Im a Physio and work in London (Westminster) and Oxted, Surrey. Im a pilates instructor and specialise in back problems and sports injuries including cycling. (Im a cyclist so understand the needs of cycling.)
Drop me a line if you need some help.

Obi twa – such as realigning dislocations on the facets – impossible according to western medicine. Cerebral osteopathy. Infact basically any ostopathic treatment. A physio cannot do it as they have a diferent set of skills and a different diagnosis for the same condition. Yes you might be able to get a back to crack but unless you have done additional training you will not be performing the same manouver as an osteopath.

Bunkum old chap – and be very careful what you claim if you want to retain your accreditation as a physio once you have it.

cougar – I have had all kinds of back manipulation. I also listen to them and question them. Much (alternative) medicine is part bunkum and part real – ostopathy is the same. Positve energy flows and yin and yang sort of stuff.

however – the actual practise appears to me to work.

cheers for all the advice and thoughts chaps (and chappettes). I guess my first port of call is going to be losing a little weight (can't be helping), then sorting out my work setup, and then on to a physio or somesuch… hopefully they can sort me out!

TJ > google the placebo effect, then come back to me.

I'd also recommend reading badscience.net (and buying the book). Oh, and search on YouTube for Dara O'Brien's 'homeopathy' sketch, the man speaks sense.

The only 'alternative' medicine which isn't nonsense is the stuff that also appears in conventional medicine. Ie, commercial drugs are sometimes based in nature, and the equivalent natural remedy will also have the same base active ingredient, just packaged differently.

To paraphrase the aforementioned O'Brien, just because science doesn't understand everything doesn't mean we get to make stuff up.

However, that said I'd be interested to hear of any other alternative therapies which you believe are "real" – it might not be immediately apparent, but I do have an open mind. Happy to be prove wrong.

Cougar – I understand placebo effect and read bad science with glee. Acupuncture is the obvious "alternative" treatment that clearly does something.

Osteopathy I have had many times – my experience is that it does something but I am aware the real evidence is thin.

Osteopathy at least appears to pass the 'do no harm' edict, unlike chiropractors.

There is a name for alternative medicine that works, we call it 'medicine'.