Dr. James D. Manthos, DC

Depending on the reason for your visit, whether it’s a serious condition or just to relieve minor pain or discomfort, your doctor will explain how many visits you will need and add other treatments if necessary. But you should ask your doctor what you should do at home to help maintain your health. There should be a treatment plan established.

You can but yo you may be limit to certain exercises. Intercostal muscles are between your ribs. So, when you breathe, your ribs expand and elevate. Also, when you lift weights or certain exercises cause the intercostal muscles to contract, this may cause pain or increase your injury.

No, it is not always necessary to remove clothes. Although most chiropractors recommend to do so, so they are able to feel what is happening with the body or misaligned vertebrae or issues with muscle and tissue.

Yes, chiropractors can help this. As long as the doctor is willing and is within their state guidelines. No harm in asking.

A bear hug is not the proper technique. First the cracking as you speak is an audible sound one hear when stress or pressure is released from a jointed body part, such as the spine or your knuckles. A professional will palpate the spine and feel for misalignment in the spine and manipulate or adjust that misaligned area. The spine should be left to the specialist. Someone not with this knowledge has a greater chance of doing more harm than good.

First you must assess what is wrong and how it happened. From there you can tell what type of doctor you need and treatment. The problem can be anything from a dislocation, fracture, shortening of a muscle and so forth. So mechanics of the problem is important.