These guides are for employers looking to help their staff understand how to protect themselves from lower back pain - especially those prone to suffer due to the work they do. Staff absenteeism due to lower back pain is a major problem in Scotland. active-x clinics works with Edinburgh based businesses and can come in to talk to your staff and/or set up a health management program. Not an HR professional? Feel free to pass this on to your HR department.

2. About this guide
This free guide has been provided by Clinic Director and Osteopath Gavin
Routledge from activex clinics in Edinburgh. If your work involves sitting for
long periods at a desk, lifting heavy objects or you are just prone to back pain
there is a lot you can do to help yourself.
Your employer has recognised the importance of helping you
manage your health and has provided you with a copy of this
guide. If you have any questions about low back pain or any
other kind of pain that you need answering please check with a
registered professional.
This is one of 10 guides that will answer all the questions you
have about back care health. Feel free to pass it on to anyone
you know who might find this information useful.
For more help you can visit our blog
http://www.active-x.co.uk/blog
Connect on our Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Active-x-Edinburgh/170138959667634
You can also follow me on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/cityoestopath
Edinburgh Clinic
0131 221 1415
or 0845 2601520
activex clinics
14 Stafford Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7AU
Mon-Fri: 8.30am-8pm
Sat: 8.45am-4pm
http://www.active-x.co.uk
Free back guide provided by active-x clinics Telephone 0131 221 1415 http://active-x.co.uk

3. The 10 Guides Included in this series are:
1. How does my lower back work?
2. What is the cause of my pain?
3. Dos and Don’ts of back pain
4. Best positions for sitting, standing and lying down
5. I’m overweight – how does that affect my back pain?
6. What’s better for the pain – heat or ice?
7. Should I wear a back support?
8. Differences between Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Physiotherapists
9. Exercise – you have got to be joking!
10. Useful back pain advice to follow
Free back guide provided by active-x clinics Telephone 0131 221 1415 http://active-x.co.uk

4. Differences between Chiropractors, Osteopaths and
Physiotherapists
In this guide I want to take you through
 How they can help
 The difference between the three professions
 How to find one and what to look for
As soon as you are able to cope with getting around again get off to see a
chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist. The sooner the better because it
will help you through your back pain much more quicker than “fighting” it
alone; it is money well spent on your health, and ensures you are up and active
as quickly as possible.
How they can help you
These professionals are trained to diagnose and manage people suffering from
back problems (and many other disorders.) By diagnosing what is wrong with
your back they will be able to reassure you, treat you using whatever means
are most appropriate, give advice tailored to suit you, and help you come up
with an exercise plan to get you back on your feet.
You do not need to get a referral from your GP to consult one of these
professionals privately, although you may wish to discuss it with your GP: he or
she may be able to recommend someone.
What’s the difference?
(These definitions have been taken from the different professions’ literature.)
Chiropractic is a profession which specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and
overall management of conditions which are due to mechanical dysfunction of
joints.
Osteopathy focuses on the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, ligaments,
muscles and connective tissue) and the way in which this inter-relates with the
body as a whole. It combines scientific knowledge of anatomy and physiology
Free back guide provided by active-x clinics Telephone 0131 221 1415 http://active-x.co.uk

5. and clinical methods of
investigation. Osteopaths diagnose
and treat faults which occur
because of injury or stress, allowing
the body to restore itself to normal
function. A caring approach and
attention to the individual is
considered particularly important.
Physiotherapy is a health care
profession which emphasises the
use of physical approaches in the
promotion, maintenance and
restoration of an individual’s physical, psychological and social well-being,
encompassing variations in health status.
You can see from the above definitions (if you can follow them!) that these are
similar professions. Traditionally osteopathy and chiropractic are manipulative
approaches to health care – the practitioners use their hands mostly.
Physiotherapy has been more exercise-based and uses more electrotherapy
(e.g. ultrasound).
However, there has been a swing in recent years in physiotherapy toward
more manipulative procedures. A study in Scotland in the early 1990’s into the
similarities and differences between the three professions demonstrated that
there were more differences within each profession than there were between
them: the sort of treatment you get depends more on the individual
practitioner. The important thing to establish when you decide to consult one
of them is that they are used to working with people who have back problems.
How Do I Find One and What Do I Look For?
The ideal way to find one of these professionals is a recommendation from a
friend. Most private practitioners will be listed in a directory or you can use the
internet to search for one in your local area.
People within the profession will have an online presence that includes not just
a website but a blog and you can connect with them on social media. Using
Free back guide provided by active-x clinics Telephone 0131 221 1415 http://active-x.co.uk

6. social media is a great way for looking at reviews and comments from other
people.
Osteopathy and chiropractic are over 100 years old and were first developed in
America. Both professions were only practised in the private sector for the first
80 years in Britain. However, they are increasingly available through the NHS
now (more in England), due to their popularity and the recognition given to
them by other medial bodies.
Osteopaths and Chiropractors are regulated by statute; that means that it is a
criminal offence for anyone to say they are an osteopath or chiropractor unless
registered with the General Osteopathic Council or General Chiropractic
Council. These bodies have the same powers as the General Medical Council
has over Doctors.
Read Our Other Guides
There are 10 guides available in total that you can download from our blog at
http://active-x.co.uk/blog/back-pain-guides
You will find a list of exercises for back pain that will help you begin the
process of strengthening your neck, shoulders and back. Regular physical
activity and exercise is the key to a strong lower back
http://active-x.co.uk/blog/exercise-for-back-pain
If you need any help or support with pain, you are interested in us speaking to
your staff about what they can do to look after their back and help
themselves and/or any other query please call me – Clinic Director of activex
Gavin Routledge on 0131 221 1415
Free back guide provided by active-x clinics Telephone 0131 221 1415 http://active-x.co.uk