Back problems thread (Chiropractors, Osteopaths, Surgery etc)

[Groupie_]

I have this problem where I can't sit for longer than 10 or so minutes because of the intolerable lower back pain that begins after around 10 minutes of sitting.. I am constantly in pain when travelling in a car and doing things where I'm required to sit (visiting, going to a movie etc).. Sometimes I even get a pinched nerve in my lower back and my body will be crooked and slanting to the left for almost a week.

The problem probably has something to do with a gym injury in 2010. Just wondering if anyone has had any similar problems and wether they can recommend a good chiro in Melbourne. I've had enough of not being able to sit and will probably go and get an MRI done early next year if I don't t have any luck with a chiro. I've been to 3 different chiro's and masseuse's and none of them have helped me.

I hope I don't need lower back surgery

 

[Igloo]

I prefer going to an Osteopath than a Chiropractor. Never had a good experience with chiro.
So that's an option you could take if you feel you're not having any luck with chiro's.

Back problems are a bitch. I had to develop a method of putting my socks on using 1 hand since I can't bend over fully sometimes .

Good luck.

 

[nicky]

I see a great osteopath known amongst some friends as "magic hands" (he's very good). He's in Kew. PM me if you want his details.

 

[Groupie_]

Thanks boys, Kew is probably a bit far to drive can't even drive for 15 mins without feeling pain. By the time I get to Kew I will be in a shitload of pain

I live in Mill Park (Northern Suburbs)

 

[nicky]

I know of one in fitzroy north (i haven't been but i trust the person who has).

Probably too far?

 

[Groupie_]

I know of one in fitzroy north (i haven't been but i trust the person who has).

Probably too far?

Yeah that's not too far. Do the osteopaths rob you of as much money as the chiro's do?

 

[Igloo]

Yeah that's not too far. Do the osteopaths rob you of as much money as the chiro's do?

Mine costs about $70. Haven't been to a chiro in years so don't remember their prices.

 

[nicky]

Yes but they spend 45 minutes with you so are better value.

I saw a chrio for a long time and i really liked him (he used to play for carlton). Anyway i gave up seeing him because it's always too much of a commitment (see them atleast once a week for however long then gradually reduce). Whereas the osteo i'm seeing gets the job done in 2 weeks then doesn't need to see you for months.

In my experience i prefer the work of an osteopath on every level.

 

[Messenger]

I work in health (in medical imaging). Chiropractic is to healthcare what Scientology is to religion. While there are plenty of people (including on this board) who have positive experiences, the founding principles of the discipline are nonsense.

There are few who are honest enough to deal with spines and pelvises, but there are also a group who claim they can treat a range or ailments from cancer through to bed wetting through spinal manipulation.

If you must use one:

1. Never, ever, ever let someone use a high velocity technique on your neck.
2. If a chiro is willing to manipulate any part of your spine without a medical history or x-rays, run. Get that MRI first.

http://www.chirobase.org/01General/chirosham.html

3. Ask about a time frame for improvement and hold them to it. If it isn't working, ask why. I have one friend who is a health professional of long standing and eminently sensible who has had a standing weekly chiropractic appointment for four years. You may as well set $50 notes on fire.

 

[Groupie_]

I work in health (in medical imaging). Chiropractic is to healthcare what Scientology is to religion. While there are plenty of people (including on this board) who have positive experiences, the founding principles of the discipline are nonsense.

There are few who are honest enough to deal with spines and pelvises, but there are also a group who claim they can treat a range or ailments from cancer through to bed wetting through spinal manipulation.

If you must use one:

1. Never, ever, ever let someone use a high velocity technique on your neck.
2. If a chiro is willing to manipulate any part of your spine without a medical history or x-rays, run. Get that MRI first.

http://www.chirobase.org/01General/chirosham.html

3. Ask about a time frame for improvement and hold them to it. If it isn't working, ask why. I have one friend who is a health professional of long standing and eminently sensible who has had a standing weekly chiropractic appointment for four years. You may as well set $50 notes on fire.

Hi mate. Yeah I've seen 3 chiro's and all of them were terrible. What's your opinion on Osteopaths?

 

[Groupie_]

Yes but they spend 45 minutes with you so are better value.

I saw a chrio for a long time and i really liked him (he used to play for carlton). Anyway i gave up seeing him because it's always too much of a commitment (see them atleast once a week for however long then gradually reduce). Whereas the osteo i'm seeing gets the job done in 2 weeks then doesn't need to see you for months.

In my experience i prefer the work of an osteopath on every level.

There's apparentley a good osteopath in Bundoora near RMIT. My friend had neck problems and they fixed them but he's lost their business card.

Is the one in Fitzroy as good as the one you see?

 

[Messenger]

Hi mate. Yeah I've seen 3 chiro's and all of them were terrible. What's your opinion on Osteopaths?

I don't have an opinion on Osteopaths to be honest. My take home message if you want to have manipulation done you need to have a very good grasp of the structural integrity of your back. Talk to your doctor first.

 

[Groupie_]

I don't have an opinion on Osteopaths to be honest. My take home message if you want to have manipulation done you need to have a very good grasp of the structural integrity of your back. Talk to your doctor first.

All the docs I've seen tell me to go to a Chiro. Have tried everything except Osteopath since 2010 when it first started.

Have never had an MRI on it though.. Maybe there's more to it. What is the quickest way to have an MRI done?

 

[Ice-Wolf]

I started seeing a Myotherapist due to a recurring lower back issue, The first time I saw a doctor and they were pretty much useless. The Myotherapist relieved the pain significantly with the first treatment, went from not being able to move without significant pain to it just being a bit stiff and uncomfortable and with the stretching they prescribed it sorted out the back problem and I haven't had a major issue with it since and when it has flared (due to me straining it ect) I've been able to manage it by doing the stretches which sorts it out quickly.

 

[Groupie_]

I started seeing a Myotherapist due to a recurring lower back issue, The first time I saw a doctor and they were pretty much useless. The Myotherapist relieved the pain significantly with the first treatment, went from not being able to move without significant pain to it just being a bit stiff and uncomfortable and with the stretching they prescribed it sorted out the back problem and I haven't had a major issue with it since and when it has flared (due to me straining it ect) I've been able to manage it by doing the stretches which sorts it out quickly.

What's a mayo therapist lol ?

 

[Ice-Wolf]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotherapy

I mostly get massage and occasionally dry-needling

 

[Messenger]

What is the quickest way to have an MRI done?

Get a referral from your doctor and ring around for an appointment. The public waiting lists can be horrendous. Go private.

 

[The Big Sticks]

Myotherapist ftw.

 

[Wright Away]

Chiropractors are a waste of money. I view them the same as homoeopathy (read complete shit). See someone about the cause of the back problems, which could be something as simple as improper footwear.

 

[Bazzar]

Chiropractic is to healthcare what Scientology is to religion.

Well said. They should be banned.

Also i go to a great physio who works with a lot of triathletes and olympians, and he told me that 80% of people with back and knee problems have one thing in common, their calf muscles don't function properly and need serious stretching. He gave me the dimentions to make a ramped foot platform (about 26 degees he recomends otherwise you can do damage) and for the first few months he wanted me to stand on it 4 times a day for 2 minutes, and now i do it morning and night. Hard at first, but the difference (for my knees) are fantastic.

The one below costs a fortune, but make your own is cheap and easy.
its 360 x 360mm and the high bit at the back is 190mm.

So RG try some serious stretching, it wont hurt just to try.

 

[skilts]

I have had back problems for the past thirty years, but generally manage to control it. When I do seize up, I go to a physiotherapist, though he's situated in Brighton. If you were to take this route, it's best to see someone who specialises in sports injuries. The advice of being thoroughly x-rayed before you do anything else is correct. Chiros are, generally, self-serving, dangerous crooks. The physio can also teach you exercises you can do to treat your condition, if he thinks that appropriate. None of which should deter you from seeing an osteopath, if you think it might help.

I also had some severe shoulder pain, after a dislocation, a while back. After twelve months of being unable to get an uninterrupted sleep, nobody seemed able to help. As a last resort, I made two visits to a medically-qualified acupuncturist who fixed the problem. The pain has never revisited me. I'm fully aware that the 'science' behind this method is even wonkier than chiropractic. All I can say is that it worked for me. It has the added advantage of being not as potentially dangerous, or intrusive, as chiropractic treatment.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Well said. They should be banned.

Also i go to a great physio who works with a lot of triathletes and olympians, and he told me that 80% of people with back and knee problems have one thing in common, their calf muscles don't function properly and need serious stretching. He gave me the dimentions to make a ramped foot platform (about 26 degees he recomends otherwise you can do damage) and for the first few months he wanted me to stand on it 4 times a day for 2 minutes, and now i do it morning and night. Hard at first, but the difference (for my knees) are fantastic.

The one below costs a fortune, but make your own is cheap and easy.
its 360 x 360mm and the high bit at the back is 190mm.

So RG try some serious stretching, it wont hurt just to try.

I had a long-term knee problem and I found that learning to run properly (on the fore-foot) got rid of the recurrent pain, and also I think the running strengthened the knee and aligned it properly, I haven't had an issue with it since I started running. I think the knee issue had been caused by blows to the knee when playing sport as teenager.

 

[Bazzar]

I had a long-term knee problem and I found that learning to run properly (on the fore-foot) got rid of the recurrent pain, and also I think the running strengthened the knee and aligned it properly, I haven't had an issue with it since I started running. I think the knee issue had been caused by blows to the knee when playing sport as teenager.

Great that it worked out. Its good to get the right advice.

Just to clarify, my physio wasnt saying that the tight calfs were the cause, but it was present in the 80%

 

[Ice-Wolf]

I have had back problems for the past thirty years, but generally manage to control it. When I do seize up, I go to a physiotherapist, though he's situated in Brighton. If you were to take this route, it's best to see someone who specialises in sports injuries. The advice of being thoroughly x-rayed before you do anything else is correct. Chiros are, generally, self-serving, dangerous crooks. The physio can also teach you exercises you can do to treat your condition, if he thinks that appropriate. None of which should deter you from seeing an osteopath, if you think it might help.

I also had some severe shoulder pain, after a dislocation, a while back. After twelve months of being unable to get an uninterrupted sleep, nobody seemed able to help. As a last resort, I made two visits to a medically-qualified acupuncturist who fixed the problem. The pain has never revisited me. I'm fully aware that the 'science' behind this method is even wonkier than chiropractic. All I can say is that it worked for me. It has the added advantage of being not as potentially dangerous, or intrusive, as chiropractic treatment.

Yeah dry-needling seems to do the job, less painful than massage, if they know what they are doing you can barely even feel the needles.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

Great that it worked out. Its good to get the right advice.

Just to clarify, my physio wasnt saying that the tight calfs were the cause, but it was present in the 80%

Yeah I also have tight calves that I have to keep working on, I think the running had been helping them, when I first went to the myopherapist they identified that I had badly torn one of my calf muscles at some point. When I first started running that calf would be the one to hurt but with stretching and continuing on the running program it stopped hurting and now I have no problem running on it, they are still rather tight and it is an issue I have to work on, I've been told to stretch them regularly.

My back issue is/was partly due to tight hamstrings which I've also been working on stretching.