Osteopathy.. worth it?

[NewYoiker]

My back is fucking agony. I don't know what I've done. I had an mri on Saturday night which was weird but whatever. And this morning they rang and said there are not significant structural issues' but that does change the fact that my back is agony and I can't feel my right leg.

Is osteopathy going to help? I need to get some relief. The gp is prescribing tramadol and diazepam in 3 day bursts :/

Aibu to just fucking go for it and get Someone to click my back into place?!!

After being under a supposed top consultant at an orthopaedic hospital for 7 years it took an osteopath 15 minutes to actually diagnose what exactly was wrong with me.

Go for it

Try it. Works well for me. Lovely lady in my road and only charges £30 for an hour session. Since I resumed yoga 6 months ago I haven't been to see her and problem has gone.

I wouldn’t risk it until I’d tried a lot more investigations by conventional doctors.

I’ve had very good results with both cranial and normal osteopaths. If you’ve been able to rule out serious matters with an MRI I think an osteopath is a reasonable response now.

Make sure you find someone accredited

www.osteopathy.org.uk/home/

Thank you! Does anyone know what will happen at the first appointment?

Yes, osteopathy helps. I've put my back out a few times, by lifting heavy things awkwardly usually - and an osteopath brings instant relief. I pay £45 for a session. She gives me advice on posture, lifting, and driving.

They will want to take a history and overview first, and talk to you about why you’re there.

Then they often want to look at your back, usually with your top off though if you’re not comfortable with that you could wear a vest top. They want to see how your hips, shoulders etc line up, have you bend forwards and to the sides. Then usually some work on your back. Hth

IME -i get lower back strain - she'll take a medical history and then ask what the problem is. Mine then gets me me to touch my toes in stages and asks me to tell her at what stage it hurts. She asks lots of questions - then she gets me to lie down, and does deep muscle massage, and various manipulations, and sometimes that weird positions where I 'click'. But I'm only v occasionally clicked. It always sorts me out, until the next time I awkwardly lift the dog in the car, or lift something too heavy!

Thank you all!

My osteopath does very little clicking - that's more of a chiropractor thing.

She does work magic on my back and neck. I see her once a month, and because it helps my migraines, my insurance covers it.

I'm in the US, so my osteopath is also qualified as a 'conventional' doctor. So she also chats to me about my other general health while she's working on me, can order blood tests, etc.

Yes, clicking is v occasional. Osteopathy is v medical - my osteopath told me all about the number of qualifications they get - and it's loads. Years of training, with serious anatomical knowledge. I got a personal recommendation the first time I put my back out - if you can, ask around for a good one.

Absolutely. I saw our local osteo when I put my lower back out and it was agony. I couldn’t really walk properly, get up from a sitting or lying position without agony, or look after my son and muscles in my middle back had started compensating for the issues in the lower back. I was all twisted and wonky, bent from the middle of my back slightly to one side when I looked in a full length mirror. A bit scary!

He asked some questions about my lifestyle and the pain and did some clicking on the couch. I felt instantly better. He also recommended pilates to work on my core and I have hired a postnatal personal trainer to help me concentrate on core work to try to prevent the problem recurring.

I have chronic back issues and have had surgery in my early 20s to try and sort it. I would not recommend an osteo, go to a physio.

Physios deal with the 'whole of the system' so are much better placed to help. It will require you doing home exercises too.

I would also pay for a copy of the MRI and take that to whoever you see. If they don't look at it or don't look like they know what they're looking at it's a good sign you don't want them anywhere near your body.

I've had a couple of sessions and found it really helpful. It was instant relief but she's also looking at longer term issues to. It was all very gentle. My daughter had cranial osteopathy which I found fascinating as she was far too young to have a placebo affect etc (very young baby) and yet I noticed an instant difference in her posture and she would then often reach another milestone.

I'm having physio for sciatica, same symptoms only its my left leg that is numb. It's been like this since the 9th of December.
The horrendous pain subsided after a week but the numbness can last some time after according to my GP.

Osteo does it for me, physio provides guidance but not much actual relief. Osteopathy is a strange black magic it's so intuitive... they achieve so much with very little forceful and heavy handed intervention. They are so highly trained, Just by assessing you and making you do a few simple movements they can often pinpoint the issues and target their treatment directly. There is very little 'clicking' only done when absolutely necessary...all the videos you see online or people being turned upside down and cracked to High heaven is not how it works In the real world but it makes good online content!

Magic for me too.
First appointment was longer and I had to get most of my clothes off so he could see my back all the way from top of head to just below waist. I was in a right state at the time and in 75 minutes he worked miracles. For subsequent sessions I always took shorts with me to change into.

Try and get a personal recommendation if you can, the good ones are brilliant.
A typical session with my DD's oesteo goes: stand facing away, slowly lean left, slowly lean right, slowly roll forward to touch toes. The oesteo often places fingers against DD's back to feel the muscle movement as well as see it. Look over left shoulder look over right shoulder, look up, look down.
Next will be massage of particular muscles - as DD is studying anatomy this often includes a discussion about the muscles and their function.
Frequently the oesteo will hold a limb in a position and ask DD to pull or push so the muscle is activated rather than relaxed. The limb is then moved to a new position and DD asked to do the same again.
Clicking is occasional, and is done as required rather than as a matter of course.
DD wears a sports bra and shorts so that she feels comfortable undressed. The oesteo will also place a towel over her, and always asks before moving DD's clothing (e.g. to tuck the towel into the back of her waistband).

I wouldn’t risk it until I’d tried a lot more investigations by conventional doctors

I was under conventional consultants for 7 years who failed to see I had slipped discs (maybe because even though I was in the same room not once did the consultant raise his head from his writing to look at me)

Go private as that is the only way to get a diagnosis and cure I have found

I love seeing the osteopath!! It feels like they've done nothing and you've wasted your money whilst you're actually being worked on but as soon as you get up and try moving/bending you can feel the blessed relief

Osteo’s have been great for me over the years. It’s worth a shot. Get a recommendation, they’ll soon tell you if they can’t treat you.

My Mum’s best friends secondary bone cancer was picked up by the Osteopath, even though she’d been to numerous GP appointments about back pain. She then went private for a scan (recommended by the Osteo) where it was confirmed.

So what I’m badly trying to say is that they won’t treat you if they can’t/think it’s dangerous.

go see a physio first

I would recommend it. I have had a crappy back for years ( had cauda equina, which resulted in surgery ). I find it very helpful. I was only saying the other day , if I win the lottery ,I would had my personal live in one !! Find someone reputable , check their credentials. Let us know how you get on . P.s
Results may not be immediate , but might take a little time to feel relief.

Reading this thread with real interest. I have painful osteoarthritis of the knee so chronic, would an osteopath be able to offer advice or treatment. Already seen physios and doing home exercise stretches

If you do see an osteopath, do lots of research. There are some less than good ones out there. Mine is great - lectures all over the world and also teaches anatomy to medical students. He very rarely/never does crunching and clicking, apparently the early osteopaths didn't do any of that, just very gentle movement and manipulation. He's kept me as well as I can be with a chronic condition for years.