What's the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?

[Gandalf]

As above really. 

I'm off to a chiropractor on tuesday who has been recommended by a colleague  to try and sort my back out, but I have always wondered.

[Regulator]

Chiropractors specialise in the treatment of musculoskeletal problems and the emphasis is on the proper functioning of the nervous system.  More can be found on the web-site of the General Chiropractic Council, the statutory regulator for chiropractors in the UK (similar to the General Medical Council for medical practitioners).

Osteopaths treat a similar range of problems, but the emphasis tends to be on the treatment of soft tissue areas.  Osteopaths are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council

You can check the history of the chiropractor that you're going to see via the GCC web-site (and you can check the history of any osteopath via the GOsC web-site).  You can also PM me if you wish.

Neither profession is really 'superior' to the other - some people prefer osteopathy and some chiropractic.

[Rhys W]

Nothing - they're both quacks 

Having said that, one or other helped me with a back problem a few years ago. Just don't believe any of the pseudoscience they spout.

[cometworm]

Nothing - they're both quacks 

Having said that, one or other helped me with a back problem a few years ago. Just don't believe any of the pseudoscience they spout.

Have you tried going to a physiotherapist? Like chiropractors and osteopaths but less quacky...

[pcolbeck]

There is something in osteopathy. Not the mubu jumbu they often spout though. Mrs Pcolbeck crawled into our local osteopaths crippled with back pain and almost skipped out after he had manipulated her back. My cousin is a physiotherapist and both her sister and father are doctors and she often recommends that people see an osteopath before they start physiotherapy. If someone's muscles are completely spasmed up then the phsyio cant do much but an osteopath can often relive the immediate problem then the phsyio can put together a program to strengthen the muscles that are causing the problem. For example with Mrs PColbeck it was her weakened abdominal muscles after a caesarian that were causing her back muscles to overcompensate thus causing her problems.

[Gattopardo]

London has the oestopathy school near London bridge who always require people to be rubbed.

[Pancho]

Physios are the dog's nads.

Following my prang, I visited 101 doctors and specialists and positively glowed from the X-ray man's attentions. But none of these guys achieved anything more than saying "hmm, come back in a week" and sending me a bill.

The physio, OTOH, was a star. She told me what was wrong (and, was later proved correct) and did stuff that actually made me feel better.

[Gandalf]

I went to the Chiro yesterday and his diagnosis was that my pelvis was out of whack effectively making one leg shorter than the other.  He put some wedges under my pelvis and pulled me about a bit.  Difficult to say how effective it has been as in the intervening days between my back seizing up and getting the appointment it has largely behaved itself.  It did feel a lot freer afterwards though.

I did have a course of physio at the beginning of the year for the same problem but it came back soon afterwards.

I am sceptical, but I'm tired of going to the GP who effectively says 'here's some NSAIDs now piss off'.