[Tb12]

Guys I have back issues, have had them for a long time, what back specialist do you recommend or had good experience with ..

Physio?
Chiropractor?
Osteopath?
Any others you might have tried? Myotherapist?

Any advice or help before I go to my gp and ask for referral

[Jomar]

Do you know or have an idea of what the problem might be?
Any MRI or Xrays yet?
Gp could order those I think, then you'll know better if a specialist is needed or just some good therapy.. Gp could order a PT assessment/evaluation that might be valuable also..

I would do some web searches & ask friends/family if they know of good PT, DC, Osteo etc.. esp if it might be soft tissue related and not any major or surgical scenario.
Find some experts in your city and see what they say..

Or if you can describe what your back issues are we might be able to point you in a direction..
We have a spinal forum also..
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html

[Tb12]

Lower and thoracic issues

I have bulging discs, lumbar spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease with some osteophyte formation and some nerve impingements ..

No one wants to operate or do I want to go down that road, rather try alternative so any suggestions with those issues?

[Jomar]

If you have the written report for the MRI , you can post that or the significant parts on the spinal forum.
Often the wording ( mild, moderate, severe, Locations L 3, T 4 etc )...will give clues and others may be able to make suggestions.
Relating symptoms and pain levels is helpful too.

If surgical options are not offered or feasible , some PT or DC might be of help, unless the condition is too severe/risky.
In that case pain management could be looked into.
Some non pill options to try might be TENS, IFC stim, low level/cold/soft laser, or a bit more spendy and invasive - SCS or pain pump.

You can do a site search for most of those options - search words needs to be more than 3 letters though.
SCS/Pain pump-
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum118.html