What is a Chiropractor?
Suitable for musculoskeletal injuries
Chiropractic treatment is an option suitable for many musculoskeletal injuries, it is non-invasive and drug free. Chiropractors help your body to help itself by removing the barriers to your recovery, it can help people of any age, shape or size, from a new-born baby to the elderly.
A minor accident or injury, left unchecked can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering. Using gentle joint adjustment techniques, chiropractic can restore your natural balance, posture and movement, releasing irritated nerves (commonly referred to as ‘pinched’ or ‘trapped’ nerves), relaxing muscle spasms and allowing your body to get on with recovery. Chiropractic treatment aims to ensure that the brain and the body are communicating with each other without interference or irritation. Communication from brain to body is achieved via the nervous system.
The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord and nerves, it is the master control system of the entire body. The brain sends and receives messages to and from the body allowing it to perform all its daily functions. It is in the brain where we feel pain, the body transmits information about an injured area to the brain via the nerves and spinal cord.
The spine and skull are a protective mechanism designed to shield the body’s most vital organs – the brain and the spinal cord. If the spinal joints have restricted movement, it can create an interference between the brain and the body which can lead to many forms of body dysfunction and potentially pain.
These spinal joint restrictions (also known as subluxations or misalignments) may not always cause pain but will negatively affect the way in which the body functions. Misalignments are usually caused by stresses on the body. These stresses are typically physical, chemical or emotional.
Examples of stresses include:
Physical
A fall, poor posture, growth disorders, pelvic imbalance.
Chemical
Ranging from a poor diet to toxins such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, drugs.
Emotional
Personal or work stress. Chiropractic adjustments remove joint restrictions to optimise the transference of nerve messages between the brain and the body allowing for maximum health and wellbeing.
Stages of Care
There are three main types of chiropractic care – Relief Care, Stabilisation Care and Wellness Care.
Relief Care
This is the process of helping the body out of pain or discomfort. A patient may require Relief Care from an acute injury, a chronic long-term injury or long-term neglect of the body. Symptoms or pain are the body’s way of warning us that something is wrong. Usually the problem has been ‘brewing’ under the surface for weeks to many decades before you even feel it.
Stabilisation Care
The transitional period between Relief Care and Wellness care. Once the pain from the initial complaint has been reduced or has disappeared, we then go through a process of breaking down bad habits, that the body has created over time and reinforcing new healthy habits e.g. allowing muscles, ligaments and fascia to adapt to a better alignment.
Wellness Care
Designed to improve your health and spinal function through regular chiropractic care. Once the body has achieved stabilisation, Wellness Care helps to prevent the problem re-occurring whilst continually improving your health. Regular wellness care helps to address any minor problems before they are given the chance to become more serious problems and keeps you feeling great. Many health conscious people choose to have Wellness Care. This means that you do not have to be in pain to start seeing a chiropractor.
The Chiropractor will give you a schedule of recommended care but it is always your decision as to how long you wish to benefit from chiropractic care.