WHICH HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Who should I visit?
If you've ever experienced neck pain upon waking, struggled with back pain while getting ready for work, or suffered migraines that force you to retreat to a dark room, you know how debilitating musculoskeletal pain can be.
The musculoskeletal system—comprising your bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues—plays a crucial role in supporting your body’s weight, maintaining your posture, and enabling movement.
While coping with occasional pain is one thing, persistent discomfort that impacts your quality of life may prompt you to seek help. But with so many medical and health care professionals available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
How do you choose the right specialist to help alleviate or resolve your pain? Here’s an overview of different professionals to guide you in making the best decision for your needs.
Primary healthcare
Primary healthcare refers to a broad range of health services provided by medical professionals in the community. For example, your general practitioner (GP) is a primary healthcare provider, and so are nurses, pharmacists, and allied health providers like dentists. Primary healthcare is the provision of health services, including diagnosis and treatment of a health condition, and support in managing long-term healthcare, including chronic conditions like diabetes. Primary healthcare includes seeing health professionals to help you maintain good health, with regular health checks, health advice when you have concerns, and support for ongoing care. Services delivered by primary healthcare providers include:
Diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with health problems
Promoting good health
Preventing health problems
Early intervention
Managing ongoing and long-term conditions.
Primary care in the UK changed enormously over the past two decades. The roles and demands on the primary healthcare team (PHCT) have increased and will continue to increase in a primary care-led NHS. Teams traditionally dominated by general practitioners have given way to multi-professional teams including nursing and many other professionals. New nursing roles such as nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists have changed traditional boundaries and many roles, including those of practice managers and administrative staff, are being continuously modified and expanded. The traditional primary healthcare team is therefore in a process of change and looks as if it will undergo more drastic change in the near future. The primary healthcare team might therefore be considered to incorporate a much wider range of activities and professional groups including:
The traditional primary healthcare team for example:
Practice manager.
Doctors: GP partners, GP assistants and GP registrars.
Nurses: traditionally practice nurses and community nurses (now including nurse practitioners and palliative care and other specialist nurses).
Support staff: receptionists, secretaries, clerical staff.
Midwives.
Health visitors.
Primary care premises may also be used for selected secondary care services - e.g., hospital consultant clinics, diagnostic imaging, operating services.
Allied health professionals may also work closely with the primary healthcare team - e.g., physiotherapists, Chiropractors, dieticians, podiatrists, pharmacists, counsellors, complementary therapists, and social workers.
Registered health care professionals
It's typically a good idea to first consult a primary health care professional so you receive a thorough health check, physical examination, and diagnosis. From here, you may be offered a treatment plan or a referral to the relevant department. Below shows some examples of regulated healthcare professionals.
Chiropractor in Abingdon
For those living in or near Abingdon, chiropractic care can be an effective approach to managing musculoskeletal issues.
A chiropractor in Abingdon is a regulated healthcare professional who is qualified and registered with the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). It’s essential to ensure that any chiropractor you consult is registered, as it is illegal for anyone to practise without this credential.
Abingdon chiropractic services can help assess, diagnose, and treat a variety of conditions, including back and neck pain, minor sports injuries, and sciatica.
Chiropractic treatment often involves manual techniques, such as spinal joint manipulation (also known as 'adjustment'), but may also include other hands-on or instrument-assisted approaches.
Additionally, chiropractors provide lifestyle advice, exercises, and sometimes dietary and nutritional guidance to help manage your condition.
Before beginning any chiropractic treatment, an Abingdon chiropractor will assess your symptoms to determine whether chiropractic care is suitable for you.
They are trained to recognize when another form of treatment may be necessary and will refer you to your GP or another healthcare provider if needed.
Osteopaths and Physiotherapists
All osteopaths in the UK are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) and are required to renew their registration each year. The title 'osteopath' is protected by law, and it is against the law for anyone to call themselves an Osteopath in the UK unless they are registered with the GOsC, which sets and promotes high standards of competency, conduct and safety. Osteopathy is a system of diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of medical conditions. It works with the structure and function of the body and is based on the principle that the well-being of an individual depends on the skeleton, muscles, ligaments and connective tissues functioning smoothly together. To an Osteopath, for your body to work well, its structure must also work well. Osteopaths work to restore your body to a state of balance, where possible without the use of drugs or surgery. Osteopaths use touch, physical manipulation, stretching and massage to increase the mobility of joints, to relieve muscle tension, to enhance the blood and nerve supply to tissues, and to help your body’s own healing mechanisms. They may also provide advice on posture and exercise to aid recovery, promote health and prevent symptoms recurring.
PHYSIOTHERAPIST
A chartered physiotherapist is a qualified member of their professional body, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK's 63,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers. Through this membership they have committed themselves to providing high quality services and protecting the quality of physical treatments. Chartered physiotherapists have registered and fulfilled the high standards of professional practice described by the Health and Care Professions Council. Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness or disability. Physiotherapists help people affected by injury, illness or disability through movement and exercise, manual therapy, education and advice. They maintain health for people of all ages, helping patients to manage pain and prevent disease. The profession helps to encourage development and facilitate recovery, enabling people to stay in work while helping them remain independent for as long as possible. Physiotherapy is a science-based profession and takes a ‘whole person’ approach to health and wellbeing, which includes the patient’s general lifestyle. At the core is the patient’s involvement in their own care, through education, awareness, empowerment, and participation in their treatment. Physiotherapy helps with back pain or sudden injury, managing long-term medical condition such as asthma, and in preparing for childbirth or a sporting event.
GENERAL PRACTITIONER
General practitioners (GP's) have knowledge of a broad range of illnesses, and diagnose and treat patients of all ages and are experts in their patients. They provide the first point of contact with the NHS and are vital to their local community and contribute hugely to keeping the nation healthy. They deal with a wide range of medical conditions and will treat patients throughout their lives and there are approximately 1 million GP consultations in the UK every day. Before you can practise as a GP, you need to be accepted onto the General Medical Council's GP Register which help protect patients and improve UK medical education and practice by supporting students, doctors, educators and healthcare providers.
Realistic expectations vs Unrealistic expectations of those seeking healthcare
Some of the fair expectations of patients include:
the need to be listened to
the need to receive clear explanation and instructions about their condition
to be treated by their health care provider with care/concern/compassion and
to be treated with professionalism during their work
Some examples of unrealistic expectations of patients would include:
wanting to discuss several major problems, all in one standard consultation
prescription or treatment to be given without a consultation
ability to call the health care professional 24 hours a day for any problems and
thinking that the health care professional will always know the exact diagnosis at the first consultation and start treatment immediately
When seeking healthcare, it's essential to have realistic expectations. You should expect to be listened to, receive clear explanations about your condition, and be treated with care, compassion, and professionalism.
However, it's also important to understand that not all issues can be resolved in one consultation, and a healthcare professional may not always have an immediate diagnosis.
People should be free to choose the method of healthcare they prefer, but the provider should ensure the chosen method is safe and beneficial. Each healthcare professional aims to help you, but their approaches may differ.
For example, while chiropractic care in Abingdon focuses on spinal health and musculoskeletal issues, a physiotherapist might emphasise rehabilitation through exercise and movement. It’s crucial to decide which approach you feel is best for your situation.
Ultimately, whether you seek out an Abingdon chiropractor, osteopath, or another type of healthcare professional, the goal is to find the right fit for your needs. Each provider has unique skills and expertise, so consider your symptoms, preferences, and long-term health goals when making your decision. What are your thoughts on this blog? Did you enjoy this article? Drop a comment below or email karl@focuschiropractic.co.uk.
References
(1) GCC. (2022). Choosing a Chiropractor. [online]. <https://www.gcc-uk.org/patient-portal/why-see-a-registered-chiropractor>
(2) Harding and Jackson. (2015). Primary Healthcare Team. [online]. <https://patient.info/doctor/primary-healthcare-team>
(3) GOC. (2022). About Osteopathy. [online]. <https://www.osteopathy.org.uk/visiting-an-osteopath/about-osteopathy/>
(4) CSP. (2022). What is physiotherapy? [online]. <https://www.csp.org.uk/careers-jobs/what-physiotherapy>
(5) GMC. (2022). What we do. [online]. <https://www.gmc-uk.org/>
(6) Fatimah Lateef. (2011). Patient expectations and the paradigm shift of care in emergency medicine.