Becoming chronic lower back pain - oesteopathy, physio, chiropractors (sp?) - what's the difference. Muddled!

[handlemecarefully]

Back pain coming and going now for several weeks. I'll often wake up sore and stiff and walking upright hurts! - only stooping in an old lady kind of way relieves it. Having to lift anything heavier than a bag of sugar can bring tears to my eyes. Often it eases off and loosens up a bit during the day.

Sometimes I wake up symptom free.

Today I work up with mild discomfort but it got progressively worse.

What can be done?

I don't really understand the difference between chirothingummys, physiotherapists and oestopaths...

I think... physios work muscles, osteos work bones, dunno what chiro-watnots do!

My DH has severe back pain and his osteopath works wonders, with him it's an alignment problem. How have you injured your back? It it on going or a recent injury. Doc should point you in the right direction depending on your symptons, I think.

Not too sure about the details but kbear is on the right track. Have you thought about pilates too? Worth a thought in the long run.

I spent a lot of money on Osteopaths and Chiropactors over about 7 years. Then saw a Physio who fixed it in 4 sessions. Osteopaths do stuff to the whole skeleton and tend to be a bit more violent (although it doesn't hurt) - pick a beefy one, they seem better able to do the lower back stuff.

Chiropractors do things more gently but didn't work so well for me, they just concentrate on manipulating the spine. Both cost money, but obviously you can see one straight away.

Physios (on the NHS) are free but have very scary waiting lists normally, although you can see one privately for the same sort of money as one of the two faster. They're more 'mainstream' in the way they look at things. Mine totally fixed my back by giving me some excercises to free up some muscles I hadn't been using properly and it's still better years later.

Pilates is supposed to be great for your back. Dp is an osteopath and they manipulate and massage muscles and bones but also treat arms and legs ect and have quite a holistic approach, chiropractors do a similiar thing but tend to just concentrate on the back. Physios don't manipulate, they generally do massage and corrective exercises. I would say if you have a good gp go and have a chat but they are notorious for telling you to take ibuprofen and wait for it to go away when a trip to the osteopaths will generally give you relief fairly fast.

Sorry Carmenere to be pedantic but physios do manipulate (I'm a physio).
I'm can't really comment on what osteos or Chiropractors do (except for charge money), but if you see a physio (NHS) then depending on what we find during the assessment there are a range of different treatments including manual therapy (including manipulation), electrotherapy, heat or ice therapy, some physios do acupunture, and we will give you advice on how to relieve your pain at home...added to all of that we will usually give you exercises...these can help to relieve the pain, but also to prevent future episodes of back pain. A private physio will do all the same but will probably see you sooner and charge!!! If you want to go down the NHS referral route via your GP, if you are a Mum with young kids (ie you HAVE to do lots of lifting), get your doctor to put that on the referral...it will help to bump you up the waiting list.
Oh one other thing, GP's can be really helpful too (DH is a GP), good pain relief is an absolute must, it will get you moving which is by far the best thing for back pain.
Hope this helps.

Ok thanks - I will see my GP first to get him to route me in the right direction (probably physio it would seem).

Thanks for the tip Flumpytina - my youngest is 2yrs old and it was lifting his sleeping form from the car and hoisting him up two flights of steps to the entrance to the gym (where dd was having her swimming lesson) that tipped my mild back ache over the edge today...(into excrutiating pain!)

I saw a physio for tailbone/lower back pain a few years back. He pointed me at pilates. It's worked wonders. I just use a Lynn Robinson DVD.

(Physios are mainstream, modern medicine type folks. They're great. I've not used chiropractors or osteopaths, but I do know they're generally more alternative medicine.)

There is a pilates class at my gym - I will definitely give this a try. A number of people have said the same thing to me about it. Cheers

sorry about that flumpytina dp is a qualified physio and acupuncturist as well as an osteopathso you can se how I can get confused(he has spent the last 10 years studying ridiculously hard but he is totally passionate about it all)

Just a little comment about pilates...it is absolutely fab if you have chronic low back pain, if you are however having an acute attack (seems so going on your desription), then I'd leave pilates until the pain isn't excruciating. Once it's settled (either by itself or with some treatment) then I'd go for it...if you see a physio they will probably get you started on some basic pilates exercises anyway.

Blimey Carmenere, your dp sounds like a totally bionic physio...how very devoted to the cause!!

Thanks for that.

I met my Physio at the School gates today - she was recommended to me by another parent. She could have given me an appointment tomorrow, but I only have childcare on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I am seeing her next Tuesday.

She will charge £60 for the first session (at least 1.5 hours) and £30 a session thereafter. I hope it doesn't take too long to sort me out!

Glad you've got an appointment, hope she fixes it for you..good luck!

Blimey I'm a physio too but working in the NHS and unfortunately don't command that sort of income! Hope you get it sorted quickly hmc.

I've used a chiroptactor - they manipulate the spine mainly beleiving that spinal maladjustment can cause just about any kind of seemingly unconnected condition. Mine was even working on a lad with epilepsy a few years and had reduced his fits quite considerably. However saying all that I am thinking of trying an osteopath as my back is really bad these days and I get fed up with having to cough up £30 a session and being told I have to come back for 6!!! I don't have that sort of money TBH. A friend of mine recommended an osteopath and she reckons he'd sort me out with one or two visits. Has to be worth a go as I'm getting neck/shoudler stress headaches again

(Was training to be an osteopath before having ds.)
My understanding is that, while traditionally both manipulated bones, osteopathy used to be a more holistic approach to any problem whereas chiropracy would concentrate just on the spine. Physios by contrast concentrated much more on the muscles.
That said all 3 professions getting more alike as time goes by, so I can understand why you're confused.
I do remember having to review a paper as coursework, though, that concluded that for chronic problems physio was probably the best of the 3 after a year. Beyond that time, though they all eventually evened out, though all were considerably better than doing nothing. I'm not sure I'd call a matter of several weeks chronic, though (you may disagree).
If I were you I'd try and think if there was any event that precipitated your back pain, if so I'd find an osteopath or chiropratctor (by personal recommendation if possible). If you can't think of any specific event I'd go for the physio. The key thing with the physio, though, is that generally you are given a set of exercises which you need to commit yourself to doing in between sessions to get the most out of them.
Hope you get it sorted soon!

having had all three types of treatment I would recommend PHYSIO

and acupuncture for any pain

yomellamoHelly - there was definitely not one single defining moment which caused the problem. It's been gradual and icremental getting worse as time passes...