Do I visit a gp, osteopath, physio or chiropractor??

[Inanu]

I have had pain in my upper back (I think trapezius muscle?!) and neck for about 6 weeks now, sometimes radiating down my arm so my wrist is also sore. It’s not terrible by any means and I’m incredibly busy at the moment juggling work and kids which is why I’ve been ignoring it but I think it’s getting to the point that I should see someone! Anyone with some expertise able to tell me who I should see? Getting a GP appointment is near impossible and I would be happy to pay to go private but only if I know they’re going to fix it but don’t know who to see!

GP will most likely refer you to a physio so you might as well go straight there

Not a chiropractor! No proper qualifications and can do untold damage.

Physio

I swear by my Chiro, he can fix anything!

Any of those except a chiropractor. I'd start with a GP to discuss medication, but if you can pay privately I'd see a physio now while you wait.

Why anyone sees a quack based on the teachings of a man who claimed he was visited by a ghost is beyond me.

Dangerous pseudoscience which is not recognised as medicine in the UK.

Might as well see a reiki healer - at least they won't hurt you....

Osteopath.
Then again I've seen them all and still suffer, 3 years on. I've got so many stretches to do several times a day and is so time consuming, without much improvement.

I've visted osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors and there's not much difference

physiotherapists have proper evidence based training and GPs should refer you there. chiro is dangerous woo and osteo is not much better.

If it were me, I’d go to a physiotherapist. They say the ones who’ve graduated from uni in Australia are the best physios.

Chiropractic is quackery, osteopathy has very weak evidence, physio has good evidence in a narrow sphere but not much better than no treatment for a lot of muscular issues. Pain radiating down your arm suggests nerves are involved so I would start with the GP.

My Chiropractor is amazing..... the relief lasts about 2 days.......sadly very expensive but it's been amazing🙏🙏

How is it amazing if the relief is so short lived? You need to get to the root of the problem and fix that

Me, I'd get a deep tissue sports massage from someone with qualifications. For me a GP will just refer you to a physio (so that's another month, exercises which is good but no immediate relief), and I'm not a chiro fan. A good massage should give you a bit of relief, and their understanding of connectivity of tissues should allow tracing back of the source of the arm pain.

That said, the practitioner I go to is booked up months in advance as she's so good. It's not a relaxing massage (I usually swear during it, feel awful the day after, but two days later I'm back to full mobility).

I'd avoid chiro! Unless you know exactly what the issue is, it can be dangerous. If the problem is being caused by neck instability then cracking the neck can have dreadful consequences. I'd suggest GP who will then direct you to physio if it's needed.

Massage therapist

All chiropractors ever seem to do is crack the back and neck. For every ailment. They even sometimes call themselves doctors.

very peculiar that everything is cured by doing exactly the same manipulation

I always used to do physio, but I saw a chiro and she was fab. She had 5 years of medical training and looked at my whole posture not just my back. Where as a physio might just look at trap muscles etc

Make sure you get a recommendation for a local chiro though.

A GP will give you meds and refer to physio which could take ages.

I will say as a horse riding, cycling busy mum (!) My traps go a lot. Nothing beats stretching for 5 min a day. Also recommend putting a tennis ball between your shoulder and the wall and rolling it.

I’ve had a dodgy back for years and the only thing that’s helped for the past year has been weekly Pilates and monthly deep tissue massage!

Well that's probably just the placebo effect, including dopamine and endorphins. You may as well be throwing your money into a field.

I see an osteopath every two weeks for muscle and joint issues caused by EDS. I’ve found that seeing him is the difference between me being mobile and not. He’s also a sports therapist so DH sees him for gym injuries. I would also see your GP though, you may need a scan to make sure there isn’t anything underlying.

Everyone except the chiropractor is a registered healthcare professional, who has to complete relevant qualifications and register with N appropriate body.

They do not have 5 years of 'medical' training. They have years of quackery learning and then call themselves doctors with absolutely no legal entitlement to do so.

Physio, OP. They should be your first port of call. They will refer you back to GP if needs be. In our area we have 'first contact' physios, and they do diagnostics, order scans etc. if needed.

No to chiro, osteo, etc.

chiropractors aren't regulated. Anyone can call themselves a chiropractor.

Where I live, you can self refer to a physio. Can you do that?

I've used an osteopath with really good results, but I went to someone who was recommended by several people I knew

Physio, I have this musculoskeletal problem. It takes time to develop, & time with the right exercise programme to resolve.