Chiropractic
Chiropractic is an alternative form of medicine which specialises in diagnosis and treating conditions and illnesses which are down to problems caused by the joints and the effect that they have on the nervous system. It is becoming increasingly popular and now many Doctor recommended chiropractors when other ways of treatment fail.
How does the system work?
A trained chiropractor will use their hands to manipulate and adjust the joints along the spine after having found where there is limited movement and restriction in them. The adjustment of the joints then relieves any pain and more mobility is gained.
Following the adjustment, the body then works on its own accord to restore health in much the same way as when we get a bruise, cut or suffer a broken bone. The actual treatment that the chiropractor gives is called manipulation or adjustment.
It is important however that you only have treatment from a trained chiropractor; incorrect adjustment to the joints along the spine can lead to many problems and cause irritation to the nerves that control how we move and our posture.
It is called “spinal nerve stress” and it can occur for many reasons in our daily life, the most common reasons people suffer include accident, a poor diet, a lack of proper exercise, years of poor posture and anxiety.
Your body will begin to ache and in some cases extreme pain is felt on sitting and walking, which can lead to disease if left untreated and of course is a clear sign that all is not well within your body.
What happens when the chiropractor manipulates the joints?
A trained chiropractor will be able to feel and tell which joints need manipulation in order to ease the pain or help the problem. The chiropractor will stimulate the joint movement receptors which are the body’s sensors and are what sends information to the brain.
In turn this alters how the nervous system works; in order to aid diagnosis of which area to work in the chiropractor will ask where you are feeling pain. Depending on which nerves are being affected then pain will be felt in different areas, these can include headaches, neck, back, chest, shoulder, wrist and leg, knee and ankle pain.
After diagnosing where the pain is felt, then the chiropractor manipulates the joints using pressure from their hands, at no time is medication or surgery offered by the chiropractor.
What happens at a first consultation?
During the first consultation the chiropractor will take a full medical history, the practitioner will then move on to giving you a physical examination. This is to check the flexibility and movement that you have in your joints and spine overall.
Occasionally x-rays will need to be taken, usually the fully qualified chiropractor will have their own equipment on site and these will be taken there and then. Once the underlying problem has been determined then the chiropractor will explain fully the course of action they are going to take, sometimes in certain cases along with using their hands for manipulation the practitioner will use ice packs or heat treatment.