Osteopath, chiropractor or physio

[bernhund]

I've got a very painful lower back right now and suspect I've pulled a muscle or two. Trouble is 10 years ago I was in a car crash which among many injuries, resulted in a broken hip. I was put in traction at the time as I wouldn't have survived the op and the hip socket was left to heal. I was told I'd have arthritis within a year, which I did. However it hasn't stopped me having a normal existence. But now I'm wondering whether the back back is because I do things a bit one sided and perhaps awkwardly. Being as my job is on the tools and physical, this could become regular back backs!
So avoiding a hip replacement for as long as possible, which of the practices do I need to keep me out of pain?

[eybic]

Not sure about the others but my wife is currently seeing a Chiropractor and they help sort out of alignment stuff out

[Pickled Piper]

Any one of those that comes with a good recommendation.

[WinstonWolf]

Find a physio who can teach you how to support your torso using your obliques. It's not natural but can be learned with a few hours practice.

I've had 2" missing out of one leg for over thirty years and thanks to learning how to lock my core using stronger muscles I still don't have back problems. Seems to work for me

[bernhund]

WinstonWolf said:

Find a physio who can teach you how to support your torso using your obliques. It's not natural but can be learned with a few hours practice.

I've had 2" missing out of one leg for over thirty years and thanks to learning how to lock my core using stronger muscles I still don't have back problems. Seems to work for me

This has got me curious. Never heard of obliques and I guess if they're working for you then they should work for me!

[Derek Smith]

bernhund said:

I've got a very painful lower back right now and suspect I've pulled a muscle or two. Trouble is 10 years ago I was in a car crash which among many injuries, resulted in a broken hip. I was put in traction at the time as I wouldn't have survived the op and the hip socket was left to heal. I was told I'd have arthritis within a year, which I did. However it hasn't stopped me having a normal existence. But now I'm wondering whether the back back is because I do things a bit one sided and perhaps awkwardly. Being as my job is on the tools and physical, this could become regular back backs!
So avoiding a hip replacement for as long as possible, which of the practices do I need to keep me out of pain?

I spent a few years trying various solutions to my back problem. Or problems as it turned out.

Physios relieved pain for variable lengths of time: from weeks down to days. I eventually went to a sports physio every three weeks and much of the pain went. I tried a chiropractor and after £350 my condition was worse.

In the end I had a couple of scans and my problems were apparent. A couple of physios were then able to work on my back with treatment based on evidence. My doctor reckoned that the treatment I was given by the chiro, a neck twist, was extremely dangerous given my particular problem.

Today is my 10th day without any painkillers and a little time before I went three weeks. My back will get steadily worse as my conditions are progressive. But I'm 'better' now thanks to the physio and doctor. I do a series of exercise, 40 mins three times a week.

I mentioned numb toes to my physio and she stopped treating me there and then. She checked various reflexes and found them missing. She refused to treat me from then on. My chiro had no such problem. My doctor, when I mentioned it, was very concerned.

I was not impressed by my chiropractors. Others swear by them.

[deckster]

Derek Smith said:

I was not impressed by my chiropractors. Others swear by them.

Some chiropractors are OK, so long as they stick to deep-tissue massages and the like.

The fundamentals of chiropractic theory are true baloney, however eg https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/opposing-chiropra... Osteopathy is better than chiropractic, but some of the underlying theories are still pretty iffy.

For my money, it's a qualified and well-recommended physio every time. Anything else runs the risk that you'll end up with some deluded quack poking at you based on the ramblings of a 19th-century lunatic.

[WinstonWolf]

bernhund said:

WinstonWolf said:

Find a physio who can teach you how to support your torso using your obliques. It's not natural but can be learned with a few hours practice.

I've had 2" missing out of one leg for over thirty years and thanks to learning how to lock my core using stronger muscles I still don't have back problems. Seems to work for me

This has got me curious. Never heard of obliques and I guess if they're working for you then they should work for me!

I've just had a look (it's thirty years since I learned how to hold my core), looks like they're part of it but the main ones I use are the transverse abs. It was a hospital physio who taught me the technique. It involved walking with my fingertips on the sides of my stomach until I could feel them engage then holding them to support my torso.

A good physio should know what I'm on about...

[bernhund]

From what you've all said, I guess a sports physio is the way forward. I certainly feel more confident in a physio as the others have bad reputations (That's not to say there aren't decent osteos or chiros) and I can't take the risk.

[RobM77]

As stated above, Osteopaths and Chiropractors have been clinically proven to help with some of their treatments (e.g. manipulation), but the theoretical basis behind both Osteopathy and Chiropractic has long been disputed and is not based on accepted science. Google and Wikipedia will tell you more. On this basis, and from what you say about what's happened, I'd find a good physio.

[So]

bernhund said:

I've got a very painful lower back right now and suspect I've pulled a muscle or two. Trouble is 10 years ago I was in a car crash which among many injuries, resulted in a broken hip. I was put in traction at the time as I wouldn't have survived the op and the hip socket was left to heal. I was told I'd have arthritis within a year, which I did. However it hasn't stopped me having a normal existence. But now I'm wondering whether the back back is because I do things a bit one sided and perhaps awkwardly. Being as my job is on the tools and physical, this could become regular back backs!
So avoiding a hip replacement for as long as possible, which of the practices do I need to keep me out of pain?

Having seen many physios, osteos and chiros I would opt for a decent sports masseur.