Chiropractor - recommend or not?

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I’ve used chiro’s and osteopaths to no avail, I have now found a sports injury massage clinic and I’ve never felt so good.

In my experience, it depends on the particular practitioner. I have had brilliant ones and others who were rubbish.
Osteopaths can also be helpful…
If the first one doesn’t help, try another, until you find one who suits you.
Good luck.

Caleo

PS take great care doing any exercises or treatments if you are old and have osteoporosis.

That’s what I’ve realised. It’s why I requested my GP for an x ray in the hope that he would recommend some physiotherapy for my knee. What worked for me when I was 15+ years ago might not be suitable with so much more wear and tear on my joints.

I find a good deep tissue massage helps. I went to an osteopath who helped somewhat but I resorted to trying a good massage (not beauty salon style is they are too light). I felt bruised afterwards but after a day - i felt more relief than I have had in ages. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

PS take great care doing any exercises or treatments if you are old and have osteoporosis.

All I can tell you is I paid a chiropractor to cure sacro iliac pain and he did so . Money well spent.
He did advise that if I needed more chiropractic to go to the same school of practise however I regret I cannot remember what he said.

I initially asked him not to click my spine during treatment and he did not do so.

Very helpful advice. After 12 years of knee pain a sympathetic doctor fast forwarded me for a local X-ray. Sorry to tell me it’s arthritis. No surprise there then. Another person at the surgery had banned me from taking painkillers as she told me I had kidney failure two years ago and painkillers would affect my kidneys. My latest GP checked my recent blood test and told me that my kidneys are coping fine. I spent two years in pain because of her. I thought it strange that I wasn’t put on dialysis and my urine is whiter than white! So here we are and physio fast forwarded to next week. Not a great deal of faith in physios but had two good ones. One in a Spanish village when I broke my ankle and one at St. Mary’s Hospital in London who made me lift 10 kilos with my broken shoulder and broken arm, in recovery time. He was great. I was told I would never comb my hair or fasten my bra. Oh, yes I do both. I’m a fan of osteopaths and have seen the same one over 25 years for various problems.

For my back issues I use an osteopath. I have always been pleased with the results. The training is very different to that of a chiropractor.

I have severe problems with my back and neck. I have seen both a chiropractor and an osteopath in the past, both times I was in the most awful pain after the session. Having then paid for private scans, I was told that I could have been permanently paralysed had I continued with those treatments. An osteopath or chiropractor cannot see what’s going on under the skin and most start manipulations before they deign to refer for a scan/xray.

I wish I could find a suitable therapist for my DH who has had numerous blocks of physio at various points in the past 20 years. Of course as some on here will know, he rarely does the exercises at home so there is no lasting improvement. NHS facilities near us are minimal - 6 sessions with a physio is the norm and does nothing to even get DH motivated to continue. If I could find a private physio (there are lots, but I don't know how to pick one) I would gladly pay and INSIST he follows up himself.

For what it's worth. I worked with a chiropractor for several years. He trained me in gentle warming massages, which were done one patients before he began treatments. Many patients thought he was a god! A few didn't come back after initial treatments. He often used other chiropractors to cover when he was on holiday. None were ever considered as good to regular patients.
I had on one occasion coughed whilst cleaning my teeth which caused a facet joint problem, it was agony !GP could only prescribe Diazepam for a few days and rest. My boss treated me and after a couple of weeks there was much improvement. My boss got cancer a few years ago and since he died I have had a few problems mostly back and sciatica. I tried a couple of other chiropractors with relief for a couple of months but always needing to go back. I then tried an osteopath when I had trouble getting an appointment at one time. I had similar results. The main difference I found was osteopaths are more gentle and lead you through exercises more carefully and are less 'showy' than chiropractors, the don't intentionally go for 'cracks'. In the last 18 months I had retired and my GP service offered self referral to physiotherapist at local health centre. It was free, so I tried it when my back started twingeing again. After an initial consult, I went to a 'Back club's once a week for 6 weeks. We did exercises in a group of 6 and were advised what to do at home individually. I had about 6 follow up appointments on a one to one basis about 2- 3 weeks apart. It was all exercise not 'cracks' no massages, just exercise. I haven't been back for a year and my back hasn't been this good for 20 years. The chiropractor I worked for was very charismatic and American in retrospect that was the secret to his success with patients. Honestly, physio is best especially if you follow advice and keep doing the exercises.

My osteopath got me walking again 15 or so years ago when my knee arthritis first got bad. But when I saw him recently it didn't help my knee and I then had a sore hip, which I hadn't had before. I think it's ok for younger bodies but better to find out exactly what's going on internally before having treatment. 15 years ago I found his treatment much better than the physiotherapy which didn't really help.

My previous NHS GP offered Acupuncture to her patients for pain control; I used it several times ( for v. painful frozen choulder and later for sciatica) and highly recommend it.

I was sceptical and would never have tried acupuncture had I not seen the instant miraculous pain relief / mobility improvement when our vet used it on our arthritic old dog.
when it works on a dog, it's not a placebo effect.

I use an osteopath he is much better than a chiropractor who made my back worse. He also does acupuncture which really helps

In short, a chiropractor uses manipulative techniques to adjust your spine and joint position to improve nerve function and the ability to heal while osteopaths use massages, manipulation and stretching to help re-balance the body’s structure to enhance nerve function and blood flow.
Both professionals use similar treatments, but osteopaths usually use multiple treatment options while chiropractors tend to focus on spinal manipulations.
Both are well regulated and to practice, both must be a member of their regulatory bodies and have indemnity insurance.
My son is in his 4th and final year of his Masters of Chiro degree which is an entirely clinical year mentored by chiropractic professionals. Once qualified he will be able to diagnose using a variety of methods including x-ray. He will be able to treat and if needed, refer his patients to other health care professionals.
He attends a prestigious university in Bournemouth, which was the first institution in Europe opening some 50+ years ago, to solely offer chiro training. As such it attracts students from all over the world.
Don’t listen too much to scaremongering as much of the time people commenting haven’t had first hand experience of either profession.
Do however research carefully who you visit whether a chiropractor or an osteopath. Look at where they did their degrees and where possible get reviews from their patients.
That would be my advice at least!
Good luck 😊

My nasty fall caused knee dislocation and put my shoulder and neck out. The osteopath re-positioned and also identified cartilage damage in the connectivity between ribs and spine. He also diagnosed & fixed a long term neck crick from a previous car accident. Very impressed.

I have sent quite a few his way with great results, including a lady struggling with a knee replacement

I used to frequent a chiropractor for back pain which didn’t help. I went for neck pain, which worked well. I went with knee pain, had 3 treatments and then referred myself to our NHS physio who told me that I needed an arthroscopy and that the chiropractor had been wasting my time and money. My mum who had undiagnosed osteoarthritis, went to one for back pain and he managed to fracture her pelvis, so I do not recommend chiropractors.

I gave up on chiropractic and now get help when needed from an excellent physiotherapist and will not return to chiropractic - too risky.

Physiotherapists are the safest option. Acupuncture and Osteopathy are safe too, providing they take a full medical history.

I would avoid Chiropractors. One damaged DH's neck with a violent movement, some years ago.

I have found a combination of physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage has helped me. I have severe lumbar stenosis and piriformis syndrome causing sciatic pain. My one visit to a chiropractor before my diagnosis sadly made my pain worse. I have also changed my mind about taking regular tablets. The physio pointed out that pills are beneficial if they help to keep you active. I hope you find a way to manage your pain so that you can keep active too.

I have sponylolisthesis and have been using a chiropractor for about 12 years now. She always relieves my pain and is very perceptive and knows exactly what to do.

I went to a chiropractor for over a year after an accident that stopped me walking. That was over 15 years ago. She realigned my spine gradually, and a physiotherapist at the gym helped me get my muscles working properly so that they weren't pulling on my spine. NHS was useless - the physio took a brief look and gave me a few exercises and I never got another appointment.

Chiropractors are much better regulated than they used to be, and better trained - over 20 years ago Surrey Uni had specialist courses for chiropractors.

I saw a chiropractor for back pain a few years ago. After three or four visits and treatment with a deep massage machine which left me almost unable to stand, she recommended an X-ray. The xray showed one historic and one recent crush fracture of my spine, and osteoporosis in my spine. She immediately referred me back to my GP and suggested a dexa scan. I am now on Alendronic acid treatment.
I’m grateful that the chiropractor did recommend an X-ray as my GP had been content to prescribe painkillers and physiotherapy. But otherwise I wouldn’t recommend one!

Osteopathic treatment is better trained and regulated than chiropractic