chiropractor or osteopath?

[Crackle]

So a pretty mixed bag of experience, which is to be expected I suppose. My first osteopath was very good, no cracking but sadly retired. The second cracked my bones alarmingly and seemed to have little effect. So it seems to depend on the person. I think I need to get some recommendations locally.

 

[slowmotion]

A long time ago I had a really bad prolapsed disc which was excruciatingly painful. The osteopath did not good at all except enriching himself. The physiotherapists of the NHS did a fantastic job.

 

[Hip Priest]

Another vote for physio. Like slowmo, I had a prolapsed disc and bad sciatica. I wasted almost £400 making several visits to a chiropractor, then went to a physio who sorted me out in two sessions.

I take a very dim view of chiropractors.

 

[vickster]

I'd pay to see a sports physio. NHS usually shorter appointments and then exercises. My private physio does full kit and kaboodle, deep tssue massage, ultrasound, acupuncture etc. Should be £50-60 for the first hour and then £35-40 for subsequent appointments

 

[Albert]

Chiropractors are useless at best. A good Osteopath can do wonders, but the vast majority are not good.
Physio + targeted exercises is the way to go.

 

[lukesdad]

What say you?

I've been suffering with my back since early summer and whilst I've rectified a lot of the pain with regular stretching I feel there's a spot deep down I can't get to.

It's not a new problem and I've used an osteopath in the past, one's retired and well, the other didn't really help much so I'm on the search for another.

So whilst pondering who to spend my money on I thought I'd throw myself to the knowledge of the forum and seek your wisdom?

Knackers Yard

 

[just jim]

Physiotherapist.

Whilst the other two might treat the symptoms, a physio will find the cause and sort it from there.

It isn't even necessary to spend your money, your GP should be able to refer you.

From my post-crash-hurty-shoulder experience I would put this the other way around. The physio and massage therapist were not able to treat the cause - the osteopath did. Once my vertebrae were realigned I was able to heal up properly.

 

[PK99]

Physiotherapist.

Whilst the other two might treat the symptoms, a physio will find the cause and sort it from there.

It isn't even necessary to spend your money, your GP should be able to refer you.

From experience.... NHS Physio is limited in scope compared to sports injury specialist physio.

 

[slowmotion]

What say you?

I've been suffering with my back since early summer and whilst I've rectified a lot of the pain with regular stretching I feel there's a spot deep down I can't get to.

It's not a new problem and I've used an osteopath in the past, one's retired and well, the other didn't really help much so I'm on the search for another.

So whilst pondering who to spend my money on I thought I'd throw myself to the knowledge of the forum and seek your wisdom?

As I said, I had a really badly prolapsed disc a while back. Loads and loads of pain and misery. My GP referred me to the NHS physios at Charing Cross Hospital, and also to a neurosurgeon. The physios saw me once a week and pulled my legs about. A rather lovely bunch of very bossy women who bullied me into doing regular routines at home, and stretched my back on a traction bed in the hospital . Things got better over the next three months , but I was eventually called to see the neurosurgeon who told me that I needed to have surgery. I gently suggested that I would rather not go there given that the non-intrusive therapy seemed to be working so far. " You do want to get better, don't you?" he said. He was four hours late for my appointment, I was still in some pain and I rather resented his condescension, and his faint suggestion that I might be some kind of a time-waster. The next few sentences were fairly tense.
Later, my GP read me part of the consultant's letter which contained the words "rude young man". I was sorry, but the clinical judgement of the neurosurgeon was, actually, crap. The physios put me back together and I have had no problems for the last twenty years.

 

[srw]

Alexander technique teacher? It's a whole-body intervention which is proven to work with back pain.

The downside is that it's a long process, and you might get bored of hearing "head, neck, back". Even typing that has had me adjusting my posture.

 

[Crackle]

As I said, I had a really badly prolapsed disc a while back. Loads and loads of pain and misery. My GP referred me to the NHS physios at Charing Cross Hospital, and also to a neurosurgeon. The physios saw me once a week and pulled my legs about. A rather lovely bunch of very bossy women who bullied me into doing regular routines at home, and stretched my back on a traction bed in the hospital . Things got better over the next three months , but I was eventually called to see the neurosurgeon who told me that I needed to have surgery. I gently suggested that I would rather not go there given that the non-intrusive therapy seemed to be working so far. " You do want to get better, don't you?" he said. He was four hours late for my appointment, I was still in some pain and I rather resented his condescension, and his faint suggestion that I might be some kind of a time-waster. The next few sentences were fairly tense.
Later, my GP read me part of the consultant's letter which contained the words "rude young man". I was sorry, but the clinical judgement of the neurosurgeon was, actually, crap. The physios put me back together and I have had no problems for the last twenty years.

Interesting slowmo. You don't do small problems do you, you tend to, as the fast food industry says, go large when you have a problem

Alexander technique teacher? It's a whole-body intervention which is proven to work with back pain.

The downside is that it's a long process, and you might get bored of hearing "head, neck, back". Even typing that has had me adjusting my posture.

A quick Google of the Alexander technique suggests it has merit, posture, is I think, at the root of my problem.

After starting this thread, suffering with pain/discomfort from early July, I'm sitting here this morning feeling a slight fraud. CC threads are often helpful but this may be the first time one has cured someone. I am this morning, largely pain free and comfortable. OK maybe it wasn't the thread but as I suggested further up I thought this was muscular but the stretching I was doing, whilst helping, was not reaching deep enough and I was beginning to feel a bit down about the whole thing. Soldiering on only works for so long.

So what did I do. Well I felt that I needed to use my upper body more, running made my back worse as did impact sports like badminton and squash and hill walking (all of which I've done recently, it being summer and the kids being off, no escape from family activities). Cycling was tolerable and swimming I discovered, very helpful but I'm no swimmer. So the clues were there for me even though I'd reached the point were I was unconvinced I could get on top of this myself without help.

So yesterday I went to the local bouldering wall. Normally I just drop the kids and read, my climbing days very much behind me. This time I didn't, I climbed, carefully, no jumping off though. So with the kids telling me to raise my right foot and just get my left hand down by my left foot and push up, I was very much stretching my body. The fact that they look elegant when doing it and I look like I've been licked and stuck on the wall and am now peeling off is neither here nor there and I digress..

When I finished I thought I'd made a mistake. My back ached. In fact I got out of bed to stretch later on and I went to sleep apprehensive of this mornings pain and determined to re-visit this thread, make a decision and make an appt. So imagine my complete surprise on waking this morning and finding, no pain and free movement. No lurching off the couch in a kind of choreographed mime move.

So now I'm not sure if I need to see anyone. Instead I might continue the stretching, climb carefully and try to become a swimmer and see where that takes me. In the meantime I can see my doc and get a referral as I feel I can wait now and I think a physio will help more by suggesting appropriate exercises based on what I can tell them helps and what doesn't.

I' m also going to change my desk chair, maybe to one of those kneeling ones, feedback on them most helpful before I spend money. I probably also need to think about how I stand and how I sit but most of all I think I need to keep doing something which keeps my upper body supple.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for everyone's input, keep it coming please.

 

[srw]

Oddly enough, Alexander teachers recommend the kneely chairs, because they encourage full engagement of the upper body. They're very good for developing core and back muscles, which in turn help with posture and upper body musculature problems. I find them reasonably comfortable, but my legs aren't really flexible enough to use one for a long time.

 

[MontyVeda]

i had one of those kneeling chairs for a while... they're interesting for about 10 minutes, after that, down right uncomfortable .. poeple do rave about them, but after 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 2 or 3 months, i don't.

 

[Mark Grant]

I had a bad back and a disinterested doctor for a number of years, then a new doc sent me for physio who recommended a list of exercises. I said that I probably wouldn't do them by myself but did he think a pilates class would help. He replied with an emphatic 'yes' and I started doing a Monday night class about 2 years ago, (the only man!) it has been a great help and I would certainly recommend it.

 

[roadrash]

Interesting slowmo. You don't do small problems do you, you tend to, as the fast food industry says, go large when you have a problem


A quick Google of the Alexander technique suggests it has merit, posture, is I think, at the root of my problem.

After starting this thread, suffering with pain/discomfort from early July, I'm sitting here this morning feeling a slight fraud. CC threads are often helpful but this may be the first time one has cured someone. I am this morning, largely pain free and comfortable. OK maybe it wasn't the thread but as I suggested further up I thought this was muscular but the stretching I was doing, whilst helping, was not reaching deep enough and I was beginning to feel a bit down about the whole thing. Soldiering on only works for so long.

So what did I do. Well I felt that I needed to use my upper body more, running made my back worse as did impact sports like badminton and squash and hill walking (all of which I've done recently, it being summer and the kids being off, no escape from family activities). Cycling was tolerable and swimming I discovered, very helpful but I'm no swimmer. So the clues were there for me even though I'd reached the point were I was unconvinced I could get on top of this myself without help.

So yesterday I went to the local bouldering wall. Normally I just drop the kids and read, my climbing days very much behind me. This time I didn't, I climbed, carefully, no jumping off though. So with the kids telling me to raise my right foot and just get my left hand down by my left foot and push up, I was very much stretching my body. The fact that they look elegant when doing it and I look like I've been licked and stuck on the wall and am now peeling off is neither here nor there and I digress..

When I finished I thought I'd made a mistake. My back ached. In fact I got out of bed to stretch later on and I went to sleep apprehensive of this mornings pain and determined to re-visit this thread, make a decision and make an appt. So imagine my complete surprise on waking this morning and finding, no pain and free movement. No lurching off the couch in a kind of choreographed mime move.

So now I'm not sure if I need to see anyone. Instead I might continue the stretching, climb carefully and try to become a swimmer and see where that takes me. In the meantime I can see my doc and get a referral as I feel I can wait now and I think a physio will help more by suggesting appropriate exercises based on what I can tell them helps and what doesn't.

I' m also going to change my desk chair, maybe to one of those kneeling ones, feedback on them most helpful before I spend money. I probably also need to think about how I stand and how I sit but most of all I think I need to keep doing something which keeps my upper body supple.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for everyone's input, keep it coming please.

a cures a cure, no matter where it comes from , enjoy the relief,and fingers crossed it lasts for you