Reply to: Osteopath vs. Chiropractor

[Gibbon]

Mine helped me enormously with my back, but was rubbish with the wife's shoulder.

Sitting is bad for the lower back as your bodyweight is all on the lower veterbrate rather than being dissapated through the legs when standing.

If this is you, when you feel it tightening and preferably before a spasm, lay flat on your back and pull you knees one at a time towards your opposite shoulder trying to keep your arse on the floor. This will open up the lower spine joints and alleviate the tension. I haven't been back for years. There are some other exercises.

[MyUserName]

Been having trouble with my thumb and foot since I got back from being away a week or two ago.
Went to the chirorpactor today and the treatment was:

Took my sore hand and pushed my thumb various angles, there was one where I could not stop him moving my thumb easily. He then examined how far around I could turn my hand and pointed out that I could not quite turn it properly palm up. From that he diagnosed a muscle knot in the top of my forearm and just above the elbow. He massaged these and the retried the tests with my arm and thumb and my strength and range of movement was much better.

He had me lay down and tried pushing my foot various ways whilst getting me to point my toes, raise my toes etc. He found a weak angle that I could not stop him easily moving my foot along. He diagnose a muslce pull in the muslec under my calf (forgotten what it was called now, Serium or something), then he, quite roughly, massaged my calf muscle before retrying the push and finding that I was able to stop him moving me.

I arranged to go back in 4 weeks (I train 6 - 7 times a week in various ways so my body takes a battering!).

Whole thing took about 15 minutes and cost £30.

[SueEllen]

I had had a sore lower back for ages and popped along to see the chiropractor they had got along.
I explained my back pain and he said "I know what is wrong with you". Surprised, I asked him what and he said that when I sat down, I crossed my legs and that if I stopped crossing my legs my problem would be solved.

He was right.

so, just like in IT (and all other professions), there are good people amongst the sea of not so good ones, it's just a matter of finding the good ones.

Lots of issues with bad backs are caused by sitting incorrectly for long lengths of time, lifting things incorrectly or carrying bags that are unsuitable for the weight carried. (Most women's handbags are a good example.)

Personally I prefer sports physios simply because even if they have trained in some other alternative medicine they should have enough traditional knowledge not to damage you.

[al_cam]

When I was a permie, my employer had a health day type thing where they had various healthcare people who you could go along to see.
I had had a sore lower back for ages and popped along to see the chiropractor they had got along.
I explained my back pain and he said "I know what is wrong with you". Surprised, I asked him what and he said that when I sat down, I crossed my legs and that if I stopped crossing my legs my problem would be solved.

He was right.

so, just like in IT (and all other professions), there are good people amongst the sea of not so good ones, it's just a matter of finding the good ones.

[OwlHoot]

Not wishing to hijack Gentile's thread...

what are your experiences? ..

You wouldn't catch me in a chiropractor - Too dangerous

Although I must admit they looked quite nifty in that James Bond film

Must dash ..

[MarillionFan]

Osteopath over chiropractor for me. The osteopath works the muscles first before working on the joints/spine. The chiropractor always went straight for the joints and where the relief is instant only laster a few hours. Acupuncture is a waste of time. Best thing is to exercise though and keep moving.

[sasguru]

Prevention is better than cure.
Virtually all back problems can be prevented by buying the best bed and mattress you can afford as well as the best chair (if you can control this). The thousands you spend on these items (and the best will last a lifetime) are as nothing compared to the pain/time off from back/shoulder injury.

Oh and warm up properly before sports.

[MyUserName]

...chiropractors seem to be more interested in realigning the spine, to me that sounds like they are way off the mark.

Mine has only ever realigned my spine when that has been the problem. He has treated my shoulder, wrist, elbow, hip, neck etc when they have been the problem.

I cannot comment on all chiros of course but I cannot say enough good things about the one I go to.

[d000hg]

No. Acupuncturists claim that dry needling is that same as what they do, but doctors who use it deny this. The aim is to find the "yipe" point in the muscle, which also provokes a localised muscular twitch. Sticking needles into people is the only point of similarity.

However, it's not been clinically proven, though it has been shown to be effective for some people. It's kind of hard to do a double blind trial. The 50% of patients who don't get the needle might notice.

I've had contact with a company that develops needle-based devices for EMG (electromyography) which sounds very similar, except the needle actually does something - delivers an electrical impulse or drugs to a very precise location in the muscle. In that therapy, you actually find the precise spot with the problem based on the muscle's electronic responses.

[Notascooby]

I've used needles for sports injuries. I've found it to work brilliantly and a lot less painful than sports massage.

If the needle grips then you've hit the spot, unlike the massage that will more than often be somewhere else.

When I'm told "I'll put a pin in your elbow to hel with your liver" I reply - erm no thanks just work my lower back and calf muscles that I came in for.

I will say this is a once every 2 year occurance.

A proper sports physio can be golden when there's an underlying problem but the "that's £50, I'll see you next week" approach is a rip off.

Depends a lot on the sport and injury

[Ketchup]

To me it sounds like the key to relieving the pain is to remove the knot in the muscle, physio does that as does the dry needle, chiropractors seem to be more interested in realigning the spine, to me that sounds like they are way off the mark.

[Mose]

... doctors who use it deny this.

any chance of a reference to a medical doctor who has commented on this please?

[NotAllThere]

Is this similar to acupuncture?

No. Acupuncturists claim that dry needling is that same as what they do, but doctors who use it deny this. The aim is to find the "yipe" point in the muscle, which also provokes a localised muscular twitch. Sticking needles into people is the only point of similarity.

However, it's not been clinically proven, though it has been shown to be effective for some people. It's kind of hard to do a double blind trial. The 50% of patients who don't get the needle might notice.

[Mose]

Is this similar to acupuncture?

very similar in that is doesn't work

cancer is covered by the 1939 cancer act, something they've been brought up on repeatedly, the points brought up in the libel case were more based around childhood colic and otolaryngology claims, they'd already reluctantly bowed out on the cancer nonsense.

[Ketchup]

They were making claims that it could cure serious conditions like cancer, IIRC.

One treatment worth looking at - if the pain is muscular - is dry needling. I know one person who had it, who said it hurts a lot, but a few days afterwards, the pain she'd felt for years had disappeared. Apparently, the chronic pain is caused by knots in the muscle - little hardened areas of fibre. Sticking a needle into it provokes the healing reaction. It should not be done by anyone who isn't a properly qualified doctor, as a needle in the kidney or liver could ruin your entire day.

Is this similar to acupuncture?