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!

A chiropractor caused a spinal injury in my friend. 3 expensive treatments in shad to have emergency spinal surgery on her neck. No regulation. No apology. No investigation. Frightening what they get away with

So many mixed opinions!

Well I'm now reconsidering a chiropractor for my rotator cuff injury after reading all this. (He's estimated 2 sessions a week, and 15 sessions in total so £630. )

That's a disgraceful situation - no competent physio would be making similar claims about the need for that many appointments!!

Back cracking isn't going to fix your muscular problem.... Have you seen a physio?

My osteo has been life changing. My GP fully supports me seeing them.

About ten years ago I had a lot of trouble with mid back pain that radiated down my right arm, probably the result of twenty years working spreadsheets with the mouse all day long (I'm an accountant) plus knitting as a hobby. My body had just had enough of all that repetitive movement.

I tried lots of things in the short term - including physio, acupuncture, deep tissue massage and medication for neuropathy.

But what fixed it in the end was completely rethinking how I use my body day to day. I got a standing desk and bought some voice dictation software. I gave up knitting entirely. And I took up pilates, initially with an instructor who knew how to work with broken bodies. It took a few years (and quite a bit of money), but I'm completely fine now. I still do weekly pilates. Now I'm in my sixties I can see how it is keeping me strong and functional.

Physio is your first call. They will do a full history and exam then decide whether you need treatment or referral.
I had exactly the same problem, neck, shoulder and pain radiating down my arm. At my age they had to rule out heart problems (angina) and having just finished treatment for breast cancer there was some concern that it could be bone metastasis ( secondary breast cancer spread to the spine).
It turned out to be a trapped nerve in my neck that was causing muscle spasm. After a few sessions with physio and some home exercises it cleared up. I think just the reassurance that it wasn’t secondary cancer reduced the underlying anxiety.
I had spent 4 mnths on sick leave doing a lot of reading and scrolling, combined with recovering from surgery then returning to work, my neck muscles went into spasm and caused the trapped nerve.

I had a rotator cuff injury and booked one session with a physio who did a full assessment, gave me a set of specific strengthening and mobilising exercises, coached me through them to check I could manage them, and said to come back if it wasn’t improving after doing them. I did the exercises every day for a few weeks and recovered completely. No bones cracked in the process.

Chiropractic, as others have pointed out, is a technique made up by someone who said they learned it from a ghost. It can cause serious spinal injuries. I struggle to understand how people who “swear by” their chiropractor can get past these two well-acknowledged facts!!! Better to seek treatment that actually works and has a wealth of evidence behind it (and isn’t eye-wateringly expensive either)

Can you cite some of these ‘facts’?

There may be a lot of cowboys out there, but that’s said about lots of other professions too sadly. (Therapists, various contractors). It is up to us as the consumer to check reviews, references, qualifications, experience etc..

Physio which may need a GP referral.

Yes, every robust study ever done. The whole profession is quackery, not just individuals.

Here’s some facts that I found in about 10 seconds of googling: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20642715/

Nobody needs to waste their time looking for chiropractors who aren’t cowboys. You won’t find one. Nobody likes admitting they’ve been tricked but the entire practice is pointless at best and extremely dangerous at worst. Save your money and your health and steer clear

Thanks for the info, I’ll take a look.

I personally have had good experiences with Chiropractors on the whole, so, I’ll continue with ones I trust. But it is a choice, fair enough. 🤷‍♀️

I fell for this once. The whole thing is a racket, a physio doesn't have a laminated sheet that they present you with on the first visit offering a discount for booking 10 sessions do they so why fo chiropractors do that?!

Lots of people fall for it. Chiropractors are excellent at pretending to be medical professionals on par with doctors, especially in the US. There's no shame in believing con men, only shame in continuing to cover your ears and say la la la once you learn that it's quackery.

A good chiro can[t treat a rotator cuff injury. That is for an orthopaedic surgeon to evaluate, if it needs surgery or physio.
Lots of you are BLASTING chiros - I[m a physio, actually a rather old one, and worked very happily with one for many years. I would prepare the patients using Maitland (Google it) and he woud deblock afterwards. We had a very successful partnership (NO money involved as treatments are covered by insurance) for over 20 years.

Congratulations on a cunning wheeze to collect insurance money by administering a placebo

You don't think there's money involved in insurance?!