Chiropractic Treatments
Consultation
and
Examination
Diagnosis and
Treatment Plan
Patient
Improvement
Home
Exercises
Maintenance
Initial Consultation & Examination
All new patients need to have an initial consultation and examination, prior to your initial appointment you will be sent an intake form via email to provide us with information about your complaint, your personal details and family medical history. During the initial consultation we will go through this information and ask for further details if necessary. If you do not have access to email, it is not a problem, we can go through the form when you attend your appointment. During your consultation we will perform a neurological and orthopaedic examination to gather further information on what is causing your pain or discomfort. We will then discuss your cause of pain and plan your course of treatment which may include some of the below types of treatment.
Manipulation and Mobilisation
A chiropractic manipulation or adjustment is what we are most commonly associated with, adjustments are used to encourage a joint to move better, allowing a greater range of motion. A clicking sound is often related to this treatment which occurs when air is escaping from the joint. An adjustment will only be carried out when we deem it safe and necessary after a full history and orthopaedic assessment.
If you would rather not undergo an adjustment or there are indications that this treatment method isn’t suited to you then we have alternative measures to encourage your joints to move better. This can be achieved through mobilisation, which includes gentle stretching or springing of the joint. We can also use an activator tool which delivers short impulses directly onto the joint.
Soft Tissue Techniques
Chiropractic soft tissue work involves direct pressure being applied to muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues. This form of treatment may help to loosen tight, fibrotic or knotted muscles contributing to your pain. It can also be used to treat strains, tendonitis and tears. We have found this loosening technique can allow for a calmer, more supple manipulation and may reduce the chances of the joint seizing up again after treatment. We take a gentle approach to this form of treatment to minimise any patient discomfort.
Taping
Sports taping can be used for a variety of benefits. When applying the tape, it is positioned onto the skin under stretch causing the tape to recoil creating a small space beneath the skin. This can assist with inflammation, recovery from bruising, controlling joint movement and poor posture which can all contribute to pain. It can also help to provide support to a pain producing tissue.
Functional Rehabilitation
We believe this is a fundamental part of chiropractic treatment. Although we can initially loosen joints and muscles to alleviate pain, this pain can easily return if patients allow muscles to tighten again or do not complete stretches or exercises to strengthen weakened muscles. Functional rehabilitation is especially important if your problem has been ongoing, or has been on and off over a course of months or years.
Your exercise program will be individually tailored to your ability, your strength and what you want to achieve from it as no two people are the same. Providing functional rehabilitation can potentially decrease the frequency of your chiropractic sessions.
Dry Needling
This treatment is adapted from acupuncture where fine needles are inserted into the skin and muscle to treat underlying trigger points. This technique helps stimulate connective tissues, decrease tightness and increase blood flow to reduce pain. During treatment you may experience an aching sensation, soreness or feel your muscle twitch however this is completely normal and means your body is reacting to the trigger point.