Back pain – it's an Osteopath I need isn't it? Not a chiropractor?

Really not wanting to open a can of worms but…

Need some help for something that went ping in my back yesterday. It’s an osteopath I should go and see isn’t it? I might as well be waving a crystal at it (although if it was a crystal of morphine, I’d just eat it) as seeing a chiropractor, yes?

Think the large scale studies showed neither was particularly better than placebo treatment.

How about a Dr or physiotherapist ? Chiropractors have a reputation for WO and my experience of osteopaths is really bad.

^
Yes.
From experience.

I use an osteopath. Works for me, one minor back problem in two years after having 2-3 periods off work a year for several years before that. See him every 6-8 weeks for half an hour to keep things sorted.

It’s a weird sensation if you’ve not had it before, kind of like cracking your knuckles. Disconcerting when he does it to my neck!

Can recommend mine if you are in Derby, but I don’t think you are?

If it was a pop in the base of your spine in the pelvic area you might have popped your sacro-iliac joint. A physio will manipulate it for you and you’ll walk out like new.

If we’re takinga democratic approach to this question, then I’m with crankboy.

I wouldn’t trust a chiropractor within a mile of my back, and you would be hard-pressed to convince me that osteos are much better.

Why not a doctor, or better yet, a physiotherapist?

Physio IME (was it a rowing injury?).

I can recommend a couple for you in Bristol.

Iirc osteopathy was the first “alternative” treatment to be recognised and licensed in the UK. It is actually a fairly specific form of physio treatment.

I switched to an osteopath after the physio I was using actually managed to put my back out when I had a knee problem.

If something went ping, why not leave it a few days and see if it sorts itself out. It’s unlikely to be anything serious. If you feel the need to you might want to stick some heat on it and take some painkillers.

And if anyone is saying that they can manipulate any thing back into position run a mile.

was it a rowing injury

How I wish it was something that worthwhile. It was a picking-up-a-****-suitcase injury. For christ’s sake!! 😡

i have tried both, for years. then i tried a physio and i have to say the improvement is huge. i would recommend my one highly.

I can recommend a couple for you in Bristol.

Please, feel free…

I’m with the others on this, go to the docs and get physio too.

In general, the results of randomized, controlled clinical trials have not proven osteopathy to be an effective therapy. Reviews of scientific literature produce little evidence that osteopathic manipulation is effective for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain,[21] or for pediatric conditions.[22]

From osteopathy wikipedia

A 2011 systematic review of systematic reviews found that collectively, spinal manipulation failed to show it is effective for any condition.[10] A 2008 review found that with the possible exception of back pain, chiropractic manipulation has not been shown to be effective for any medical condition

From Chiropractic wikipeda

The evidence suggests that passive treatments for back pain are shit as they lead to long term dependence on therapists to prevent relapse. Just go and do some more exercise and you’ll be grand.

wanmankylung – Member
The evidence suggests that passive treatments for back pain are shit as they lead to long term dependence on therapists to prevent relapse. Just go and do some more exercise and you’ll be grand.

Wrong. A good physio, who makes very clear what is being treated and for how long, is invaluable and often the only thing that can get some of moving again.

Further, s/he can teach you how to exercise more effectively, and avoid hurting yourself in the future. I have suffered indescribably over the last number of years on and off, and the physio has undoubtedly allowed me to avoid more time in hospital.

So you’re telling a physio that he’s wrong about low back pain are you?

http://www.cochrane.org/CD008880/BACK_spinal-manipulative-therapy-for-acute-low-back-pain

From a previous physio/chiro/osteo? Thread:

Cougar – Moderator

Not the first time this has been asked. Further reading:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chiropractic-care-is-this-too-much

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/physio-osteopath-or-chiropractor

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/chiropracters-and-damaged-backs/

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/doctors-sports-physios-chiropractors-experienced-knowledgable-types/

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/difference-between-a-chiroprator-osteopath

… and many more.

nedrapier – Member

Ask for personal recommendations.

There are brilliantly gifted, exceptionally perceptive, well trained and sensitive examples of all 3, who would be able to help, their personal skills and approaches being more important than the training path they took.

There are some not so good examples of all 3 as well.

Where are you? There are enough broken, or formerly broken people on here that someone will know someone near you.

@wanmankylung: That’s not what I understood you to mean about ‘passive treatments’.

I completely and utterly disagree with the neysayers and the insulting term ‘bodyworkers’. There are good and bad ones (I saw a woman who booked me for an hour and literally did 10mins of that doing it) and another -regular bloke (he was off on paternity so went with the woman) who’d work you to death, you’d feel sore allover the next day then like new after that.

I’ve also been to a good Physio (bloke) and a female who wasn’t strong enough.

Oh, well, worms right out of the can and crawling around. 🙂

Mods, this is a duplicate thread…please close it. 😐

Please, feel free…

Have a chat with Tim at Cleve Chiropractic. He’s a VERY experienced chiro (Bath rugby, Brizzle football, olympics etc) and has physios, sports therapists, masseurs.
http://clevechiropractic.com/

He also has a really cool zero gravity running machine!

I’ve used a brilliant osteo, and recently a very average physio..

guess its who you get.

After all the advice, I have now made an appointment, but I’m not saying who or what with (it’s not a call gilr, or rent boy). I will report back (hurhur) later.

@wanmankylung: That’s not what I understood you to mean about ‘passive treatments’.

Passive = patient does nowt. Never going to work.

How I wish it was something that worthwhile. It was a picking-up-a-****-suitcase injury. For christ’s sake!!

Premium / designer luggage as opposed to cheap (Animal) tat ? 😆

a physio is what you need!

Just pretty **** full luggage geoffers. 😆

Premium / designer luggage as opposed to cheap (Animal) tat ?

LOL!

Anyway, have you tried an astrologist?

He’s a VERY experienced chiro

Does he do homeopathy as well?

Unless you also have respiratory issues such as asthma, or colic, I’d get a good physiotherapist.

Think the large scale studies showed neither was particularly better than placebo treatment.

it is pretty difficult to fake a manipulation with some sort of placebo, so therefore it is pretty difficult to have a meaningful trial.

Chiropractors tend to try to get you to commit to a course of treatment, which is often needed anyway as they never do much anyway.

The good osteopaths will do a deep tissue massage first before any manipulation. Otherwise your tight muscles tend to pull you back into the poor posture than probably caused the issue in the first place.

I go to one near St Pauls and he works so hard he has just had to take a break because he is suffering from a rotator cuff injury frmo hauling patients around.

He is excellent – he has worked on several injuries I have had and helped all of them – whether it was straightening me up or working on damaged muscles/AC joints/etc.

My wife works for a chiro and gets free treatment, but will pay the train fare to London and his fees to see him instead as she thinks he is a ‘magician’. She was getting really bad headaches and he located it to a difficult to get to muscle near her neck – after treatment she was alright for a year and a half until she triggered it again at work.

Conversely I went to a Bupa recommended shoulder specialising physio and he was useless.

But you need a personal recommendation as conscientious physios, chiros, and osteopaths could all converge to the same type of treatment.

Going to a doctor may not be that great a move as they haven’t in the past recommended osteos or the like – you could be like my mother who got recommended for a very risky op some years ago, but she has been in fine fettle since courtesy of the local osteo.

This is the guy I go to :

http://www.cityclinic.co.uk/

notice that he is working on his pregnant wife in the video. Also notice the Before and After pictures of some bloke with scoliosis, which is something you normally have to have an op for, but he straigtened him up.

Does he do homeopathy as well?

Dunno. He’s a doctor so I doubt it.

Give that Bowen Technique a try, very low impact manipulation that’s worked for me and backs are its speciality.

I’ve used a brilliant osteo, and recently a very average physio..

MartynS- is the good one have a northern Irish accent/works in the centre? I can’t find where hes moved to if its him.

Dunno. He’s a doctor so I doubt it.

No he isn’t, he’s a chiropractor.

EDIT: Actually, that’s presumptuous of me, he could have a doctorate in something else. What’s he a doctor of?

Dunno. He’s a doctor so I doubt it.

a lot of GP’s will advise homoeopathic treatments as they recognise the power of placebo.

Personally chiro did nothing but raise alarm bells for me. Prescribed course of treatment and mild scaremongery.

If it were me, I’d first see a competent massage therapist, as in one that doesn’t do woo, then ask advise whether physio would be worthwhile.

If anyone says that you need to see them x amount of times over the next 6 months walk (hobble) away. If you feel you need to see them regularly that’s up to you, but no practitioner should be prescribing long term treatment without the involvement of your GP and potential further investigation.

No he isn’t, he’s a chiropractor.

Well he’s called “Dr” and you’re not so forgive me if I don’t give much weight to your thoughts.

Shouldn’t use Dr unless it’s clearly stated Doctor of chiropracteristics 😉

essentially it’s a 4 year masters course.

Well he’s called “Dr” and you’re not so forgive me if I don’t give much weight to your thoughts.

Then he’s either a doctor of something else or acting contrary to the advice of the GCC, it’s a “courtesy title.” Or you’re misremembering, of course.

Try a good one- worth their weight in gold. They really really are. I’m starting to feel stiff allover- going to visit one again then take up Yoga.