Back ache - chiropractor/ physio?!

[BeatriceBean]

I've got very stiff upper back/shoulders and have done for a while. It's now quite painfull and achey.

I've been to the nurse practitioner who said to take ibruprofen and see a chiropractor. We really don't have much money but I would rather get it sorted now before it gets a lot worse and it doesn't look like the NHS deal with back pain unless it gets worse.

However I thought physio's were more regulated/safer than chiropractors but I might be imagining that.

I know a lot of it is due to stress/tension and I'd love to be able to get to some pilates classes but my husband works away (part of the stress!) and I'm constantly exhuasted.

Any ideas what is better or what I can do? Or how many sessions I'd need. The physio near me is £35 for 30 minutes. I'm not sure we could afford a lot of them...

Hi OP, could you try physio first on the NHS? If that doesn't work, you may have had enough time to save a bit towards a few chiropractor sessions and see how that goes.

I've always found that diclofenac (Voltarol) is better than ibuprofen at easing inflammation and you can get it over the counter in 25mg tablets if that's how much you need for your pain. You can take that alongside paracetamol or, if the pain is that bad, co-codamol 8/500 which you can get over the counter at Boots etc.

If that doesn't cut the mustard, then go back to your GP and see what else they can do for you.

I haven't been offered physio on the NHS (I'd leap at that) and was just told that there is a chiropractor training clinic where I could get treatment cheaper.

I don't really know enough about the differences between chiropractic and physio to know which to go to myself it that makes sense!

Hi, the physio I received on my problem this time has not been successful. Found it v painful as they work releasing muscular tension, wheres the Chiropractitioner is working on the nervous system and getting spine back into alignment, then apparently the correct signals go from brain to nervous system to eventually reduce and remove pain.
Hope that helps clarify, have posted myself bout back pain. Am mid way through Chiropractitioner sessions, its costly and still up and down with the pain.
You really have my full empathy, its so cruel the pain is endless as you know.
Hope you recover soon. Take care x