FAQs

What causes back pain?

The onset of back pain in the first 6 weeks of symptoms is known as the ACUTE phase. Invariably this is after a known event that triggered the injury or sometimes you wake inexplicably with the pain. A sudden change of routine (perfect example 'the Lockdown') or major life events (new job, house move, bereavement) can interfere with the nervous system's ability to adapt and compensate to daily stressors (physical, chemical, mental, emotional and environmental) resulting in injury, inflammation and pain.

CHRONIC phase pain is attributed not to the severity of your pain but to the length of time you've had it, typically 8 weeks or more. In a perfect, theoretical model of healing, soft tissues should heal within 6 weeks, the same as bones. This presupposes that there is no re-injury in the mean time or exacerbation due to inherent neuro-inflammatory and/or mechanical issues affecting the musculoskeletal system.

How does Chiropractic treatment work ?

The exact mechanisms of the adjustment are still being researched to this day. The bone out of place model from the early years of the profession has matured and developed alongside current scientific enquiry into a more comprehensive Neurological-based model.  Your nervous system controls everything in your body, this is accepted fact. The chiropractic adjustment can influence the nervous system directly through the external input of the adjustment (typically on the spine, pelvis or cranium) modifying nerve impulses that are continually bombarding the spinal cord and brain with information. Mostly the information is good - helping us perform the complex tasks of daily living and realise our abilities and intentions in life. Even pain is good information but it wears you down if it is unrelenting. Pain is just information warning you that one or some of your systems are damaged, inflamed, out of balance, infected or diseased. Chiropractic does not heal. You do the healing. The adjustment helps to remove the impediment - the fixated spinal or pelvic joint creating stiffness in one area might cause an over-compensation in another area leading to relative instability and reactive muscle spasm. The body can heal when the impediment or interference is removed, then soft tissues stand a better chance of regenerating - breaking down old, fibrotic scar tissue and laying down new, healthy collagen. The body's fundamental physiological mechanism is Homeostasis - a way to perpetually keep our body systems fine tuned and balanced in health. Chiropractic is in keeping with homeostasis - tweaking and nudging you in the right direction, so that your body heals itself naturally by the laws that govern the body. 

Does Chiropractic treatment always 'pop' the joints?

Chiropractic adjustment styles vary to the individual practitioner and the individual patient. Chiropractic does not need to be either aggressive or butterfly gentle. When you drive a car, steering is not a series of violent jerks but gentle and specific corrections to keep you safely on the road. Some chiropractors might argue that if the car is already in the ditch it might need a firm manoeuvre to get it back on the road! Personally, my style of adjusting is not forcibly moving bones but releasing stiff spinal segments often with minimum force. Sometimes, a cavitation or popping sound can be heard during an adjustment, essentially nitrogen bubbles escaping the synovial fluid then compressing back in as the joint space normalises. The quality of an adjustment is not necessarily dependent on hearing an audible release; some patients like hearing them others actively don't like having their neck cracked. I will always listen to your preferences regarding treatment. Age, constitution, pain and inflammation levels, body type and psychological factors all have a part to play in what style of treatment is likely to be successful for you.

What does an Adjustment do ?

Research has shown that chiropractic spinal adjustments alter the afferent input from the spine which leads to changes in central nervous system (CNS) function (Source: Haavik H, Murphy B. The role of spinal manipulation in addressing disordered sensorimotor integration and altered motor control. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology. 2012;22:768–776.)

The aim of an adjustment in essence is to help normalise the function of the nervous system with regard to reducing neuro-inflammatory and mechanical factors that are irritating it. It may feel like something is being put back in or 'popped' but that is our sensory interpretation (deep touch sensation and sound) of the adjustment.

What chiropractic techniques do you use ?

I  use Diversified technique (the general chiropractic adjusting technique), Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) - I love using the SOT Blocks for gently re-aligning the pelvis, Thompson-Derefield Drop technique for a firmer sacro-iliac correction, Extremity joint mobilisation and adjustment, Soft Tissue techniques such as trigger point therapy and muscle energy techniques and dry-needling acupuncture. My own personal approach and selection of techniques over 20 years in practice is what I call Davopractic !

Does Chiropractic treatment hurt ?

Typically, if there is already active inflammation in the tissues around the muscles, joints and nerves of where your problem or injury is, then adjustments and other treatments may help the body to express or bring to the surface that same inflammation; sometimes causing pain and discomfort for up to 72 hours. Icepacks can often help alleviate the inflammation and promote pain relief and healing.  Proper levels of hydration and nutritional support such as optimising the body's magnesium, zinc, Vitamin C and D levels - can help assist the body during the healing process. Occasionally people can have a healing crisis, where the inflammatory response is heightened for several days. Adverse reactions are uncommon but reversible and normally short-lived. If in doubt, always get in touch if you have any concerns.

What happens at the first appointment ?

You will bring along the completed New Patient form including the Treatment during COVID-19 consent  form; these have to be in place legally before any consultation, diagnosis, treatment and advice can happen. A full case history including the presenting complaint(s) is taken; followed by a relevant physical examination often including neurological screening (muscle, reflex and sensory testing), orthopaedic and other special tests. A working diagnosis is made and a report of findings is presented. At this stage, it is possible that no treatment is considered appropriate and a referral to your general practitioner for tests such as bloods, x-rays or special imaging are requested. Treatment at this first appointment is often a priority for patients and will be performed whenever there is a clear case to safely proceed. Advice concerning posture, lifestyle and rehab exercises will invariably be discussed.

What do I wear during a treatment session ?

To be able to examine your spine, muscles and extremities relevant to your pain, although often it is through manual palpation and range of motion testing, a visual inspection is ideally needed. Generally, female patients are given a gown that velcros up at the back for modesty. Chaps can have a gown too if this is their preference. Loose fitting trousers can also be worn.

How many sessions will I need?

Depending on the nature of the injury and other factors such as your age, working environment, diet, lifestyle, activity levels, general pain levels and history of recurrent episodic pain then a course of treatment typically 2 to 6 treatments may be needed. Sometimes a standalone appointment will suffice if this is an individual's preference or a straightforward case in the chiropractor's opinion.

Do I have to keep coming once I'm fixed?

Not at all. It's always your choice. Depending on numerous factors ranging from your age, working environment, diet, lifestyle, activity levels, general pain levels and history of recurrent episodic pain - then periodic reviews with treatment may be in your best interest as a preventative measure to actively manage your pain alongside self-motivated exercises such as yoga, pilates, walking or swimming.

What's the difference between a chiropractor and an osteopath?

Probably the most commonly asked question. Essentially we are both regulated as professions dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal (neuro-mechanical) conditions; the added value is our approach toward general well-being and holistic healthcare touching on the biopsychosocial paradigm - seeing people as a whole not just a collection of symptoms. Both osteopathy and chiropractic have their roots in natural, drug-free, hands-on manipulation (adjustment is the chiropractic term) of the spine, cranium and sometimes the organs. Osteopathic tradition I believe saw the importance of ensuring optimal blood supply to organs enhancing health this way. Chiropractors held that the body's vitality is best expressed through a fully functioning, interference-free nervous system. Any decent anatomist will tell you that nerves and blood vessels run side by side in the body as neurovascular bundles. Also, blood vessels have a nerve supply and nerves have a blood supply. It's the same with us we work side by side, we definitely have more in common than our differences.