You good people on here are so informed so I'm picking your brains please.
Does anyone with RA and Ankylosing spondylitis advise seeing an chiropractor? Ive been recommended one by a friend who swears by it but doesn't have RA or AS but I'm nervous as I've read conflicting things if you have AS, although I don't have any fusing to my knowledge but MRI shows inflammation in hips and spine.
Thank you
Amb1xkr
Not unless you have been advised to take that route by your medical team.
Chiropractors can be very useful for some conditions ….but only with a qualified opinion on your condition first.
NO! Discuss with your medical team whether any of these approaches (osteopathy, chiropractic or physiotherapy) might help you. And if they say yes find one who has a lot of experience with people with these musculoskeletal conditions.
I am prescribed physiotherapy, and advised to do other gentle exercise. My rheumy has advised me against going to a chiropracter.
Better to go to a physio
I have two friends who ended up in hospital after seeing a chiropractor
Well prior to finally being diagnosed with AS I used to see an osteopath and a chiropractor at various times. They did help short term. However they say that if you have AS you should not have manipulation. I have found that regular walks (not hikes), massage and stretching is better.
Don’t do it. Chiropractors and osteopaths are not qualified to treat AS or RA and hence are not trained in it.
sorry, that’s just not true. There are many rheumatology specialist osteos that have far more training in the condition than physios, that are exercise based.
I was told by a Dr that AS should never be manipulated as it is too risky.
Hi! My companies clients are medical and we have many osteos and chiros across the U.K. so I can speak about this with considerable knowledge.
First, they’re all quite different and may have specialised in particular areas or none.
Not all chiros ‘crack’ joints. Some offer very advanced treatments such as NUCCA which is done under X-ray and is primarily on the upper spine. Others are more gentle manipulation.
Osteos are far more holistic and many have specialist experience and knowledge in rheumatology. One of my clients that I’ve spoken about previously has a foundation for osteoporosis and it’s made up of him, a professor in rheumatology and various consultant rheumatologists (including mine). They work in tandom with some of our other clients that are osteos and physios and have expertise in rheumatology.
From my experience, I’d suggest an osteo would be the better route to take over a chiro. But, ask them about their knowledge. Osteos are also very gentle, particularly if they offer cranial osteopathy. 😊
chiropractors and osteopaths are contraindicated in AS. They can quite easily damage your spine when manipulating. My gp sent me to a private physio who also happened to be an osteopath, a few year before I was diagnosed. He manipulated my neck. When diagnosed I had a calcified slipped disc at C6-7 and was told I was lucky he didn’t make things worse.
I was an orthopaedic nurse for over 30yr, and nursed a lot of patients, who had damage as a result of osteopaths or chiropractors, and they didn’t have our conditions. You definitely need to discuss with your rheumatologist before seeing one. I do have deep tissue massage from a masseur who understands AS. She works on the muscle spasms on my back, as my ribs are fused and the calcified tendons have resulted in muscles not able to stretch fully and in constant spasm. It definitely helps, I go every 2 weeks. H ok ever even then it needs to be with someone who understands the condition 🤗
I have a chiropractor that I have used for years, very interested in RA and I e planned the painful joints ets, as my shoulder was giving me hell very gentle manipulation worked for me and I stress The word gentle
I'm fortunate to have found an osteopath who is very knowledgeable about inflammatory arthritis. On one occasion, I went to her with pain in my upper back, she took a history, had a look at me on the couch and said she could not do anything but some gentle massage as I had an inflammatory condition, not a nerve root compression and I should contact the Rheumatology team the next morning. She was right.
But I have heard (and so has she) many horror stories of people being manipulated and major damage caused.
Don't go and see someone unless recommended by your rheumatology team.
I have AS, and was told many years ago that a chiropractor visit was not a good idea. Massage perhaps, but manipulation to that sort of degree, may very well be unsafe.
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