Verwood Chiropractic services

During your first chiropractic appointment with us, we’ll take the time to explore with you the full history of your condition, as well as your lifestyle and general medical history. We’ll find out everything we can about your symptoms during this relaxed one to one question and answer session, including when they’re at their best and their worst. The history of your complaint is where we can often learn the most about how to solve your problem in a more permanent way for you.

All this will help your chiropractor to recommend the most effective individual treatment plan that will work best for you.

Analysing your body movement

Body Consultancy chiropractors will treat you holistically. That means we’ll assess very closely how you move – taking into account the function of your body and its controlling systems as a complex machine.

To help us do this you’ll need to undress to your underwear.* Your chiropractor will then be able to look at how you walk, how you stand, if you place your feet correctly, whether you’re rounding your shoulders, and so on. The purpose of this in-depth physical examination is to help us find the exact cause of your problem, and reduce the chances of it recurring.

* We have private changing facilities and will provide you with a gown to wear over your underwear. If you’re unable to undress for religious or other reasons, please talk about this with our reception staff and the chiropractor before your appointment. Headgear of any kind does not normally present a problem.

Recommending your treatment

To help us reach an accurate, reliable and safe diagnosis, there’s sometimes a need for blood, urine and other laboratory tests. Our chiropractors are also fully trained to take and read X-rays, and may use them in conjunction with the other tests

After completing your assessment and examination, your chiropractor will explain what’s wrong and recommend a plan – including an outline of roughly how many treatments you may need and how each of the phases of care will work for you.

If your chiropractor diagnoses a problem that won’t benefit from chiropractic treatment, we’ll refer you elsewhere without delay.

Excellent chiropractor: I’ve never actually liked going to a chiropractor before but with Mark if I don’t exactly enjoy going at least I don’t think of his appointments as a necessary evil. Quite apart from the fact that he has pretty much fixed a problem I’ve had for years he’s very easy to talk to, not in the least arrogant, dismissive or patronising (maybe I’ve just been incredibly unlucky in my previous choice of chiropractor!) and has a sense of humour. The reception staff all seem very friendly and efficient too.”
– Tracie Webb

It’s common for your chiropractor to find restriction and irritation in the joints and muscles of your body. The treatment to deal with these usually consists of soft tissue work with optional medical acupuncture, deep massage and muscle release techniques. Where appropriate, restricted spinal joints will be improved by adjustment or manipulation.

Over a short course of treatment, these adjustments will return the joint and its surrounding structures to their normal working state. You might hear a popping sound when a stiff joint is freed up. Although the adjustment itself isn’t painful, there can sometimes be a feeling of soreness to the area afterwards. A popping noise does not indicate any damage to the joint being treated.

At the end of your short initial treatment plan you should be feeling very much better and free of symptoms in most cases. It’s important to remember that while chiropractic treatment aims to restore the problem area of your body to its normal state of function, it may not / won’t cure your problem permanently. Your chiropractor will therefore give you expert advice as to how best to maintain your improvement.

Continuing care

If the cause of your complaint is something like poor posture, your working environment or some other complication that would be harder to change permanently, then you may have to manage the problem. This means it may be necessary to learn some exercises to help stabilise your condition (Phase 2) and then in some cases continue maintenance visits at regular intervals (Phase3) – a bit like having your teeth checked regularly by your dentist.

Your plan might also include changes in your lifestyle that can help you to keep fit, healthy and pain-free – for example exercises and stretches to do at home.

An established profession

Chiropractors are highly trained primary health care practitioners. This means they’re trained to a degree standard and depth that gives them an understanding of all of the body’s systems.

The title Chiropractor is protected in statute. This means that there’s been an act of parliament to define what a chiropractor is and does. That includes the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the musculoskeletal systems of the body – bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Chiropractic is a tried, tested and highly regulated form of treatment. In the western world, chiropractors are consulted almost as often as doctors and dentists. The profession was established over 125 years ago. Throughout this last century, particularly in the last few decades, a strong scientific evidence base has been built that demonstrates how effective it can be in the treatment of many complaints.

Effective treatment

Independent research studies by respected international organisations such as the British Medical Research Council show that chiropractic was found to be more effective than hospital outpatient treatment for low back pain.

The United States Army conducted a huge study into chiropractic and now all US soldiers have full access to chiropractic services. This is because it was found to be the most effective long lasting treatment for spinal problems not requiring surgery.

Chiropractic is a holistic form of treatment. Holistic means that your general state of health and your work and social lifestyle will be taken into account, not just the area that’s causing you pain. Advice and exercises will be given to help prevent your problem recurring. Your chiropractor will always look at the cause of your problem, not just the symptoms, to prevent it coming back.

Degree education and statutory regulation

Chiropractors attend a full time B.Sc. degree course, graduating with honours at the end of an information-packed four or five year period. They have the ability to diagnose many complaints and will screen for any serious diseases. No GP referral is required. Mark – not sure what this last sentence means – can you explain? Required for what?

In the UK, an Act of Parliament governs how Chiropractors practise. The General Chiropractic Council has a register of Chiropractors who are allowed to practise in the UK. The Chiropractic Act protects the title Chiropractor and details how practitioners are primary health care practitioners, that they do not require a GP referral, and that they may use the title Dr of Chiropractic. They are not medical doctors.

Multi-disciplinary approach

As well as chiropractic expertise, we can refer you within our clinic to professionally qualified physiotherapists, osteopaths, sports therapists and massage therapists. We also have an excellent relationship with local consultants and surgeons.

Disease screening

As primary care practitioners, we’re trained to screen for and refer any very serious medical conditions. We don’t treat life threatening disease. Prolonged pain with no specific onset should always be investigated further because many illnesses first show up as aches and pains.

Research

The information on this website has been correlated by the professional practitioners at Body Consultancy to explain the services we provide and the conditions we treat. It’s based on the latest scientific research and gives us the most accurate picture in regard to our scope of practice within the clinic. In no clinical case can we at Body Consultancy guarantee a successful outcome. The prognosis for any clinical presentation of a patient depends on too many variables to guarantee success.

We do not treat complaints where there is no scientific evidence that our treatment modalities taken individually or as a whole programme may be successful. Please refer to the references below for further information:

• National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Early Management of persistent non-specific low back pain. 2009 May.
• Airaksinen O, Brox JI, Cedraschic C, Hildebrandt J Klaber-Moffett J, Kovacs F et al:, et al. : Chapter 4. European guidelines for the management of chronic nonspecific low back pain. Eur Spine J 2006, 15 Suppl 2: S169-S191
• Van Tulder M, Becker A, Bekkering T, et al. The COST B13 Working group on guidelines for the management of acute low back pain in primary care. Eur Guidelines for the management of acute non-specific low back pain in primary care. Eur Spine J 2006 Mar; 15 supp 2: S169-91.
• Department of Health. Musculoskeletal Services Framework for England and Wales. 12 July 2006
• Cassidy JD, Thiel HW, Kirkaldy-Willis WH. Side posture manipulation for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1993 Feb; 16(2): 96-103.
• Quon JA, Cassidy JD, O’Connor SM, Kirkaldy-Willis WH. Lumbar intervertebral disc herniation. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1989 Jun; 12(3): 220-7
• Oliphant D. Safety of spinal manipulation in the treatment of lumbar disk herniations: a systematic review and risk assessment. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2004 Mar-Apr; 27(3): 197-210
• Bronfort G, Nilsson N, Haas M, Evans R, Goldsmith CH, Assendelft
• WJJ, Bouter LM. Non invasive physical treatments for chronic/recurrent headache (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004 issue 3.
• Haldeman S, Carroll L, Cassidy D. Schubert J, Nygren A: The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders: executive summary. Spine 2008. 33: S5-S7.
• Spitzer WO, Skovron ML, Salmi LR, Cassidy JD, Duranceau J, Swissa S, Zeiss E. Scientific monograph of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash Associated Disorders: redefining whiplash and its management. Spine 1995;20(8S): 1S-73S.
• Hurwitz EL, Caragee EJ, van der Weld G, et al Treatment of neck pain: non-invasive interventions: results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010. Task force on neck pain and its associated disorders. J. Manipulative Physiol 2009 Feb; 32(2 suppl): S141-175
  www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG88fullguidelinespdf