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Which Musculoskeletal Professional should I See?

Many people who suffer musculoskeletal pain are understandably confused as to which of the three manual therapy professions they should visit.

People naturally think, that because there are three different professions dealing with joint and muscle problems, that each one specialises in one area of the body.

This is not the case. Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physiotherapists treat all areas of the body. However, their length of training and thus their knowledge base and the broad scope of their therapy techniques does differ.

People often think that physiotherapists treat sport’s injuries and the other two professions do not. This is not the case, chiropractors and osteopaths treat sports injuries too.

People often think that it is only physiotherapists who give exercises to patients. Again, this is a false statement. Chiropractors and Osteopaths provide exercise regimes also. In fact the first professional rehabilitation centre was set up by chiropractors.

People also often believe that it is always a physio who attends to injuries on a sports field. Again that is not the case. Many of the top football clubs in Europe, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, to name but four have chiropractors running their musculoskeletal treatment regimes.

The major difference between the three professions is the extent to which they manipulate a joint. To add to the confusion, physiotherapists use the term manipulation but it means something totally different when used by a chiropractor or an osteopath.

In simple terms, when a physiotherapist says they are manipulating a joint they effectively mean that they are “wiggling it about a bit” Chiropractors and osteopaths call this mobilisation.

However, when a chiropractor or osteopath manipulates they actually increase the range of motion of the joint physiologically and this manoeuvre has a much more significant effect on the joint and the muscles that service that joint.

In terms of training a physiotherapist is generally trained for three years, an osteopath for four years and a chiropractor for five years. That additional two year period over a physiotherapist enables a chiropractor to generally have a much greater knowledge across all aspects of musculoskeletal medicine than a physiotherapist.