Chiropractor vs Physio

[Dogtrousers]

Imagine it were legal help you needed. A physio is the equivalent of a lawyer. A chiropractor is the equivalent of Fat Bob down the pub.

Don't knock Fat Bob. He knows his rights. It's in Magna Carta, innit.

 

[Tenkaykev]

A highly qualified Physio once told me with regard to my upper hamstring / Glute problems " your Physio needs to get his elbow in there, if it's not hurting, he's not doing it correctly "

 

[vickster]

A highly qualified Physio once told me with regard to my upper hamstring / Glute problems " your Physio needs to get his elbow in there, if it's not hurting, he's not doing it correctly "

My physio is about 5’2 but wow she can inflict some, admittedly good, pain! She does sometimes seem to enjoy her job a bit much! My sports massage therapist is also a petite lady but has a very firm touch!

I’ve had some success with dry needling (western acupuncture) for releasing muscle spasms in back

 

[Dogtrousers]

I remember getting physio treatment at Crystal Palace once as there is/was a sports injury centre there. The guy on the next treatment bench was probably a rugby player - maybe a professional - he was enormous. The physio treating him was tiny. It reminded me of those little birds that perch on top of rhinos and peck parasites out of them.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

The way things were described to me was as follows - imagine that to "do your back in" takes a 100 different movements. Most days you'll do 70 and you'll be fine. Some days you'll do 80 and you'll feel a bit of soreness. Some days you'll do 90 and feel very tender. Then one day, you'll have done 99 things and then bend down to pick up that paperclip and ping, something goes wrong. Of course you blame your trouble on bending down to pick up that one paperclip, but it's really a culmination of the other 99 things aswell. These will include factors such as your height, general gait, posture and history.
Also imagine yourself lying on the floor and then get up. You've probably got up the same way for the last 30/ 40 years and there'll be many other actions you do in exactly the same way over the years so your body is bound to wear unevenly.
The body is very good at making small adjustments, to cater for uneven wear or muscle imbalance, but sometimes, at some points it can't cope. Which is when you typically get pain.

So don't expect quick results, after all you've had a lifetime of building up uneven wear and you need to address this. The good news is that if you stick at exercises which a physio would show you, you can pretty much eradicate it.

I mentioned above about seeing a sports physio. I first saw him and was about to have surgery on my back, but I wanted another opinion. At the time I couldn't walk and was transported to him lying in the back of the car. One leg was markedly smaller than the other due to muscle wastage. Anyway he reckoned I had three different pain areas, two of which were caused by my posture trying to accommodate the original seat of pain. After only a few sessions, I was mobile and never did have the surgery. That was over 20 years ago and I've been fine since, only having slight problems when I've been lazy and not done my exercises for a while - so to you and anyone else out there suffering with back pain, there is hope.

 

[kingrollo]

I laugh at threads like this, as it becomes clear that it doesn't matter what question you ask on CC, the illuminate will come forth and impart wisdom as fact and declare that no other opinions are required.



Different strokes and all that.

I think anyone who asks health questions does so in the knowledge that we aren't health experts on here. None the less we can all share our experiences. Sure there is no substitute for a trained professional - but in the UK right now that often means a lengthy wait on the NHS - a pretty short consultation - then you leave with a leaflet about arthritis and some generic exercises.

There are some excellent private physios available at not much cost - equally there are some poor ones.

Given the above circumstances I think coming onto here an asking questions is a perfectly valid thing to do. Back pain is fairly common amongst cyclists so there plenty of experience on here.......sorting what suits is a different matter.

 

[Tenkaykev]

My sports massage lady was very petite and very powerful. It was interesting to hear that when she was doing her training in Bristol iirc, she actually got to disect human cadavers ( donated to Science / research of course ). She said that while the textbook illustrations were excellent, actually peeling away the different structures / layers gave a much better feel for how everything worked.

 

[MontyVeda]

if you feel you've got far too much disposable income and need to get rid of some cash on a regular basis, then by all means, go to a chiropractor

 

[T4tomo]

Physios and osteopaths sort stuff out so it goes back into line / working order with a good chance it will stay that way particularly if you follow their advice & stretches etc.

Chiropractors yank it back into line for maximum immediate impact in the sure and certain knowledge that you'll back in a few weeks when it pops back out again.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

In my experience, a chiropractor will take a pain in your lower back, move it up to your neck and never fix it. They'll then take money off you every fortnight until you give up and go to someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[palinurus]

Chiropractic: original concept came from talking to a ghost
Physiotherapy: original concept unlikely to have come from talking to a ghost

 

[T4tomo]

My Osteopath has stuck her thumbs into my quad this morning followed by a needle and then stuck 4 needles in around my knee. I think she may be bilingual.

Its already feeling a lot better.

 

[Mrs M]

From my experience neither.
Osteopath is my go to.