Can’t afford chiropractor

[21butterflies]

Posted before, long story short am suffering from burnout and also a bad neck/shoulder due to a severely out of place first rib.

Hoping to take sick leave for 2 weeks due to both stress and my back.
Went to the chiropractor today and they showed me very bad x rays and said how often I would need treatment. The total came to £950.

I burst into tears in the middle of the office.

I feel like I’m desperate for this time off but I need good reasoning for my boss and I also feel like if I can’t get my back fixed in time then it’s pointless. I feel if I go down the GP route I’d have to wait a long time.
I can’t afford the chiropractor on normal terms; let alone if I take sick leave so now I’m even questioning that.

If I’m honest my life feels like a mess and I have no idea what direction to turn to. I’m currently in bed in tears and I’ve been taking it out on my poor DP too who even offered to help but no chance am I letting him!

What on Earth do I do ☹️

@21butterflies

Thank you so much for all your input. What’s the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?

I think I’m just stressing at work are really on my case about why I’m thinking of taking leave, so I need concrete evidence and a treatment plan ASAP if I want to use my leave effectively. To be honest I was thinking of taking leave due to burnout anyway (my job is so stressful and I’m looking for new ones)

Why are you discussing it with them first? If you are in pain and can’t work, or your mental health is suffering and you can’t work then go off sick. It’s doesn’t need to be planned.

The answer is not a lot, Osteopathy always feels a bit more like a mix of massage, physio and body manipulation to me, it’s a bit gentler. The Chiropractor I saw in Canada just went for the manipulation which freaked me out a bit. Sometimes Osteopath’s also do acupuncture as well, but it depends on your Osteopath.

Here’s a little article on it to help you bodytonicclinic.co.uk/osteopathy-versus-chiropractic-whats-the-difference/

Chiroprac does not involve medical training and can be dangerous. There is no science behind it and you should not waste your money on it.

get a proper NHS physio, or a private physio. I paid £50 per session for private physio & it was worth every penny.

I work for a chiropractor and we don't get people to pay in advance. Our intial consultation fee is £50 and treatment is £42. I have been there over 18 months and in this time no patient has come in 3 times a week. I would suggest getting a second opinion. We offer a free 15 min chat for patients to come in and see us before deciding to book, so it may be worth seeing if somewhere else can offer that first.

I would only go to a chiropractor who you have a strong recommendation for and have total trust in. The telling you in advance how much treatment you need is a red flag for me. They don’t yet know how you will react to treatment. If you DM me your area, I might be able to get a recommendation for you.

Another one saying use a physio. I assume you paid for the x-rays, so you could get copies and show them to your GP (if you can't self-refer to physio - I can in my area), or to the physio if you can access them direct.

Try a physio first 100%

There's not much difference between osteo and chiro, they're both a mix of short term helpful physical manipulation and complete nonsense

I'm not sure how the Chiropractor can be be so confident that you will need all those sessions. Surely a pay as you go arrangement would be better. You might improve after 2 sessions.

Chiropractors are much more agreed be and osteopaths think they “over treat”. 3 times a week sounds crazy. I’d find a good physio or osteopath and see them for an opinion

I was in a sort of similar situation with the dentist. I just wanged it all on a credit card as it was more important to get the pain fixed. If you can pay in instalments it's not too bad.

@Thissucksmonkeynuts

Get a chartered physio. I've used one who is also a pirates instructor, sorted my neck right out.

Totally off topic but what does he teach? Parrot balancing? Exchange rates of pieces of eight.

OP

I'm sure you have posted on here before because I seem to remember the thing about the rib being out of place. chiropractic isn't a medical treatment.

Please try a physio first, they are experts in this,

Get an NHS physiotherapist

You said that with a straight face too!

See an osteopath. I have back pain and see my osteopath maybe one or twice a year, but the initial visit was I think £50 and then subsequent visits were £35. I usually need 2-3 when it flares up.

The thing with chiropractic is that it focuses mainly on joints and subluxations, but less so on surrounding soft tissues. But if it’s the tissues that are the issue then the subluxations can just go right back after treatment.

I used to do chiropractic but switched about 10 years ago and never looked back as so much more effective and cheaper to see an osteopath.

Would a few sessions rid of the pain quite quickly? I’m in constant severe pain to the point where I’m not in work

I have had back issues cured by a chiropractor. When you divide out the cost it seems to be around £39.50 a session which appears to be what others pay per session. I would suggest paying it per session to start. It may work out a little more expensive but you can see if it is making a difference and whether or not you want to commit to the full treatment plan.

I've used a chiropractor, physio and osteopath for my lower back and next problems and to be honest, the most effective has been the Osteo and they undertake a 4 year degree to be able to practice - including a certain number of hours supervised practice.... I'd really recommend trying one of those

@21butterflies

Thank you so much for all your input. What’s the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?

I think I’m just stressing at work are really on my case about why I’m thinking of taking leave, so I need concrete evidence and a treatment plan ASAP if I want to use my leave effectively. To be honest I was thinking of taking leave due to burnout anyway (my job is so stressful and I’m looking for new ones)

Chiropractic is a con.

Do some reading first: www.skeptic.org.uk/?s=chiropractor

Firstly, I’d shop around as that seems a lot. I’d also go for an initial session or two to see if you actually like it and if it’s working. I tried a chiropractor and swapped to a physio as I hated it. The treatment wasn’t right for my condition. Was so glad I hadn’t paid loads upfront. Good luck with it.

The thing with chiropractors is that some are good and some are scam artists. Personally I would never trust someone that asks for a large sum up front.

I suffer from a slipped disk and visits a guy who is just fantastic. He’s £53 a session which isn’t cheap, but going once a month has transformed my life. When I first started going, my back was a mess and I went once a week, for 4 weeks and after that it’s just been once a month.

Re apologies, re my post above, I see an osteopath, not a chiropractor.

OP why aren't you seeing a physio?

Doctors and surgeons would usually NEVER recommend a chiropractor - they may do more harm than good. Ask your GP for a recommendation for a physio or osteopath, whichever is more appropriate.

How do they known you'll need 24 treatments?

I mean even if it's clear you'll need several, why not 22 or 26? Either way it seems an excessive amount, I've never known anyone need 24 sessions of anything.

For that season alone it all seems very dodgy. I see an osteopath who generally keeps me in working order but he takes it one appointment at a time and assesses then whether I need any more.

I used a chiropractor for a trapped nerve, I had tried everything to free it, all the physio moves they show you online as it was lockdown and no one was accepting new patients.

My first meeting with them cost £45 and included being treated. Subsequent sessions were £36 for 20 minutes but I over several sessions I was adjusted, massaged, dry needled, scraped and had electric shock treatment. This was because it wasn't just my elbow that was affected but my neck and shoulder too. I had home physio to loosen up my neck which helped everything. I think I only had 5 or 6 sessions in all. He said to come back every six months or so to get readjusted or when I felt like it.

It made a huge difference as I wasn't in pain, didn't have numbness anymore, didn't wake up with a dead arm but I do believe it is hit and miss with chiropractors.

[quote 21butterflies]@Whetheryouthinkyoucan I’ve only been with my partner 9 months, we don’t live together, I’m not just going to accept a grand off him!

So the lady said my problem is so severe that I would need 3x a week for 4 weeks, then 2x a week for 4 weeks, then 1x a week so that I can return to work quicker too. It would work out cheaper if I pay it in bulk.

I’m just struggling so much mentally too and I just feel completely stuck[/quote]
This is classic Chiropractor behaviour! Other specialist will make a treatment plan but see how you go after each session, it might take more than you expect or it might take less. I would run a mile if i were you.