neck pain: chiropracter, physio or osteopath?

[copycat]

I have had persisitant neck pain for months in one side of my neck that makes it awkward and painful to turn my head from side to side. Sometimes it's a bit clicky and creaky! The pain is tolerable and mainly it's an inconvenience and irritation at worst. However, it's obviously not going to go away by itself but I don't have a clue whether to see a chiropracter, osteopath or physio as I don't really know the difference between their areas of expertise (which probably overlap to a degree). Can anyone give me any guidance? Thanks

I would go to your doctor before you let anyone start manipulating you but from experience with back pain which was a result of injury to neck too try physio first, avoid chiro if squeemish and don't know about osteo. then again if not in agony leave well alone?

steer clear of the chrio, apparently not medical research advocates that type of manipulation, or supports how it works (although I know lots of people who've found it helpful).
I would go to the GP and go from there

I have used an osteopath for stiff neck, painful elbow and tingly fingers. All related and linked to lugging small children around! Went first when DD was 5mths, had 2 sessions and all was well. Go back every year or so when things stiffen up and he sorts it all out.
Worth going to see your GP first (it was mine who recommended seeing an osteopath) and if you in Beds I can recommend a VERY good one.

I would try acupuncture and osteo. Obviously you need to go to a GP too.

I would avoid chiro's like the plague, and I have found physio is OK, but seems to be great at symtoms, not at causes. I've had back problems for years (I have a slight deformity in my spine) and have found acupuncture and steo are the two routes that help the quickest.

Osteo all the way - they take a whole body approach. As ex-dancer, have found GP's completely useless for this kind of thing - likely to prescribe painkillers, forgetting that if you dull the pain, you can't tell when you do something that damages you even more. Also drink loads of water (as ever), too, as joints and muscles need it in times of 'stress'. Also remember that when you're in pain you hold your body awkwardly which takes a lot of energy and makes you tired. But definitely osteo - chiro too dramatic and, as said before, not proven. My visits to osteo seem to cure all sorts - constipation, depression, anxiety, watery eyes...

Wow, thank you all for your replies. That's really helpful. My GP is pretty fed up with me already I think as I have had a whole selection of different ongoing health issues which have taken up her time recently. Every time I see her I spend the whole time apologising for overstaying my welcome (I mean appointment time) which partly explains why I have tried very hard to ignore this particular problem for so many months. I was hoping that with something as insignificant/straight forward as a pesky stiff neck I might just be able to bypass her and go straight to a different health professional. Can anyone recommend an osteopath in Surrey by any chance?
Many thanks for all the advice.