Question
I was wondering if a chiropractor normally pushes a t-bar into someones back (between my spine and right scapula) so hard that it still hurts 13 days after.
It honestly felt/feels as if he were trying to stab me with this blunt 3/4" dowel with a handle. My wife couldn't believe the intensity in which he drove the t bar into my back.
And this was after I offhandedly remarked that I had a pain of 1 (out of 10) in that spot...
Normally I don't complain about pain, but he was truly hurting me at the time and it continues to hurt so that it disrupts my sleep, affects my marriageand causes me to miss work (I work as an engineer/mechanic on yachts, so using my back is key.)
Is this normal?

Thanks for your time!

Answer
Ozzie,

No.  It is not normal.  The DC should have described what he was going to do, why he was going to do it, what you would likely feel, and what possible side effects could be.   While there can sometimes be discomfort pressing deep to work out soft tissue "knots," it should be done to the tolerance of the patient.   Frankly, the t-bar is not the best way to get deep into soft tissues and I'm surprised that anyone still uses it since there are better ways to perform soft tissue therapy.  Pushing too hard with a T-bar can easily damage tissue.   I would recommend seeing someone on this list to undo what the T-bar did: www.grastontechnique.com   You may also want to either discuss with with the chiropractor, or find a new chiropractor from the G.T. website that can evaluate how much damage (or lack thereof) there may be.  Odds are the T-bar caused a deep sprain and you need to properly heal from it, but healing may also mean treatment to the area (but not with a t-bar).  

'Hope this helps.

Dr. G