General Chat

Have got upper back pain-stiff and crunchy-been to GP and she said take paracetemol!

I'm desperately trying to loose some weight (again) and have started going to a netball club for a bit of fun-but ever since I can't lie flat/stand up straight without pain. its bearable-but just not right-GP said No about chiropractor but my mum is telling me that I should go as they are wonderful;! Not sure if Mum knows best this time! any suggestions please-I'd be really grateful.

They are very good,FFF-so long as you get a good one who knows what they're doing.Don't go to one without a recommendation from someone who has already been to them-you get good and bad.My husband went to one-useless-the next one he went to was fantastic! He saw a lady come in crippled,almost unable to walk,and leave after just 1 session,walking a
lot more easily.She was thrilled to bits! But ask around first before you go.

thanks. Mum said more or less the same. Will save up and give it a go!

I personally would recommend a good Remedial Masseur. I have muscle wastage on my left side from nerve damage and was told I would need crutches the rest of my life. I started Remedial Massage to get the muscles working and within 12mths I was walking by myself unaided. I have a massage now fortnightly to keep me in shape.
Was told by a Specialist to stay away from Chiro's but others that use them swear by them.

I would suggest maybe combine the two, one to put the bones in place the other to lossen the muscles.

Good Luck
No fun living with pain.

Chiropractors are quacks. Its utter nonsense what they do and believe in. Subluxations and no vaccination....it belongs in the same woo worlld as homeopathy, reflexology and any other mumbo jumbo flim flam holistic treatment.

If you want to run the chance of getting a stroke, then visit a chiropractor.

Otherwise, use a good osteopath or physio who has been trained in methods accepted by the medical world.

thanks for all your advice-conflicting but useful!

Hi FF
I personally wouldn't go to a Chiropractor,as I had a very bad experience (okay a good few years ago) when I had serious back problems.
I'm afaid I came out of the surgery feeling a lot worse. Went to an Osteopath,recommended by hospital and then Physio. was about a year before I was fully fit again and went swimming (very good idea) every morning.

Good luck with whatever you decide as back pain is crippling.
xx

FFF

The one that my husband was seeing,and who I went to for several years,
would not touch anyone unless he xrayed them first,to see what the problem was.He had very good results with my husband,who had chronic back pain and pain from an incorrectly set shoulder injury from playing football when he was younger.

They are like anyone else-you get some who are better than others- personal recommendations are always the best way to go though.

Good luck!

EDIT: The shoulder injury was actually a dislocated collarbone which was never put back in properly-I couldn't remember the name of the bone!

Instead of personal recommendation. most likely from someone who doesn’t know the ins and outs of chiropractice, try some research. A quick google will give you all the answers you need. If, after reading about how chiropractors use subluxation of the spine to treat every illness, don’t believe in vaccination, are scorned by mainstream medicine and have absolutely no scientific basis for their weird beliefs (illness is caused by a bad energy flow down the spine and manipulation cures it), then you will be able to make your choice in an informed manner.

Eldrick

My husband was treated by a chiropractor for about 5 years.Prior to seeing him he suffered back pain.During his treatment,and at the present time,he no longer does.His back improved markedly under the care of this particular chiropractor.I went to the same one monthly for about 2 years,my back is fine now also.This person spent 4 years training in Canada before moving out here to Melbourne-I would not class him as a quack.He has a very good reputation for treating difficult cases and has
many people who swear by his methods, that he has helped to live a pain-free life.Granted the medical profession does not recognise chiropractors-but if you find a good one,they can be very helpful in reducing the pain from a bad back etc. In my husband's experience,and I know of many others,their methods can and do work.

EDIT: Karen, I would agree with you.You stick with what works best for you-that is sensible advice.

Hi Margot

By coincidence, I had severe back pain. I went to a doctor who referred me to a consultant who gave me an MRI, various bits of treatment and finally carried out an operation. I am absolutely fine now. My treatment lasted about 8 months, not 5 years of paying through the nose. It’s like mediums – how do you know when you have eventually found a good one? Well, the answer to that one is easy, lol.

Like I say, do the research before meddling with your health. Do you really believe that illness is caused by bad energy and can be cured by manipulating the spine to almost breaking point? Do you not believe in vaccination? Really? Because that's what chiropractors believe!

And they most certainly are quacks. Without a doubt. The same sort of quacks as homeopaths and reflexologists and crystal healers and all the other snake oil vendors. 4 years study means nothing. GIGO. (Garbage in – garbage out).

Now this is where woo beliefs do become dangerous. When health is concerned, there should only be one route – via a real medical practitioner. But, again, it’s up to the individual to decide, as long as they are in possession of the full facts and able to take an informed decision – if they want to follow the woo path, then that’s absolutely fine. As long as it’s not on the NHS, I don’t care a monkeys.