• First Consultation

 
• X-Rays

 
• Report of Findings

 
• Treatments

 
• Massage

FIRST CONSULTATION

A full medical history is taken, obtaining full details of your chief complaint. A physical examination will follow. This will involve looking at your posture, how you move and specific joint, ligament and muscle tests (orthopaedic assessment) to provide a picture of underlying factors and enable a diagnosis of the current problem. This examination will also assess your nervous system to see how well it is functioning.

X-RAYS - These are always helpful to enable us to assess the condition of joints and bones as well as posture and silent threats i.e. osteoporosis (bone thinning). However xray examination is not always essential. Your chiropractor will advise his/her opinion.

REPORT OF FINDINGS & FIRST TREATMENT

Your chiropractor may need some time to correlate all the findings before any treatment and recommendations for care are given. In most cases this information will be given to you on your next appointment. This will be written down and a diagram of the spine with areas of dysfunction highlighted. A copy of this will be given to you and a program of treatment will be proposed for your journey of recovery.

TREATMENTS

Each treatment may take about 15 minutes depending upon what needs to be done.

Manipulation of the joints is performed by gentle movements and pressure on the specific area. You may sometimes hear a small crack as this is done. This is known as cavitation and is simply a sudden drop in pressure within a joint which occurs when a stuck joint becomes unstuck. Cavitation is not the sound of bones cracking or rubbing against each other. It is completely normal and nothing to be alarmed about. It is usually quite comfortable. Chiropractors are extensively trained to perform adjustments gently and to adapt these movements for each individual’s unique body type. Patients report that they enjoy the procedure and find it relaxing.

Muscles, ligaments, tendons may be treated by various methods such as stretching/massage/hot/cold therapy and sometimes the use of acupuncture needles.

Exercises are usually a necessary part of your treatment plan to enable the muscles to strengthen in a balanced way. These will be prescribed and demonstrated to you. A diagrammatic explanation of these exercises will be given to you to take home as a reminder.

SUPPORTING THERAPY

MASSAGE

We also have a Remedial Massage Therapist whose services may be prescribed by your chiropractor as part of your treatment or who you may wish to visit without any referral. She is highly skilled and trained to Canadian Standards which is a full professional qualification in Canada requiring academic and practical training to Diploma level. Research has demonstrated that massage therapy has many beneficial effects on overall health and function. It is an effective method of alleviating pain due to overused or tight muscles, and of improving muscle flexibility. Additionally, it can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, and increase local blood and lymphatic circulation. Massage therapy has also been shown to help decrease stress, depression and anxiety, and it contributes to increased feelings of well-being.