Yes we’ve heard the horror stories, the rumours and frankly, the outrageous. But what is the truth? What actually is Chiropractic, is it effective and why are there so many differing opinions? This post will take a brief look into some of the most common misconceptions surrounding our line of work…
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic treatment consists of a highly skilled manipulation which involves the chiropractor using their hands to deliver a quick thrust on a specific spinal segment to restore proper movement. Often a popping or cracking noise results, this is safe and harmless. The sound is created by pressure changes in the joint fluid.
Systematic reviews have looked into the safety of chiropractic manipulation. Theses concluded, that in skilled hands chiropractic is extremely safe, with significantly less side effects than medications or surgery used to treat similar conditions.(1)
Recent extensive systematic reviews(2,3) show manipulation alone is an effective treatment choice for:
- Low back pain, acute and chronic
- Neck Pain, acute and chronic
- Headaches – Migraine & Cervicogenic (from the neck)
- Shoulder blade pain
- Frozen Shoulder
- Tennis Elbow
- Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis
- Patella (knee cap) pain
- Plantar fasciitis
At Newland, we assess each patient on an individual basis and use many different techniques in addition to manipulation, in order to tailor treatment to each set of symptoms. Some of these include; muscle stretches and massage, laser treatment, acupuncture, gait scans, rehabilitation and exercises.
How much training do Chiropractor’s actually have?
Newland Chiropractic are registered and governed by the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). Amongst other things, this means that all of our Chiropractor’s need to have taken a minimum of a four year masters course at a specialist Chiropractic College. In many cases a 5th year is also undertaken, as well as additional courses and seminars throughout the Chiropractor’s profession in order to specialise in certain areas and keep up to date with current practice.
Is it okay for Children and Babies to have Chiropractic treatment?
Yes! We have seen children and babies with all sorts of problems, just like our adult patients. In the same way that each treatment is tailored, manipulations and techniques when treating children are much more gentle but still very safe. Moreover, Darren has particular training and interest in developmental neurology and delay, and has taught about this all over Europe.
Do I need to have a lot of appointments in succession and do I need to keep coming back?
At Newland we do not offer pre-paid treatment plans. Every person is different and we cannot often predict how quickly a person will get better, sometimes it is a lot faster than expected; therefore pre-planned and paid for appointments are often unsuitable. It is usually recommended (depending on the issue) that patients have a number of sessions in a short period of time when first having treatment with us, these are then spaced out as the issue improves.
Due to the nature of the conditions that we treat, Chiropractic isn’t generally a cure. What it can do, is enable a patient to get their body working well, like taking a car to have a service. Sticking with this analogy, in the same way that a car needs a service after a certain mileage is reached, we often advise that coming once every few months is good practice to maintain the problem area. Some patients come six monthly, or as and when they deem necessary. There is absolutely no pressure from us to come frequently. You are in charge of your healthcare and how often you would like to be treated.
These are just a few questions that people have, however, if you do have more, we would be more than happy to try and help answer them.
If you are unsure about whether or not we can help your situation, we off a free 15 minute consultation where you can discuss the issue with a Chiropractor and explore whether or not treatment may be beneficial.
Please call 01522 538450 to book a consultation.
Research
(1) The Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain (The Manga Report). Pran Manga and Associates (1993) – University of Ottawa, Canada
(2) Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report Gert Bronfort, Mitch Haas, Roni Evans, Brent Leininger and Jay Triano Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010, 18:3 doi:10.1186/1746-1340-18-3
(3) Clinical practice implications of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders: from concepts and findings to recommendations. Guzman J, Haldeman S, Carroll LJ, et al. Spine 2008;33(4 Suppl):S199-213