Even very painful conditions that have been there a while can sometimes require just a couple of treatments to get you back up and running again, but on average the cost of a course of treatment is usually less than the cost of having a car serviced – and we are not talking about a Ferrari! At the first consultation we will give you an idea of how many treatments (and so how much treatment is likely to cost) you are likely to need to feel better again.

It is quite true that Chiropractors are considered experts in treating bad backs and so a high percentage of patients that come to see us are suffering with pains in the neck, mid back and lower back regions. However, Chiropractors do far more than just ‘bad backs’. Chiropractors diagnose and treat all manner of aches and pains all over the body from head to toe e.g. Headaches, painful shoulders, elbow pains, sports injuries and arthritic pains. If you are unsure if you should come to see us for your particular problem then why not give us a call on 01332 224820 and ask (with no obligation) to speak to one of the Chiropractors first. You can rest assured you will not feel pressurised into making an appointment by us, we promise to give you honest advice as to the best course of action.

No! This is probably the most common misconception about Chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors are trained in numerous different treatment techniques. The decision to use a specific technique or a group of techniques for a problem is dependent upon taking into account numerous factors such as:

• A persons age – Chiropractic is suitable for every age group – children to the centenarians
• Pain levels
• The nature of the problem
• The presence or absence of arthritic changes in an area
• Previous surgery in an area
• Medications you may be taking. Warfarin for instance could mean that you would bruise more easily and so deep massage techniques may not be appropriate. Long term steroid use for asthma or arthritic conditions could make your bones more brittle and so you may be better suited to specific mobilisation techniques
• Your personal preferences. If you do not want to have a specific treatment type e.g. manipulation (even if it would get you better faster) we can discuss what options you have from our repertoire of other techniques

Our aim is to get you better in the shortest period of time. For spines this often does involve manipulation techniques which can produce popping or clicking noises from the joints. For sporting injuries the treatment given may well be indistinguishable from an approach by a Sports Physiotherapist and involve deep tissue massage and rehabilitation exercises, both in the clinic and at home.

Our aim is to make you feel better! That said it is also quite normal to feel a little sore and achy after treatment but this typically lasts no more than 24 hours or so. After the first visit it is much less common to feel any stiffness or pains as a result of the treatment. In fact, many people simply feel better as soon as they are treated!

For those of you that are really struggling with their pains, be reassured we will adopt treatment protocols that are appropriate for you. The variety of techniques we have at our disposal means that we can treat you with varying levels of intensity whilst still gaining results – using gentler techniques initially then firmer techniques later when your body is more able to tolerate them.

For those of you with higher pain levels, or for whom manipulation or mobilisation are not going to yield the best results, we can offer Photobiomodulation Therapy or PBM Therapy for short. PBM Therapy can, at the cellular level:

• Treat pain
• Treat inflammation
• Treat swelling
• Promote tissue healing.

This can be achieved without touching you with our state of the art THOR LX2 PBM Therapy machines.

Chiropractic treatment is suitable for patients from newborns to the very elderly. Our Chiropractors treat children right up to nonagenarians and pregnancy does not exclude you from it’s benefits. We have special equipment which means we can safely accommodate you and your ‘bump’. As you get bigger we will use different techniques based on what is most suitable for your body and problem.

You may have arthritic changes (many of us do!) but even so, it does not automatically mean that all the pain is solely due to any arthritis present.

• The arthritis could well be a Red Herring – the pain could be referred from another area and so not coming from your arthritis at all.
• Other tissues around an arthritic joint e.g. tight/short/spasmed muscles around a stiff hip/back joint may be the cause and not the arthritis.
• In most cases, when patients have been told ‘it’s arthritis’, we can find evidence of arthritis but in our opinion its only responsible for part of your pains. This means that if 40% of your pains are arthritic you could still potentially improve your pain and symptoms by up to 60%!
• Studies have shown a manual treatment approach combined with physical exercises can help reduce/manage the symptoms of arthritis to help you feel better.
• Research shows that PBM Therapy can also be a very good way to help manage pain and symptoms that you get when you are arthritic.

We will be happy to discuss what will be your best course of action at your consultation after a thorough case history and examination. If we conclude that we are unable to help you, then will be honest with you about that and will discuss what your next course of action might be. You will not be advised to start treatment if we do not think we can help you.

Not all therapists have same levels of expertise and experience. Ask yourself this simple question, if your trusted local garage could not find that annoying fault with your car and fix it, would you then assume that all garages are the same and not take it to another garage? The simple answer to that is of course ‘no’ you would take it to another garage to get it looked at by a fresh pair of eyes.

We can often help patients where others clinicians or approaches have failed.

Despite a growing body of research evidence that has demonstrated the effectiveness of Chiropractic (manual treatments) for the treatment of many mechanical pains, chiropractic treatment is not widely available on the NHS. This is despite for instance – NICE (the National Institute of Clinical Evidence which recommends the best treatment methods to the NHS) recommending that manipulation as carried out by Chiropractors could be one of the treatment options for low back pain. Unfortunately a recommendation is not the same as a mandate.

Adults

• The initial consultation (including treatment time and pain permitting) is £60
• Adult treatments are £38

Children (<18 yrs)

• The initial consultation (including treatment time and pain permitting) is £38
• Children’s treatments are £34

The clinic accepts a variety of cards, cash and cheques. Settlement for your consultation and treatments is made at reception each session. Unfortunately we do not cater for personal accounts.

Yes. All the major insurance companies cover Chiropractic treatment. We will ask you to pay for your consultation and treatment as you go along and we will then provide a full receipt either hard copy or by email each time you come in (or at the end of a treatment episode if you prefer). You can then forward it to your insurance company.

It may surprise you that up until graduation Chiropractors study many of the same subjects as your GP and spend thousands of hours studying. Ian has worked out he spent IRO of 6000 hours studying (lectures and self directed) for his degree but thinks it could have been a lot higher than this! As you would expect there are distinct differences in their core training and so scope of practice (what Chiropractors can do and what your GP cannot and vice versa).

Chiropractic Vs Osteopathy

If you want to get bogged down in details about philosophies (and we say don’t bother going there!) there really isn’t enough difference to significantly separate the professions which may come as a surprise to you. Both professions have statutory regulation, both have similar training. There are urban myths about how Osteopaths work more on muscles and manipulate less and Chiropractors manipulate more and do less work with the muscles. In our opinion this is not the case. As for manipulative techniques, there are some differences but we feel they are just different ways of achieving the same result; who is to say which is best? There has never been any research into this.

Look, a great clinician treats you as an individual. After taking into account what he/she has learnt about your general health, the nature of your problem, what has been gleaned from a physical examination etc. etc. You deserve to receive a package of care that is tailored specifically to you. Our advice is don’t get hung up on which profession is right for your problem but go with the individual(s) and practice that inspires you the most.

Chiropractic Vs Physiotherapy

In comparison to a Physiotherapist, as a general rule physiotherapists do not use hands on manipulation to anything like the extent that Chiropractors do. Physiotherapy is often an exercise based treatment programme and to quote a physio I spoke to at a conference a while ago “physiotherapy is something you do, not something that is done to you” – and this probably epitomises the difference.

Chiropractors ‘do things to you’ and get you to do exercises in your own time, rather than go through sets of exercises as the predominant method of treatment in the clinic setting. Having said that of course there are physiotherapists who work very much like Chiropractors and vice versa.

The main thing to remember is if Osteopathy or Physiotherapy has not ‘worked for you’ then please do not assume that Chiropractic is just the same and will produce the same lack of results.