Hi. I am 59 and now 6 weeks post mitral valve repair. Thanks for all the helpful advice you have already given me.
I feel better in myself now but am still finding pain is the biggest issue. My back is really painful when I wake up in the morning and goes into a painful spasm whenever I breathe in deeply. My left shoulder is also very uncomfortable.
Normally, with these issues I would be off to the chiropractor like a shot but I usually spend at least half of the time there lying on my front, which I couldn't do at the moment, and I also still feel quite fragile and apprehensive at the thought of being manhandled and manipulated in any way!
Has anyone else found chiropractic or anything else useful for post-surgery aches and pains?
Written by
kasinc88
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
It’s not the same, but I had physio massage after lots of stents, because of recurrent discomfort in my back, and on lying on my left side. She tailored my massage very well. It all really helped. She was good, too at separating tension pain from injury.
Since a Chiropractic uses complementary medicine based on the diagnosis and manipulative treatment of misalignments of the joints, especially those of the spinal column, which are believed to cause other disorders by affecting the nerves, muscles, and organs, then as "autumnsonnet" has advised is absolutely right. Given the breast bone at 6 weeks is not yet fully repaired, any manipulation of your skeleton would be intolerably painful and quite inappropriate - even dangerous. Did you not receive advice on driving and the repair process post operation? You will no doubt be making adjustments to your sleep process which probably will be causing the discomfort. Breathing pain can be quite normal but does ease as you progress with your breathing exercises (?). As I said, six weeks is no time at all, be patient, follow post operative guidelines and be patient and forgiving of your body - it has been through a lot. I would have thought you could be taking pain killers to ease the night pain.
I have a body massage once a week which is very soothing on the muscles but as far as a chiropractor goes, I wouldn’t touch them. I suffer with a long standing neurological back problem and was advised by the neurologist not to use a chiropractor unless they know exactly what the problem is, as they can cause more harm than good.
Hi I had my mitral valve repaired last May and it does take a while for everything to settle down. Take pain killers at night at least . Paracetamol are good if you keep yourself topped up all the time. If you’re in pain your body is dealing with that and not getting itself better. My surgeon told me that and gave me a lecture about it! Try changing your sleeping position for a while. It’s not always best to lie flat or on your side all the time. I propped myself up when it was uncomfortable and that helped a bit. If you do lie on your side try propping yourself with pillows so that you don’t more and it’s more relaxing. My right shoulder was very painful for ages and I had it manipulated and massaged but nothing helped then one night I woke up as it clicked and it’s been fine since! No one knows what happened but it’s fairly common for shoulders to hurt as your arm can fall off the table during the op and stay in an odd position for a few hours. At 6 weeks it’s still early days but if you look back each week you’ll realise how far you’ve come. Listen to your body and do what it’s telling you and enjoy the new life you have now.
Stopped going to chiropractor after I learned that their practice on “resetting” the alignment can actually cause a clot to disengage and cause a stroke. Sadly I had this happen with 2 friends.
Why not phone your chiro and ask? They are trained to look for red flags and contra-indications and to treat or not appropriately. They may also say that they prefer to be conservative and wait until your surgeon discharges you or GP says it’s ok for you to go. (Assuming your GP isn’t anti-chiro, our GPs go to our chiro themselves). I wouldn’t expect they’d do anything other than gentle massage. It’s too soon for anything else.
Guys, if you are interested in finding a good chiropractor then I can suggest you to check aurora-chiropractic.com/ . I have found this site after that my grandfather who suffered after a car accident has started a rehabilitation. The doctor helped him and after 3 months he was back and he was feeling better then before accident hah. Now I understand how important is to take care of your health and to do not allow health problems to overcome it. Do not joke with your health.
At first, I was also skeptical about this method of getting rid of pain. But when my pain became unbearably hellish, and the painkillers no longer helped, I decided to put aside my prejudices and try this method on myself.
Of course, to begin with, I analyzed a huge number of articles and forums where people left their feedback about this. Overall, the reviews were positive, which reassured me. This was followed by a careful selection of clinics that offer truly qualified care. I chose Larson Chiropractor (larsonchiro.com/). Dr. Larson has thousands of hours of chiropractic training under his belt. My course of treatment begins in a week. After that, I will be happy to share my experience with you.
The chiropractor helped me get back to my normal life after the surgery. The first sessions with the chiropractor were very painful, but just a couple of weeks later I began to notice improvements.
Could you share more details about your chiropractic sessions? I've wanted to see a chiropractor for a long time, but I can't afford his sessions yet. I have already found a chiropractor to whom I will definitely go for a consultation diamondchiroomaha.com/omaha..., as soon as I save up the money. Can I find out how much you paid your chiropractor for 1 session? In addition, share your impressions after the treatment. I hope you're feeling well now. Thanks in advance!
Well, the thread is quite old, but I can't help but speak out. I hope you're all right, it's been a long time. In fact, any light physical activity is useful, especially if you have had heart problems. Chiropractic, although it is a pseudoscience, but it can still be relevant in some cases, especially after operations or injuries. I did chiropractic after dundixhealthcare.ca/. It helped me get back on my feet after the injury and it gives me more motivation to recover, when you make some efforts to recover, it gives you confidence. I wish you good health and all your loved ones.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Heart Surgery & Symptoms 
Shoulder pain after heart bypass
Palpitations and thumping heart after surgery
life after heart attack 
