Successful passing of board exams will permit a chiropractor to attain a license to practice. "

It sounds like the chiro is using an Interferential Unit on your daughter. These units help relieve pain for a while. I have no medical training but I don't believe they are curative in any way.

Maybe he is planning to put an orthotic in her shoe?

I would be asking lots of questions about what what he is doing and why and how each item helps her ankle.

My husband is a chiropractor- they go to school for longer than two years and their course of study is most definitely challenging IF they go to a good chiropractic school. Do your research, just like with anything else- there are good medical doctors and bad medical doctors and good chiropractors and bad chiropractors- not sure why people always lump ALL chiropractors together while at the same time many are so forgiving of the conventional medical profession (especially when medical doctors kill an estimated 200,000 patients each year through preventable errors http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/opinion/more-treatment-more-mistakes.html.)

martinca, a lot of conventional orthopedic surgeons won't use those types of treatments (tens machine, laser therapy or whatever your granddaughter is getting) because a lot of medical doctors like to make things more complicated than they need to or they simply don't want to consider or aren't interested in learning about alternative treatment methods. Surgery, ongoing drug therapy, etc. = more $$

However, I do find it odd that the chiropractor guaranteed a cure, that seems kind of sales-y or scam-like to me and not something that a real legit person would do, but if it is helping her and nothing else did, why question it.

I'd take her to the top foot specialist I could find. Has she had an MRI to rule out anything serious?

I have to assume exrays were taken and there wasn't a broken bone or fracture? A fall isn't necessary for either to occur.

I have to assume exrays were taken and there wasn't a broken bone or fracture? A fall isn't necessary for either to occur.

Wow - what an ego this fellow has. He obviously has faith that he can cure her in two months. Ask him if he refunds your money if he isn't successful.

The one time I tried a chiropractor my treatment regimen magically matched the number of visits my insurance would pay for.

My chiro has used the electro 'stim' in conjunction with heat pads then followed up with an adjustment. I DID experience tremendous relief with that. This was after a car accident.

I continue to see him regularly but he doesn't do the stim on me regularly any more...mostly just the heat therapy then an adjustment. I've been to many different chiros and this is the best one I've seen. He is a sports medicine specialist and is very holistic and never tries to sell me anything even though he does have therapies and equipment in stock. I trust him implicitly. However, he's NEVER said I'll be better after x number of treatments. That statement gives me pause.

You may consider accupuncture. I'm a firm believer in that, too. I have a lot of chronic pain and I've gotten major relief from alternative therapies. I had to shop around to find the right providers, but I'm happy with who I use...and I am a natural born skeptic!

Thanks everyone. To answer some questions: yes oakley, she is 13. She's had X-rays and MRI . We 've been told she has hyper- mobility of the ankle caused by weak ligaments , and perhaps exacerbated by an injury( sprain). Two months of pt and home exercises only caused more pain and no improvement. Thanks graywings...that's the term I'd misplaced...orthotic.
Yayya, a foot specialist, as in podiatrist? Didn't know that specialty included ankles.
Beagles, we question it because it seems too good to be true and wonder if this will have a very short lived effect.....one that will have raised our hopes and used our time and Money poorly. My sweet girl misses her sports and tired of hurting , not to mention all those cute shoes she can't wear :>/
Time will tell.

Podiatrists treat the foot and the ankle - but if you make an appointment specifically tell them about the ankle problem and ask if that is something they regularly treat.

Another option is a physiatrist. That's a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. My DH is an oncologist and when he hurt his back in a car accident he went to a physiatrist and received several different treatments - electrical stimulation, heat packs, therapeutic massage and physical therapy.

Sorry for the misinformation I gave. I always thought they did 2 years of school. I'll look up my state's requirements.

Marti, when I said my son went to an ortho, I was wrong (must have been in a haze yesterday, lol), he went to a podiatrist.

Wow, don't get your neck adjusted in my state! lol. Oklahoma is one of the few states where the only thing required to be a chiro is 2 years of training in a chiro school. NO associate or undergrad degree required. Of course they have to pass the boards, etc.

Beagles, I have a question. A friend of mine gets his B12 shots from his Chiro, a higher than normal dose, 4cc's. He's not deficient in B either.

Someone told me that chiro's cannot do any invasive work. Are shots included in this?

Hey Beagle - nice to hear your input on this topic. I think in any career, there are good and bad.

tina

Of course there are good and bad in any career, but it's a shame that chiro's get a bad reputation because of state's like mine.

If our chiro's studied like other states then I wouldn't think twice about going to one.

Apparently at present there are very few states that require an undergrad degree before attending chiropractic training. It does sound like things are changing though. Hey- did you guys know there are also chiropractors for animals?
----------------------------------------

Chiropractic Education

In general, chiropractic schools recommend that students complete a 4-year bachelor's degree prior to starting their chiropractic education. Some chiropractic colleges in the United States now offer bachelor's degree programs for students who know early on that they want to pursue a career in chiropractic medicine.

Earning your Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree typically involves a minimum of 4,200 hours of combined classroom, laboratory and clinical experience, and takes an average of four years to complete. The first two years generally emphasize classroom and lab work in anatomy, physiology, pathology and other sciences. During the last two years, chiropractic colleges focus on clinical experience, providing students with the opportunity to perform spinal adjustments and diagnoses.

Tuition at chiropractic schools can range from $11,000 to $20,000, depending on the program. Some schools run year round, while others run nine months of the year, which accounts for the wide variation in tuition costs.
find chiropractic schools and training
Professional Chiropractic Licensure

Most states will grant licenses to chiropractors who have completed a 2- or 4-year undergraduate chiropractic school program, earned their DC degree from an accredited chiropractic college, and passed state and national board exams. An increasing number of states have started to require a four-year undergraduate degree. You should thoroughly research your state's chiropractic licensure requirements prior to starting your chiropractic education.

Nearly all states have established continuing education requirements for chiropractors to maintain their licensure, and DCs can find classes that meet these requirements at accredited chiropractic colleges and through chiropractic associations. Some chiropractic education programs and associations also offer postdoctoral training in areas such as orthopedics, pediatrics, family practice, nutrition and neurology that can lead toward clinical specialist status through the International Chiropractors Association.
Chiropractor Licensure Prerequisites

It is recommended that students have earned a baccalaureate degree in the arts or sciences from an accredited college or university, completed with minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale. Most chiropractic schools require applicants to have at least 60 semester hours in English, the social sciences or humanities, organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, physics and psychology as part of their undergraduate studies. Check with the chiropractor school of your choice to make sure that you have enough hours in each discipline. Several American chiropractic colleges now offer a BS degree for students interested in career in chiropractic medicine.
States That Require Both a Bachelor's Degree
and a DC Degree to Practice Chiropractic

Florida, Kansas, Montana, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and the U.S. Virgin Islands all require DCs to have a bachelor's degree as well as the chiropractic degree. Most chiropractic colleges now recommend getting a bachelor's degree either before or concurrently with the DC degree.

I've had good and bad -or at least not productive- experiences with chiropractors.

Six years ago, after working with a personal trainer for a while, he recommended his chiro to me for a muscle strain that just wasn't getting better. I was AMAZED at the difference in approach and type of treatment. This chiro specializes in sports related injuries for various Chicago sports teams and one of his treatment modalities is called Active Release Therapy. It was a first for me,, not the traditional adjustment I'd experienced before, although he does that, too and has combined them for me in other treatments.

I've used him ever since and have always had beneficial results from my various injuries. I have no idea if this type of treatment would be beneficial for your daughter but maybe it's worth investigating. Sounds like her active lifestyle is a good fit for the treatment. Below is a link to find someone by location - hopefully there is someone close to you, and you can also read about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: ART Providers

oakleyok I'm not sure about the shots. My husband is at a conference so I can't ask him, but I'll find out. I know chiros can't prescribe drugs, but they wouldn't anyway because the idea is that chiropractic is supposed to provide a drug free, healthy and more holistic alternative.

What I find so interesting is that people do lump ALL chiropractors together all the time. People have one bad experience or hear one bad story and then decide never to go to the chiro, when no one does that w/ any other profession. It's like having a bad experience w/ a dentist or a doctor or a mechanic and deciding you'll never ever go to one again. My DH has seen lots of people who have had invasive surgeries, aggressive treatments like having nerves killed off to try to treat pain, etc. and that have still not had successful outcomes but who keep going back to the same doctor over and over even though all of the treatments failed. In many cases, he is able to help people that nothing else has helped, which is why he sees a lot of patients (many more than most chiropractors do) and why he ends up w/ a lot of patients who switch from other chiropractors to see him. It can be hard to find a good chiro though- even he has not found anyone to adjust him who he is completely 100 percent happy with (and he can't adjust himself, LOL).

A good podiatrist may be what you need. Most people think of podiatrists as treating toenails or callouses, but in reality, their care can go up as high as the knee. the chief podiatrist at my hospital was highly trained and expert.

Beagles, I hear ya. My dh is an attorney and his profession has been dumped on since the beginning of time. Until someone needs one. :)

If I ever need a chriopractor, I'll definitely check out their education.

See, I've known two people who went to chiro school without ever going to college. Two years later they're called a Dr.? I think that's what has confused people because they just assume like myself that all of them have only 2 years of training.

Oh, my neighbor swears by his Chiropractor. He goes to him about once a week to get adjusted here or there. He's constantly saying how he feels much better when he gets home.

Well, she has worn her new ' brace", which is an orthotic, one full day and has actual blisters on four toes. She was not advised to gradually break it in, but to put it in and wear daily, all the time. They will supposedly fit in all her shoes, which I doubt. Once she is cured ( in 'about a month') she won't need it. I'll let you know. Really appreciate your input..thanks, all.

Well, the blisters should be reported to the chiropractor and to the bracemaker.

My nephew is physically disabled and needs a couple of different braces--trunk, neck and leg braces. Getting them to fit right, with no rubbing and no pain and no pressure, and to do what they are supposed to do isn't easy. There might be some simple adjustment that could be made to her orthotic that would stop the blisters.

My SIL takes Nephew to one specific bracemaker because, although he takes nearly double the time of the other bracemakers in her area, he does a much better job. Nephew is supposed to wear his trunk brace all day, but until they found this bracemaker, he could only tolerate it for a few hours at a time, it was so uncomfortable. Now he can wear it all day. So don't be hesitant about taking the orthotic back and asking for changes to be made.

Chiropractors are just like any other profession. There are good ones and not so good ones. If your family is having issues with this one, it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from another chiropractor.

Another option might be a doctor who specializes in sports injuries. They might have another take on what's wrong and how to treat it.

I agree with the suggestions to try a podiatrist or specialist in sports medicine. The podiatrist my husband has seen is also a surgeon and was a huge help to him. Earlier this year I went to a PT in a sports medicine group.

Twice in my life I had back troubles - muscular in nature. The first time I tried a chiropractor first. It was not a good experience, nor did it help my problem long-term. I then went to physical therapy. Totally different experience and great results, long-term results. Earlier this year, after a change, I began experiencing back problems again - only higher up on my back this time. My internist sent me to a group of therapists involved in sports medicine and it was a fantastic experience. I went 6 weeks or less for therapy. Once thing I really like about PT is they teach you what to do for yourself to help yourself. You need a strong core to keep things in place. Many people do not have the core strength or flexibility and that leads to problems. A PT can direct you in solving these problems. I have mixed feelings on "adjustments". Should they really be necessary? If you are having to go weekly, monthly, etc. is the problem really "cured"? Then again, my grandmother had a wonderful chiropractor who helped her greatly and she saw him for years. I think it all depends on the doctor or therapist.

tina

Martinca; who else in your family has joint pain? What I pasted in below is the 1st sign that this will probably be life long. I'm not sure they will get a good handle on it. Hyper-mobility of the joints is called EDS- Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous group of heritable connective tissue disorders, characterized by articular (joint) hypermobility, skin extensibility and tissue fragility. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders that affect connective tissue.

Take a look at the link below; it opens the direct PDF location; you can either open or save it. Back around May; I made a post about Chiari Malformation for a friend. One of the gals here mentioned that she has EDS & little did I know that this would smack me in the face in another 6 weeks after my post. I had no clue what EDS even was; but I'm learning a lot & it's why I haven't been around much the last few months. My daughter has been majorly suffering for 3 years; guess what? Her mystery diagnosis will most likely be EDS. We saw the 1st neuro yesterday; have to find a geneticist probably endocrinologist & rheumatologist.

People can live with varying degrees of EDS; some may never know they have it while others are wrongly diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Still others will be fine until like your grand daughter; injure themselves & do not heal right. There is no "test" to confirm EDS; from what I understand it goes off of symptoms which are many. How are her teeth? Please be careful with braces; from what I'm reading they actually weaken teeth- which fits in with my daughter & how her teeth are breaking at the gum. Another issue is she may not be able to be put down for surgeries. My daughter had a molar pulled a few weeks ago; they couldn't get the IV meds to knock her out.

Back to her ankle; from what I do understand; the right physical therapist; possibly chiro may be able to work with her to strengthen it. I dislike the word cured because from what I'm reading with others diagnosed; she's going to have to keep working at it but with the correctly trained people.

Send me an email; I'll get you set up at a decent facebook group. Inspire also has an EDS board.

she is 13. She's had X-rays and MRI . We 've been told she has hyper- mobility of the ankle caused by weak ligaments , and perhaps exacerbated by an injury( sprain). Two months of pt and home exercises only caused more pain and no improvement.

Here is a link that might be useful: So You Think You Might Have EDS?

I would suggest seeing a orthopedic surgeon that specializes in ankles and sports medicine. I saw a regular orthopedic surgeon and got what your daughter did. Made no difference at all. I have three separate issues, but one of them matches the description you gave. We are now in the process of working through the issues one at a time and none has so far even mentioned to be surgical. I think the key would be to find somebody specializing in ankles. The chiropractor may know what he is doing, but anybody that makes promises like that would have me weary.

About what roselvr said--I have to admit that EDS crossed my mind when I read the OP. My nephew has a similar, related syndrome that also causes hypermobility. Her granddaughter might not have it, but since the problem has gone on so long, it's worth looking into.

Holy cow! EDS does not look good... No one in fam has joint pain. Thanks so much, roselvr, for your very kind offer , but no Facebook. I will defineitly look hard at that link......thanks, again!

I think I mentioned she'd seen two ped. orthopedist.....one, an ankle man. Both docs are in sports med. practices. Both gave scripts for pt, which , as I wrote above, offered pain without improvement Because she's going without her sports, she's working with personal trainer at a kids sports gym, ( one of the pluses to life in a large metro area of so. Ca.)which helps keep her spirits up, as well . I agree the chiro needs to address the blisters .
Next step, if needed .....probably. :> (..... Will be podiatrist and acupuncture.
Sigh. Thanks so much everyone...what a great group, as we've often declared!
Marti

If you have not done so already, you should check in with the police. There may be something going on, and they may already be aware of it and have advice. Too strange!

Marti, I was thinking a bit more on this, I would go ahead and take her to a podiatrist, and if he/she can't properly diagnose the problem, then put her back in a brace. With no diagnosis, how do you know the brace isn't causing further damage?