My left shoulder is sore as hell and is keeping me awake. It is muscular pain so I thought I'd make a trip to the Chiro or other back fixer.

I've had fairly good results from Physio and Chiro before but there are lots of other techniques professing to be good.

Anyone got any good / bad experiences to report ?

When I had sciatica earlier this year, I used a physo for 2 sessions, worst idea ever. He rubbed my back a bit, used ultrasound on me for the first session and a heat lamp on the second session, all seemed a bit 70's in techniques to me. I booked myself in with an osteo and he was much better, gave me things to do at home, discovered that my left toes were weaker than my right and had 5 sessions with him. Should have done that in the first place!

Beggars, your physio was a disgrace. I let my wife (who's a physio) read your sciatica thread and she was appalled and quite angry with what treatment you'd been given by the physio you saw.

Just so Gripped is aware, not all Physios are stuck in a time warp.

One all for me. A few years ago a knee injury ended a promising football career for me (OK, OK just a weekly game of 5-a-side with workmates) and the physio treatment that I got at the time (although it made it not as bad) never really got the problem sorted.

Years of repeated flare ups later, a second physio consultation has shown that there was damage missed by the original diagnosis so the sessions and exercises would never have worked.

So far attempt #2 looks promising.

One thing. Never trust a Chiroquacter.

Cheers guys.

I've had good experiences with physio's in the past. Fixed a running injury (knee pain) and a torn calf. All through exercises. Also seen podiatrist for a sore foot - again from running.

I've also used Chiro's in the past, and seemed ok.

Went to a new Chiro on Sat, and he's diagnosed a compressed vertebra in my neck which is pressing on a nerve. This is referring pain to my shoulder and making my fingers numb on my left hand. He can tell which nerve by the two fingers which are numb, the rest aren't.

Likely culprit is slouching at my desk all day !

I've read up a bit on some of these "alternative" therapies. The Chiro practise which is deemed effective is the muscular skeletal treatment e.g. back/neck pain - there are also some more dodgy sounding theories which I would avoid. Oesteo's are considered in the same kind of league as chiros.

At lease the NHS does recognise it as a treatment.

There are loads of Chiro's near me because the local Uni is one of the few centres which runs a Chiro degree course (DC).

The main thing to check is that they are legit, and are registered on the GCC.

The thing that annoys me about GPs, is that for sports injuries etc, they tend to give you pain killers and send you on your way. So, I now bypass them and go straight to the physio / chiro / podiatrist / witch doctor.

Oh crap. That guy is my chiropractor !!!!

It must be the Welsh accent.