Who do I treat?
I treat a wide variety of people including but not limited to retirees, war veterans, professional and semi-professional athletes ranging from marathon runners to race car drivers, students, business professionals, health care workers, domestic carers. The fields in which people work in, cross a wide range of industries and cover all age ranges.
When should I seek treatment or advice?
The simple answer is, if you have pain. Especially if that pain is persistent, if it is long standing pain, if you have had pain for a few days and it has not resolved by its self, if the pain is interfering with your active daily living or it is constantly in the background, if the pain is acute following an injury or accident.
But pain is not the only reason to seek treatment or advice. People often will present with no pain, but they would like to improve their posture or because they have restricted/reduced movement, or because Chiropractic has unquantifiable benefits that make people feel good and improves their energy levels. People also come in because they know through maintaining regular care while they are pain free, means they are less likely to have painful episodes in the future.
How long will it take to resolve my problem?
This depends on many variables, the type and location of the complaint, severity of the complaint, length of time the complaint has been present, additional complicating factors, compliance to treatment, lifestyle, age.
Unfortunately there are no magic potions or silver bullets. Things to keep in mind are, the longer a problem has been present (weeks, months, years) the longer it takes to resolve and as one ages, the speed at which the body heals slows. Finally no Doctor or Therapist no matter how good they are can't help if they don't see you.
"A friend told me there Chiropractor "cracked" her bones", will it hurt?
Firstly, Chiropractors don't "crack", "break", or "put bones back in place", these are all misnomers and wrong, they also sound scary to potential new patients who are looking to try Chiropractic or to those potential patients you are trying to refer to your Chiropractor because you know the benefits Chiropractic provides. Chiropractors deliver a gentle, quick "adjustment" to a joint and in many Chiropractic techniques there is no noise.
If a noise is heard, this is just the release of Nitrogen gas from inside the joint, which is absorbed into the surrounding blood stream and tissues. It then slowly re-enters the joint again over the preceding 20-30mins. The gas release occurs, as the "adjustment" creates a pressure difference resulting in the Nitrogen gas moving from a high pressure location inside the joint to a low pressure environment in the blood stream and tissues.
Chiropractors train for five years, studying a double degree that is not that dissimilar to Medicine. In that time Chiropractors learn the art and skill of delivering an "adjustment", and there is no more highly trained, skilled and qualified practitioner who can deliver an "adjustment" than a Chiropractor.
What does the "adjustment" actually do?
The adjustment works via a series of neuro-physiological pathways altering the state of the muscles, pain fibers and blood flow around a joint. In simple terms the "adjustment" stimulates a relaxation in the muscles around the joint being treated, helping to reduce local muscle spasm. It causes a release of endorphins, which are a natural analgesic (pain killer). It desensitises local pain fibers, helping to reduce pain sensation in the area. It also breaks adhesions (tight or restricted areas) within the ligaments that encase the joint, helping to improve movement within the joint.
I've heard that Chiropractor's are for bones and Physiotherapists are for muscles?
Chiropractors are the Doctor of the neuro-musculoskeletal system, that means your nerves, muscles, bones and joints. Great results can be gained through Chiropractic care for all sorts of conditions affecting the nerves, muscles, bones and joints throughout the body and not just those confined to the spine.
Level 2, 343 Little Collins Street Melbourne, 3000 P: 03 9670 9950