Chiropractic or physiotherapy?: - Pain Concern
Chiropractic or physiotherapy?
Hello BOB here
It depends whats on offer chiropractic is more manipulation, while physiotherapy is more by exercise, although these days in the UK there are alternative treatments that are more on the fringe like acupuncture. Years ago Chiropractic treatment was a fringe treatment and weused to need a letter from the GP to have it done. I do not know if this is still the case is the UK as my doctor stopped me having it when I had been given my diagnosis
On this I do not know what your situation is in your neck of the woods
All the best
BOB
I would probably go with physio, after experiencing both physio needs more time input, i you have to invest time daily,but what you learn will always be with you and you can re-use. Chiropractor I couldn't take the pain I felt whilst it was being carried out or the aching the following day and also I don't like close contact which probably didn't help the instruction to 'relax' always makes me more tense. But like Bob says personal choice and your own take on it is what matters.
I would say it would depend on your diagnosis, a Chiropracter may not be suitable for your condition. I can only say I have stuck with physio which I have found very beneficial but like snappy says you have to invest the time and self management to make sure you do the exercises given. Physio is definitely a case of you get out of it what you invest.
I would ask your medical professional what they would recommend before going forward with anything.
nutty
I went to chiropractor earlier this year, made me worse as he was treating me for something I hadn't got!
Physio every time. They are medically trained and registered. Everyone I've known who has had chiro has spent a lot of money without solving the underlying problem.
My chiropractor disagreed with my GP and so sent me for an MRI scan (which GP said I didn't need). It showed the problem & I had treatment from which I got huge benefit, including being able to sit for longer periods & return to work. I go now every 3-4 months for check ups & I've learnt that by doing this, it stops flare-ups or at least reduces them, just like servicing your car...you don't wait until it breaks down to get an MOT so why not look after your body in the same way. If I hadn't gone to my Chiropractor when I did, I would have suffered another 6 years of pain & tingling.
This is just my experience & I know different things work for different people.
What about osteopathy? Has anyone found this helpful? I've been considering a chiropractor as my friends with back problems swear by theirs, but then, they haven't got chronic back pain. So I've been a bit hesitant. I've been doing physio for years, and do the exercises every day, but to be honest, I'm not sure how much it's helped. I've also recently tried an osteopath, thought he doesn't do any 'cracking' just give me lots more exercises.
I'd like to know if anyone with chronic back pain (and back operations) has been helped by either an osteopath or a chiropractor.
I have had back surgery for double herniated disk, L5-S1 , then in 2008 i was crushed by a horse which required emergency surgarey to put my pelvis back together, i learned to walk again after 6 months of rehabilition , i have had back pain for about 25 years before any of the surgerys . I was on heavy pain medication but without takeing enough to put me out the pain didn't go away so i started going to a chiropractor and the first two weeks i was wondering if it would help me but i stayed with it and then i started feeling better so after 4 weeks i started reduceing the amount of pain medication and right now i hardly take any pain pills at all. I still see the chiropractor on a 1-3 times a month for a maintance plan , i dont walk properly and never will again, i also had my hip replaced 2 years after i started walking again. The only way i can move now is to keep up with going to the chiropractor and i also go to a massage thearipest, for deep tissue massage to help with muscle spasms and both of these have helped me so that i dont have to stay on medication except when i absolutly have to . i am only 48 years old and do not want to depend on medication the rest of my life. my pain level is between 4-5 everyday but with out the chiropraactor it would be around 7 or higher unless i took stronger medication. if you do decide to go to a chiropractor be sure to take your x-rays or mri so he can see them and most will do x-rays themselves , but give him a chance to help you for a few weeks before you stop going. good luck and hope you feel better
Good point that with chiropractic, you don't always feel the benefit instantly. You sometimes have to be patient & give them a chance. I guess with any long-term condition, you can't expect it to go away overnight.
I too see a chiropractor for maintenance treatment but now only every 12 weeks or so.
I'm sorry to hear about your continuing pain but I am glad you get some relief.
I went for osteopathy for years and provided it is as gentle as possible it seemed to help at that time. However over the past few years I've had more help from a really good physio-therapist, (who was trained in Australia ) and because he also uses "alternative" techniques such as acupuncture and laser therapy he's really helped me move on. My experience of chiropractor manipulation was really awful and made me much worse.
Physiotherapy every time. I went to a chiro for years as a child ( grew up in North America) one on every corner, often wonder if all the bone crunching contributed to my spinal problem's later in life.
I chose chiro because my acute physical problem needed physio immediately, there was a three month waiting list!
My chiro was very professional, knowledgeable and honest. I had a set of x-rays done and treatment started within 24 hrs, which over Christmas was excellent. He thoroughly explained my problems and how they would be treated, and for how long.
It is not an easy option because although the manipulations are realigning bones they also realign your muscles. They react because they are suddenly put back where they should be. This reaction is normal and can be more painful than the cause. You are also discouraged from taking pain killers because they need to know the pain journey for the next treatment.
I had manipulation, heat, upside down table, Bowen, craniopathy, stretch exercises as part of my treatment. The appts were weekly for a couple of months but soon spread out to monthly. Although it can depend on how your body responds to treatment and how long the reaction is.
It worked for me as it striped out the layers of comensation and associated pain. It straightened my spine - I grew 2 inches. It balanced my weight equally on both legs, my feet were a size bigger, my migraines stopped.
I had a lot of work to do at home and I still do it to this day, 8 years later. This includes specific stretch exercises, stamina exercises, hot/cold therapy, accupressure and meditation (breathing).
I then got my appt with the physio who was young and inexperienced. She worked from the text book and could not understand that my body was not ready for some of her exercises or numbers of repeats. She could not understand why I was getting worse rather than better, and worst of all she didn't listen to me. This was supposed to be 2 lots of 6 weekly appts.
I took my time finding a private physio who specialises in the pelvis and spine and I see her from time to time now.
I've also seen a sports physio. They understand pain and how to treat it. They use various treatments rather than just textbook stuff. I had Bowen, heat, cold, accupuncture, massage, trigger release, stretches, rocking from both these physios. Both the private and sports physio were 3 weeks of weekly appts and I get one top up every 3 - 4 months.
So in my experience, both have been good for me and both have given me tools and strategies to do things at home myself.
I personally would not recommend a chiroprator as i felt the treament made me worse.everyone is different so you have to try what you think may help you.Physio was better for me.good luck.
I tried osteopathy for 10 months but it didn't help and started to give me migraines immediately afterwards. I know people who swear by chiropractic treatments but I am too scared to try it as I have read some disturbing reports linking it with an increased risk of stroke, and as the structure of my neck is abnormal I would rather avoid anything that might be a risk.
Physiotherapy has worked for me 2 out of 3 times. Some physios are also trained in techniques such as acupuncture. My current one has been fantastic at adapting the treatment to suit me ie the first session was too painful so she changed tack and it's been much better.
The answer is it depends. I get McTimony Chiropractic on the NHS once every six weeks. NHS Physiotherapists In my experience have very little knowledge on how the body actually works. They just concentrate on the limb you are seeing them about and they totally ignore a problem that is elsewherein the body which may well have caused your problem in the first place.
Many people I know have found that there is a vast difference between an NHS physio and one you see privately and pay for.
I use Alexander Technique which is in many cases vastly superior to what physios offer.
In Hampshire you can Osteopathic treatment on the NHS.
There are medical trials which have shown that chiropractic is superior to Physiotherapy for low back pain.
Things are complex and each case must be investigated on an individual basis to see which iss the most effective. Sometimes you will need several different treatments using chiropractors, physio and Alexander to help improve things, for the simple reason each specialism is treatment a differering muscular problem.
I started seeing a private chiropractor after the private physio didn't help with the new symptom of sciatica. I then switched to an NHS physio who did no hands on work at all but gave me exercises and told me I had to live with the pain. My sciatica was creeping back and became intolerable but she discharged me as she said that she was too busy to keep me on long term and she didn't know what else to suggest. I have now gone back to the chiropractor and although he has only been able to deal with some of my pain, he managed get on top of the disablng sciatica pain. I have had facet joint and sacro ileatic joint steroid injections last month which have taken away 90% of my pain and life is much bettter.I went private for this as well as there is a long wait for the pain clinic. I won't stop seeing the chiropractor though he has helped with the remaining pain also
I was very fortunate with my NHS physio she worked out of Newmarket and spent 3 days a week working on humans and 3 days a week working on some of the most expensive horses on this planet. She specialised on working with horses with crps so was well versed with my condition and has been the only person to date to give me practical and mental exercises that have helped improve my condition. Maybe we should all look at visiting a vet lol
nutty
Thanks for all of your responses. The ones about the NHS physios made me laugh – my experience exactly! And even worse, I kept getting a different physio every session as they were all locums! So no help at all. If anyone has a recommendation for a good chiro or osteo for chronic back pain in London, please let me know (if that's allowed). It's good to know what has worked for people, so thanks so much for responding.
- Kat
depends on diagnosis. If you have any kind of fragile spine from inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis or disc degeneration then absolutely avoid chiropractic as its far too easy for a small "adjustment" to cause severe irreversible problems. Physios work best if they understand what the cause of the pain is (i.e. if they know what your diagnosis is)
I disagree. Chiropractors can adjust their treatment for each individual patient & any good one will take a full medical history before they even examine you so they are fully informed of any conditions that might mean their treatment needs adjusting. I've been hurt by physios far more than chiropractors. A chiropractor was the 3rd professional I saw & in my opinion was the only one who really understood my condition & the impact it had on my day-to-day life. He was also very gentle, used a different adjustment technique & used ultrasound therapy which helped me a lot. He also took the time to explain WHY I was experiencing pain in different areas, the causes of these & how the treatment worked.
This is a matter of trying and seeing what works for you. It is impossible to determine which is better as your condition is individual to you.
There are good chiropractors and their are bad chiropractors. Similarly there are physios who are sensitive to your body's needs and there are physios who despite all their paper qualifications have no sensitivity to how the body works in practice.
It is a case of suck it and see and then gain from the experience. I have experience of McTimony chiropractors who I rate highly and NHS physios who are knowledgeable but do not understand how muscles work in regard to their inter-relationship. I speak as someone with 35 years experience of the Alexander Technique.
I have tried both chiropractic and physiotherapy for a number of years.
In my experience, a combination of the two is good. I sometimes get sore after chiropractic manipulation but it doesn't last long and I always have better movement a few days afterwards. Chiropractic also helped my headaches which I hadn't even considered.
I think there will always be people on both sides of a debate but ultimately the answer should be "whatever works best for you" every body is different so I think the medical world need to stop their "one size fits all" approach to treatment & widen their options for example by funding things like chiropractic on the NHS so that ALL patients have a chance to try it, rather than just the ones who can afford it.
I have complete faith in my chiropractor.
Better off going to see a vet
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