Do thyroid issues interfere with chiropractic adjustments?

[hoalarg]

Hi, I am hypothyroid and hypoadrendal. I have had back and neck issues for 25 years since accidents. Since then I have had much chiropractic and physio treatment, often to no avail. My misalignment is stemming from upper neck c1 atlas and treatment struggles to hold so I am back to square one. I have had a lot of pain and discomfort most of my life,unable to do so much.

I read that hypothyroidism symptoms can be muscular and joint related and I wondered if this could be the reason why I am not healing after so long? Currently I am paying for Nucca chiropractic and its not working out well.

I know it's a long shot but I wonder if anyone can throw any light on this for me? This is a lonely road and I'm wondering if I should stop back treatment until I'm in a better place with thyroid.

Thanks for reading.

[magsyh]

Over the past 4 years i spent a small fortune on massage therapists, osteopaths and chiropractors because my muscle pain and headaches were making my life miserable. I found relief but it was very short lived. I also found that i could feel absoloutly terrible for days afterwards because anything they did sent my nervous system into overdrive like a big adrenalin rush that lasted for days. My neck, shoulder, backpain and headaches have gone since i started supplimenting with vit d. My vitamin d was much too low. As my levels have improved my aches and pains are all dissapearing. Im still very tired and have little energy. If I do alot of walking or any form of exercise I know about it and can take days to recover as my ft4 and ft3 are very low. X

[MariLiz]

I too have to visit a chiropractor for mainly lower back pain, although I have had neck problems too. I was seeing the chiropractor long before my diagnosis of underactive thyroid. I would say that things improved with my back once I got treatment for the thyroid. It has also got better since I found my B12 and VitD levels were very low, and I am now on B12 injections and take a VitD supplement.

The other thing that really helps me is gentle Yoga exercise, which stretches and strengthens the muscles. This is especially important for the spine, as the vertebrae can easily become misaligned if the muscles that support it are weak.

[BadHare]

I don't think your hormone issues will affect your physical damage, but you might feel better for making sure you're optimally medicated, & taking all the supplements you need to make your hormones work effectively.

I found yoga helpful, & do neck stretching exercises every day to alleviate the pressure on my cervical spine. I also find acupuncture from an acupuncturist, not a physio, very helpful.

[HLAB35]

The above advice from MariLiz is spot-on. I used to get regular lower back issues, also head and neck issues + migraines. The first occasionally comes back to haunt me when I've done too much gardening from cold, but I'm on top of it very quickly by taking extra Magnesium (Citrate + Epsom Salt baths) and ham string stretches. Also recommend Vit d and K2 (take together) as K2 directs calcium to bones. (I don't take Calcium supplements, but I do eat meat and dairy and hope that's enough.. Calcium supplements just don't agree with me.)

The head neck issues could actually be similar to a TMD disorder (common in hypos) - I've had them - it gives you a 'clicky' jaw and migraines. Riboflavin (B2) is good at helping with the headaches; so is vitamin E and Omega 3's. It almost goes without saying to anyone who's hypo to make sure that you've got good levels of b12, folate and iron as well. B12, like vit D is essential to bone health, which, for some inexplicable reason is not a well-known fact.

[hoalarg]

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to respond. I am going through such a painful time at the moment and nothing seems to be working at all. It's only recently that I discovered I was hypothyroid, so that's when I wondered if there was any connection.

I have been taking a mountain of supplements for over 2 years now, but it's possible that b12 is out. I take 250mcg a day which is low. I haven't started a dessicated thyroid supplement yet, as Dr P said start on adrenavive cortex. I think I will just find a dessicated thyroid too.

My neck joint just doesn't want to remain where it should, but when it's in I feel a lot better - posture is good and pain subsides. It's as if my body is rejecting it somehow. I thought maybe Shiatsu too.

I do hope addressing the thyroid will help the muscles to settle down.

[samaja in reply to hoalarg]

From my experience I would say there is definitely a connection between being hypothyroid and any treatment. Like you I have been having various treatments (physio, osteo, chiropractic, Bowen, acupuncture, you name it 8-)) and most of them would help a bit and then revert back to 'normal' aches and pains. I have learned that I need to be very careful whether my body feels that a treatment is 'justified' i.e. the pain and discomfort warrants the intervention, as if it is just maintenance but not really a must I will feel the effects for a long time and they will not settle. Usually I would get to a point when there seems to be no more benefit from a therapy and I need to find something else though I must say that each one was useful even if just to learn more about myself and my body and taking good care of us. I have learnt to cooperate with my body not just to 'treat a problem' which problem in reality is my body trying to tell me something about things that are not working for me/us. I would say that having the right medication/supplements is very important as everybody else said but pay attention not only to the physical aspects of your condition but the mental/environmental/spiritual ones as well as well. Also the sequence of treatments needs to be right as some things will not happen/hold without some others taking place first.

All the best of luck on your journey!

[HLAB35 in reply to hoalarg]

Just a quick link; quite a thorough one, but easy to follow..

saveourbones.com/are-you-ge...

Basically, you need b12 to lower homocysteine in the body. Homocysteine is linked to inflammation / osteoporosis and to fracture risks in the elderly. Given the state of our NHS wards (especially during winter) filled with people needing hip replacements and costing the country millions; wouldn't it just be far, far cheaper to have a nationwide preventative treatment protocol of vit d and b12 for pensioners.

[hoalarg in reply to HLAB35]

Thank you for taking the time to write. Interesting article. I'll get a medicheck test done. Noticeably I don't eat any foods in their B12 list due to a restricted diet.

[HLAB35 in reply to hoalarg]

It's easily missed.. and that's the problem...note that if you're hypo you need to be in the upper part of the normal range and your folate levels should be roughly equivalent and iron should be good too.

You could go and ask the PA forum about the best markers for a diagnosis of possible b12 deficiency.. also to include checks for bone problems.. someone may know the best blood markers for each. I'd include homocysteine. If you're already taking b12 supplements it may skew the results, especially if you're on cyanocobalamin which tends to stick around in the blood for longer and not get properly absorbed into the CSF (spinal fluid) where it's needed; but will probably convince a haematologist that you're 'normal'.

[blondpalomino]

Hi,

I have had back and neck problems most of my life, and have a wonderful Chiropractor who I have known for over 30 years who has literally saved my life! He always fixes me,I even injured my thumb and I couldn't bend it and the doctors wanted to do an operation and put it in plaster for 6 weeks, but he gradually got it moving again and it is working normally now.