We visited Cline Chiropractic to get an opinion on whether Dr. Cline could help relieve pain in my husband's right hip. He'd seen him the week prior for adjustments and shared with Dr. Cline that he'd had two orthopedic surgeons tell him he needed a right hip replacement due to arthritis, degenerative bone conditions, bone spurs and a cyst.
We shared a recent X-Ray & MRI of his hip and lower back. After reviewing them, Dr. Cline said my husband was too young to have hip replacement, the hip was in overall good condition and he did not need surgery right now. He told my husband, "You've got another 50,000 miles."
He told us that the pain was not coming from my husband's hip, but from his neck. He took X-Rays of his neck and said that his neck was the root cause of the pain. He said that over time it had affected my husband's lower back, resulting in hip pain, because of how my husband had been walking.
He recommended Spinal Decompression and showed us videos. This is something we'd never heard of and did not come in looking for. He recommended it and said my husband needed it. When I asked him what percentage of his patients had success, he stated that he only recommended this procedure when he knows the procedure will work. He said if a patient was not a good fit, he would not recommend it. He also said that the orthopedic surgeons said he needed hip replacement because they want to make money by performing surgery, not recommending alternative treatments that are less invasive & cheaper, like chiropractic care. He was convincing and we were relieved to hear that he didn't need surgery after all.
During the course of the treatments, my husband didn't feel relief from the pain. In fact, after each session he informed Dr. Cline's assistant that he was very sore. He expressed this to Dr. Cline as well. Dr. Cline told my husband that he would feel pain and even asserted that he too was sore after he had similar treatments. He also said that my husband's neck & back had been in bad condition for quite awhile and would it not get better overnight. He said "It is going to take time. Trust the treatments; that's why there are 24 sessions ... because it takes time." So, we remained patient and trusted the doctor.
On the day of my husband's final session, he once again addressed the fact that this process had not been working. I asked if the final results were delayed and he would feel relief in the months to come? Dr. Cline said, "No. If it hasn't worked by now, it's not going to work." He then said that if my husband had let him know it wasn't working earlier in the process, he would have stopped the therapy and refunded our money. We were shocked ... we reminded him that he had, on every occasion, stated that he was still in pain and that he was concerned that it was not working. He also reminded Dr. Cline that he'd told my husband to "be patient and trust the treatments".
When my husband reminded him of these things, he became angry and his behavior was unprofessional. He left the office and returned with his assistant, who claimed that my husband had never complained about his pain. They then both lied; saying not only that my husband had not expressed he was still in pain but that he told them he felt and was getting better. My husband never stated that he felt or was getting better.
We reviewed a copy of the spinal decompression log his office kept on my husband's visits. We were surprised to see that none of his concerns about his ongoing pain were noted. Two things concern us about the log, the first of which is that it was not supplied to us when we requested all documentation (we received the copy from our credit card company) and secondly, the manner in which it was perfectly written. These two factors lead me to question its authenticity.
Initially, Dr. Cline said he would be able to take an X-Ray once all the sessions were complete to show the improvement from the Spinal Decompression. When we asked him to compete the X-Ray he refused, saying it wouldn't show the tissue improvement. This is interesting ... because he claimed to have been able to see the problem on the X-Rays when he made the initial diagnosis. We did an X-Ray & MRI on our own ... There is no change. His back is in the same condition as it was prior to the Spinal Decompression. By the end of the sessions my husband's pain became increasingly more severe and he returned to the orthopedic surgeon. He received a hip replacement in March.
Dr. Cline misdiagnosed my husband's condition for personal gain. He was dishonest, as my husband was diligent in letting him know he wasn't getting any relief from the very start. He lied, claiming my husband never communicated this to him. We trusted his professional advice. It is very disappointing when a supposed professional is motivated by greed and is willing to resort to dishonesty to line his own pocket. read more
