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What to expect
Your initial visit and diagnosis
A Chiropractor will want to understand the root cause of your condition, e.g., back pain. Chiropractors are trained to investigate each patient's condition before considering treatment. They will spend more time than a GP is normally able to allocate, in order to deeply understand your symptoms. At your first consultation, the Chiropractor will take a detailed medical history including information about your lifestyle, such as your level of physical activity, your work environment and your diet.
After your history has been taken the Chiropractor will give you a thorough physical examination, including any neurological or orthopaedic tests and any x-rays which may be needed. You will be asked to remove some of your clothing (it is helpful if you are able to attend the visit in gym clothes) and perform a series of simple movements. The Chiropractor will assess your condition by observing your range of movement and by gently feeling your spine, shoulders and muscles as you perform the movements.
A Chiropractor's first concern is to find out what is wrong and also to check for signs of any serious conditions which would require treatment by a GP or at a hospital.
Your treatment plan
Chiropractic treatment is usually painless unless an area is acutely tender or inflamed. Treatment may include specific adjustments done by hand to free stiff joints and reduce irritation in the spinal nerves. In performing these adjustments the Chiropractor will apply carefully directed and controlled pressure to a joint that is not moving properly, to allow the body to begin healing itself. The adjustment may take the form of a quick movement, a slow constant pressure, or a combination of the two. The extent of the treatment will depend on your condition: sometimes only one area may be adjusted and other times the spine may require adjustment in a number of areas. Your Chiropractor may also recommend ice, heat or massage treatment amongst other things.
Chiropractic treatment will not hurt. Don't worry if your back or neck makes a 'popping' or 'clicking' sound, even very gentle manipulation can result in an audible 'crack' which is simply the sound of gas bubbles popping in the fluid of the joints as they are compressed by the manipulation - this is perfectly normal. Its presence or intensity varies from person to person and is not indicative of effective treatment.
Chiropractors also support the treatment they offer with individual advice about the patient's lifestyle, work and exercise in order to help manage the condition and prevent a recurrence of the problem. You will most likely be asked to do exercises at home as part of your treatment plan. This is an important part of the program and should not be ignored.
The number of visits you may need will depend on the nature and severity of you condition, your responsiveness to the treatment and whether or not you follow your Chiropractor's advice about home exercises. Typically a treatment programme will require between two and six visits.
Symptoms commonly treated by Chiropractors
Chiropractors are well-known for treatment of back pain in general. However, Chiropractors routinely treat, with excellent results, conditions such as neck pain, migraine and headache, frozen and stiff shoulders, repetitive strain injuries, knee and hip problems, arthritic pain and stiffness, disc injuries, trapped nerves, cramps, leg pain and sciatica, ankle and foot problems, whiplash injuries, tennis elbow and wrist pain. Not infrequently such conditions may be caused by or related to sports injuries.
Some of the most common symptoms treated by Chiropractors are outlined below:
- Tight or aching shoulders
- Headaches at the base of your skull or top of your spine
- Neck Stiffness
- Acute immobilising lower back pain
- Sciatica and trapped nerves
- Pain and stiffness in the shoulder preventing a full range of movement
- Whiplash
Symptom
Tight or aching shoulders
Common Causes
- Sedentary working environment.
- Poor posture maintained for long periods of time. Common examples are driving and operating machinery or computers
- Tightness or aching is typically caused by a build-up of lactic acid, resulting in hardness and pain in the affected muscles
Treatments
- Take frequent breaks to avoid the onset of the condition in the first place and perform exercises such as shrugging your shoulders and stretching your shoulder blades back to meet each other.
- Analyse your posture to ensure you are sitting as upright as possible (i.e., not sitting forward in a "hunched" position) - if necessary seeking assistance from an Osteopath
- If your muscles become too hard you will need treatment by a Chiropractor to stimulate blood flow in the hardened veins of the shoulder muscles and allow deposits of lactic acid to drain away naturally
- Chiropractic treatment is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom
Headaches at the base of your skull or top of your spine
Common Causes
- Broadly similar to those described above for tight or aching shoulders
Treatments
- Avoidance and exercises to promote blood flow to the sub-occipital muscles at the base of the skull
- Analyse your posture to ensure you are sitting as upright as possible (i.e., not sitting forward in a "hunched" position) - if necessary seeking assistance from an osteopath
- Chiropractic treatment is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom
Neck Stiffness
Common Causes
- Degeneration in C5 and C6 spinal discs (typically in older patients)
- Sudden "locking" of the neck due to muscle spasm. This can occur for an infinite variety of reasons such as, lying too long in one position, violently sneezing or making an unusual movement involving the head or neck muscles
- Degeneration in C5 and C6 spinal discs (typically in older patients)
Treatments
- Application of an ice-pack in the acute initial phase can help. Later a heat-pack or hot water bottle should provide relief.
- A GP will frequently prescribe you pain-killers and/or anti-inflammatories such as ibroprofen
- Wearing a soft-collar neck support for a few days to take pressure off the muscles in spasm
- Chiropractic treatment is recommended if movement remains restricted after a few days or if you suffer from bouts of stiffness on a regular or not infrequent basis
Symptom
Acute immobilising lower back pain
Common Causes
- Can be set-off by almost any bending movement such as picking up a dropped pen, turning to reach something, or the jolt from missing a step
- The root cause is typically an underlying disc instability which is inadvertently triggered by an unexpected event
- Pain and lack of mobility is caused by muscle spasm which are part of your body's defence mechanism
Treatments
- An ice-pack may help at the acute stage
- Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain-killers will probably be prescribed by your GP.
- Once the spasm begins to ease, osteopathic massage and manipulation will typically be very helpful in restoring mobility and reducing pain more quickly than the bed-rest often recommended by GPs
- The exercise programmes your Chiropractor recommends are important to ensuring that the underlying instability which caused the problem is addressed and the injury does not recur
Symptom
Sciatica and trapped nerves
Common Causes
- Sciatic nerves run down the spine from the backside, behind the thigh, the lower leg and into the foot and toes. Pressure on the nerve from a bulging disc can cause pain all the way along the nerve pathway or just part of the way along it
- Sciatica can come on gradually or develop suddenly following a particular event
Treatments
- Doctors typically recommend some or all of bed-rest, pain-killer, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs. In extreme case surgery may be necessary if the bulging disc does not naturally subside
- The benefits of chiropractic treatment in promoting the body's self-healing capabilities are particularly useful - especially in encouraging exercise as a means of managing the presence and/or intensity of sciatic pain
Symptom
Pain and stiffness in the shoulder preventing a full range of movement
Common Causes
- Sedentary working environments
- Poor posture maintained for long periods of time. Common examples are driving and operating machinery or computers
- The condition can be caused by tendonitis - i.e., inflammation - of one of the four tendons in the shoulder joint
Treatments
- Chiropractic treatment is frequently successful with this condition, with techniques often focussing not just on the shoulder, but also on the spine and ribcage.
- Surgery is sometimes required, but not before fully investigating options for chiropractic treatment
Symptom
Whiplash
Common Causes
- A stiff neck (frequently accompanied by a headache) caused by a violent extension of the neck, e.g., in a car accident or falling forward face-first
- Problems often manifest in the neck but can also appear in the upper-back and even in the lumbar spine region
Treatments
- If the condition does not swiftly remedy itself, then chiropractic treatment is highly appropriate for speeding the body towards recovery
- Untreated, whiplash symptoms can persist for months or years causing chronic pain