Difference between chiro and physio: which do you need?
<p>Pain – whether short-term or chronic – can significantly affect our quality of life. Pain medications may be the answer for some, but if you’re looking for a more natural approach, seeking out a chiropractor or physiotherapist could be a good idea.</p>
<p>But what’s the difference? And when should you see one instead of the other? Over60 spoke to two experts to find out the answer – chiropractor Dr Nicola Horton from <a href="http://www.essentialhealthcentre.com.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Essential Health Centre</span></strong></a> and physiotherapist Michael Dermansky from <a href="http://www.mdhealth.com.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">MD Health</span></strong></a>.</p>
<p><strong>Who can benefit?</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chiro</span>: “Chiropractors help people with lots of different health or body complaints, but the main reasons people see us is for back pain, neck pain, headaches and or migraines, postural problems or sporting injuries,” Dr Horton explains. “Most people tend to see us when they can no longer do something (like pick up the grandkids, swing a golf club), but the earlier you get help the better!”</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Physio:</span> “Someone should seek help from a physiotherapist when either pain or a physical limitation stops them from doing what they want to do in their life,” says Dermansky. “For example, if you have pain in the side of your hip that stops you from walking, sitting in the car or bending forward to pick something up off the ground, a physiotherapist’s role is to assess the problem, determine the cause and put in a plan of action to do something about it.”</p>
<p><strong>What should I expect from my first appointment?</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chiro</span>: “The first appointment takes a bit longer than the rest,” Dr Horton tells us. “The chiropractor can ask you a series of questions about the reason for your visit, and determine if they can help you. After that, we do some tests to see what’s going on with your problem, and to see if there is anything else that may be related.</p>
<p>“A regular visit will often involve some testing to see where you are at on the day, followed by a treatment. This may involve adjustments of joints, muscle stretches or massage based on the area of focus. The good news is that there are lots of ways to adjust a joint, so if you don’t like the ‘crack’ sound we can still help.”</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Physio:</span> “There are five things you should expect out of a good physiotherapy consultation,” Dermansky reveals.</p>
<ol start="1">
<li>Make sure they start with a good history – “Every consultation should begin with thorough history of your injury, including an understanding of the behaviour of your pain.”</li>
<li>Make sure they examine the area thoroughly – “All areas of the body, like the back, knees or shoulders can have a number of things that can go wrong and cause injury, so it is important that each area is assessed properly and completely to determine a specific diagnosis as this will radically alter the required treatment.”</li>
<li>They must assess the area above and below the injured area – “The body's biomechanics have a large impact on the function of each individual joint, therefore to effectively treat a knee injury for example, it is important to assess and determine the bio mechanical problems with the hips and ankles to solve the long-term issues.”</li>
<li>They should give you a provisional diagnosis – “After your initial session, your physiotherapist or exercise physiologist may not have an exact diagnosis yet, but they will have an idea of the potential diagnoses and need to explain these to you.”</li>
<li>They should give you a plan of what to expect from the rest of your sessions – “You deserve to know where your treatment plan is going and what to expect from your treatment in the long term.”</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>How do over-60s in particular benefit?</strong></p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chiro</span>: “People over the age of 60 can see great benefits from seeing a chiropractor to help keep the body more mobile,” says Dr Horton. “As we age, the body starts to lose its ability to spring back after stresses, so looking after ourselves will mean being able to play golf more frequently, or chasing the grandkids around without hurting.”</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Physio:</span> “The most common reason why people over the age of 60 cannot do all the things in life that they want to do is NOT because of age, but due to lack of strength and mobility,” explains Dermansky. “Most of the problems I have seen in the last 19 years working in physiotherapy in the over 60s is due to a lack of muscle strength, especially in postural muscles and a lack of joint mobility, which are mostly reversible and due to lack of specifically strengthening and moving these area, rather than due to the process of age.</p>
<p>“It is never too late to do something about the aches and pains that stop you from doing everything you want to do (the oldest I have treated is 97 years old) and living the fullest life you can.”</p>
<p>Do you receive regular chiro or physio treatment? How has it benefited you? Share your experiences with us in the comments below.</p>
