osteopath or chiro??

[comedycentral]

whats the difference between the 2??

who is better. i have a back injury at the moment thats a bitch. i have been seeing a chiro on and off but he has not solved the issue. been using my inversion table which helps but im still suffering

 

[Drift Wood]

An osteopath is an medical doctor. They have the same prescribing abilities as M.D.s, they can order and intrepret lab results, ect. (Chiro does none of this). Instead of M.D. after their name they use D.O. They have similar training; the main difference is that a D.O. takes a more wholeistic view of the body and subsequently their approach to treating illness is much broader than that employed by an M.D.

As for your specific situation... I don't know. Have you considered accupuncture or massage???

 

[MAINEVENT]

whats the difference between the 2??

who is better. i have a back injury at the moment thats a bitch. i have been seeing a chiro on and off but he has not solved the issue. been using my inversion table which helps but im still suffering

As a chiro myslef first Id like to ask how many visits have you been for this issue? You said it was off and on.....you need consecutive treatments to help with an issue....not off and on. Thats like saying you want to get stronger but only lift off and on....get what Im saying?

Drift is right that Osteo's are MD's these days....most now will just treat with meds. Most of the older DO's i know may occasionally manipulate, but not the "new breed". However Drift was wrong that your chiro can order an xray or an mri or labs and read the results as we are fully trained.

Long story short....either try more consecutive treatments (2-3 times a week for 2 weeks) or have him order an xray or mri. In the meantime go see your MD or DO and see if they would prescribe you the proper meds to treat your problem.

 

[ericraven2003]

As a chiro myslef first Id like to ask how many visits have you been for this issue? You said it was off and on.....you need consecutive treatments to help with an issue....not off and on. Thats like saying you want to get stronger but only lift off and on....get what Im saying?

Drift is right that Osteo's are MD's these days....most now will just treat with meds. Most of the older DO's i know may occasionally manipulate, but not the "new breed". However Drift was wrong that your chiro can order an xray or an mri or labs and read the results as we are fully trained.

Long story short....either try more consecutive treatments (2-3 times a week for 2 weeks) or have him order an xray or mri. In the meantime go see your MD or DO and see if they would prescribe you the proper meds to treat your problem.

My doctor is a DO. He is in his mid 30's. I didn't even know it until I went in for my neck about a month ago. I figured I would get some anti flam and muscle relaxers. He cracked the hell out of back and neck and sent me home with the scripts. I felt better within a few days. This guy is fantastic. He only takes so many patients, and they are referals. This is the guy that when he saw me sick over and over gave me shots go gamma globulin. He also spends about 30mins with each patient. Its the best of both worlds. Like having a chiro and MD in one.

 

[Drift Wood]

However Drift was wrong that your chiro can order an xray or an mri or labs and read the results as we are fully trained.
QUOTE]

I guess I was less than clear in my wording. When I refered to labs I meant specifically blood work. Now if chiropractors can order blood work then I have again learned something new.

 

[MAINEVENT]

However Drift was wrong that your chiro can order an xray or an mri or labs and read the results as we are fully trained.
QUOTE]

I guess I was less than clear in my wording. When I refered to labs I meant specifically blood work. Now if chiropractors can order blood work then I have again learned something new.

Yes, we can order blood work too.....or at least in my state we can.

 

[phatrr]

Some years ago, I was experiencing back pain. I noted when it occurred, and what it felt like, and all that kind of stuff.

I went to an osteopath. He briefly examined me, told me I was overexerting, that there was nothing fundamentally wrong with my back, and that I should just up the dosage of Advil to manage the pain.

After continuing to struggle, I went to a chiro. After a brief manual exam, he told me that it was obvious there was something very wrong with my back, and ordered x-rays.

Turns out that I have wedged vertebrae, a disease called DISH, severe arthritis of the hips, and severely degenerated lumbar discs.

I went back to the osteopath, with radiologist report in hand, and told him he missed something. He said, "No, I did not. There is nothing wrong with you."

I told him I went to a chiro...he immediately stopped me, and said "That's a joke, they're not trained."

I said "Well, that's odd. He was trained enough to order films, and here's the report."

His response "Well, a chiropractor can't help you with any of this, you have to stop lifting and any exertion. You have serious structural issues."

My next strongman comp is in 2 weeks. I just nailed a PR in the 18" DL the other night. Couldn't have done this without my chiropractor.

 

[violentmessiah]

probably not all states

will allow a Chiropractor to draw blood, mine does if you have the proper paperwork and training from school (yes, some Chiro schools do teach phlebotomy, mine did).
I don't know about others, but I look at bloodwork a little differently than most M.D.s and D.O.s as well, sometimes the "normal range" at the lower end isn't a healthy thing for all people, and normal ranges are different from lab to lab as well.
I look into things like mineral ratios, etc... when needed as well.

Look into some other states and what they allow Chiropractors to do, I think you'll be surprised.
For example, Chiropractic Specialty Certification - Minor Surgery and/or Proctology - Oregon Licenses, Permits and Registrations

 

[Phlmuscle]

I've been suffering with lower back pain for a year now, and finally went to the doctor for it. He is DO. He ordered an X-Ray and set me up for therapy. I have had three therapy sessions so far and feel a whole lot better. I asked my Doctor about a Chiro and he said he didn't think a Chiro could help me. I would go this route if I were you. The therapist will give you exercises, and they aren't the exercises that you might think., I was doing the knees to chin thing, and he told me it was doing more harm than good, since my problem is disc and joint. He said to avoid stretching them. The key is to compress by going backwards. He is also givin me electro stimulation with wet heat compresses.

 

[violentmessiah]

My best friend is a D.O.

he comes to me at least once a week, sometimes twice....
I've got another D.O. that comes in when he needs it.
I had a patient come in last week that said his M.D. told him he thought his pain (pt. thought it was kidney stones, M.D. thought it could be, imagine negative) was probably structural, bingo, he's now out of pain.
had a patient come in a year ago, I was her last hope, her D.O told her nothing could be done but surgery (she had disc problems) now she's A-OK and out of pain.
I would like you to notice what you wrote, Philmuscle, your doctor told YOU that he didn't think that a chiropractor could help YOU. This isn't necessarily true for everybody. There are different doctors who specialize in different things for a reason, each person should listen to THEIR doctors thoughts, give whatever they've got in mind a try, then if things don't progress in a positive direction seek out an alternative to what they've been doing, and in my opinion, always keeping surgery a last resort unless it's an emergency type situation.
Funny thing about exercises....I tell my patients what to do and they don't very often follow through. Keep it up man, doing McKenzie extension exercises works very well for most with a low back pain problem.
PT machines are all nice for a temporary relief of pain, but those exercises are real important.
Microcurrent might be useful for some as well due to the fact it increases cellular healing and ATP production.

Enough of my thoughts, I do this all day long...

 

[comedycentral]

thanks for the replies.

mainevent i should have been more clear.

i have been seeing the chiro since nov 09. he uses a system where you lay on a table and he raises a portion of the table applies pressure to a certain area then allows the table to drop.

i have had about 8 sessions with him at his recomended time frame but my condition holds steady for a week or so then begins to degenerate

years ago i went to see a chiro who would use your body as leverage instead of these table drops.

 

[kid1dakota]

thanks for the replies.

mainevent i should have been more clear.

i have been seeing the chiro since nov 09. he uses a system where you lay on a table and he raises a portion of the table applies pressure to a certain area then allows the table to drop.

i have had about 8 sessions with him at his recomended time frame but my condition holds steady for a week or so then begins to degenerate

years ago i went to see a chiro who would use your body as leverage instead of these table drops.

many many many techniques and philosophies amongst the profession.In the profession everyone isn't on the same page at all.As a D.C. myself ,I am very frustrated and unfortunately emberrassed by what some are preaching and practicing.In reality if a friend or family member called me and said "I am going to a Chiropractor" first I would make a call to find out where he went to school? what is his philosophy and techniques used? and also let them realize someone with knowlege is overseeing the care ,so this isn't a patient to max out insurance benfits and take advantage of with unneccasary treatment etc....

Actually to answer the original question Chiros believe they very specifically adjust and clear what they refer to as subluxations.

Osteopaths do a general manipulation of the problem area in order to break up scar tissue and restore range of motion etc...

I have some strong opinions and beliefs which I am not going to get into as I just wanted to answer the question.

 

[drwost]

I've been suffering with lower back pain for a year now, and finally went to the doctor for it. He is DO. He ordered an X-Ray and set me up for therapy. I have had three therapy sessions so far and feel a whole lot better. I asked my Doctor about a Chiro and he said he didn't think a Chiro could help me. I would go this route if I were you. The therapist will give you exercises, and they aren't the exercises that you might think., I was doing the knees to chin thing, and he told me it was doing more harm than good, since my problem is disc and joint. He said to avoid stretching them. The key is to compress by going backwards. He is also givin me electro stimulation with wet heat compresses.

A responsible chiro would have done the same, elec stim, Mckenzie excercises etc.