Love your back

[vinay_6543]

Thanks for raising this subject, Myarka.

There is one piece of advice with which I disagree strongly:


Too many people I have met have gone the GP route 'just in case'. only to end up with misdiagnosis or a quagmire of medications and surgery from which they find it very difficult to escape. There are many, many such cases here in HP, totally lost and begging for any glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

That's not to say that visiting the GP is a bad idea in itself, it's just that as a course of action it's no more likely to lead to a solution. Advising that they must always visit their GP first is actually incorrect, nay inappropriate.

Complementary therapists such as osteopaths, chiropractors etc ARE able to diagnose and it is completely appropriate to visit them as a first port of call, for this and many other problems. They also understand when it is important to refer for other opinions, and are able to recognise when there is a possibility of a hidden serious problem.

But more importantly for back pain sufferers, they are trained to a much higher degree in understanding and solving these particular problems. Hence whereas the GP may offer you the reassurance that you are probably not dying, and may offer relief from pain, the osteopath can also usually offer you an actual solution to the underlying cause of the problem as well.

 

[proud_mommy]

Ahhhh but kvdp.... Gp's hold the purse strings and the funding, to get any treatment on the nhs one has to go via them or a consultant?

 

[Kkbetch]

There are several reasons I believe it's important that readers should see theri GP. I also believe it's sad the numbers of back sufferers who rush for a surgical solution.

It's for that reason why I started this thread in the first place.... That I find it sad that many people are becoming defined by their experience of back pain.

There is a lot we can do as individuals to prevent and preserve. I have been in the situation with acute back pain and chose to go the medical route, and now have been pain free of about 10 years enabling me to enjoy martial arts.

However, back to the point of why I suggest that readers consult their GP and I'm not speaking for osteopaths or chiropractors.

There are many causes of back pain that are not musculoskeletal and therefore outside of my remit as a remedial massage therapist. All complimentary therapists have a duty of care to work within their competance.

Therefore I don't think we should use this thread to have a pop at the medical services, but instead we should be be enouraging readers to take responsibility for their backs in the understanding that there is a lot that can be done in prevetion and treatment without the recourse to surgery.

Myarka.

 

[Hallie Stuart]

Cassie - possibly yes, although that's not a clinical point, so I can't really answer it. But many people do self-fund, IMHO you get what you pay for - generally.

That said, I never turn anybody away purely because of money - if they are serious about getting better, genuinely want something more than the standard fare of healthcare, and are struggling to afford it, then I will always see what can be done. At any one moment I have a few patients on concessions and usually one free-but-deserving case on the go.

As a result I'm not rich like some GPs I know, but I do get to do the job properly, which is immensly satisfying.

 

[malou]

Myarka, I see where you're coming from, and that's all very well.

I wasn't having a pop at medical services, but as an osteopath I do come under the banner of complementary therapist.

Nevertheless I am qualified to diagnose, screen for pathology, and refer to other disciplines, as well as to treat many problems without reference to a doctor. Therefore it is quite important not to convey to the public the very false impression that they must see their GP first - that's potentially misleading.