What is it?
Headaches can have a multitude of causes.

What would we do about it?
Pain killers remove the sensations of pain but our job is to find and remove the root cause to prevent it returning in the future. We relax down any muscles in spasm with massage, check the position of the neck and joints and gently restore normal joint or vertebral function. We may also move and massage the cranium. Your bed and sleeping position may well be a factor. We will give you advice on the best mattress, pillow and position for sleep. We also check your overall posture, lifestyle and diet to identify what factors can be improved and may prescribe simple to do exercises at home, all designed to get you better and keep you that way.

What is it?
Shoulders do a lot of work and movement. Sometimes tendons are irritated, there are tears in the tissues or arthritis may be present. You may also have a “frozen shoulder”. Problems in the shoulder can lead to changes in your posture such as round shoulders. A forward head posture may lead to shoulder pain too.

What would we do about it?
After a full examination to look at your shoulder’s range of movement, areas of inflammation and restriction and position of the bones and joint, we may ease the joint back into position, work on your muscles and tissues where there is damage or irritation. We aim to get the joint moving properly again. We will also advise you on factors such as posture, lifestyle and exercises to manage it now and to prevent future problems.

What is it?
Modern life is causing upper back pain for many of us. Sitting at a desk all day with head forward and shoulders rounded, watching telly slumped on the sofa, spending hours driving the car, using tablets and smartphones and lack of exercise all add to the problem. Sometimes the pain in your upper back can be travelling along the nerves from other problem areas in your body such as the neck, ribs or low back. Your bed or sleep position can also cause you problems.

What would we do about it?
We would look at the whole of your spine to get the full picture so we can find the cause of your pain. Once we find it we gently mobilise joints back to normal function,remove nerve irritation, settle the muscles and ligaments down and get things moving properly again. Then we let you know what’s happening in your back and why and give you advice on how to reduce and better manage those “life stressors”. We might send you home with exercises for homework!

What is it?
This is first on our list and is the most common problem encountered. We see many people who have suffered with back pain for much of their lives but believed they had to “live with it”. Causes range from a simple muscle strain to arthritis. Whatever the “diagnosis” most problems stem from poor daily work posture, lack of fitness, being over-weight , and what we call “cumulative micro-traumas” – all those little aches and pains caused by lifting, bending, twisting etc. Unchecked and unresolved, those aches and pains can become a bit more of a problem as the body’s ability to compensate is reduced. Pains can become recurrent or even constant. Vertebrae can be restricted and cause pain which may travel into the buttock and down the leg. All of these problems can be alleviated with chiropractic care.

What would we do about it?
Firstly, a full spinal check. We want to assess the full length of your spine not only to find out what’s causing your pain, but also what cumulative damage has occurred in the past which led you to this point. We then get to work making sure the vertebra in your spine are moving properly by mobilising, manipulating and also massaging the soft tissues, manipulating the spine so the discs can sit comfortably, stretching and breaking up scar tissue with deep massage. This normalises function so your spine can work and bend as it was intended
Once we know where the problems are we will tell you how to look after your spine as you only get one to last a lifetime! When proper function returns you will be given a program of rehabilitation – lengthening, stretching and strengthening the spine, postural, diet and lifestyle advice to get you back to an earlier state of health and we may keep an eye on you at intervals to correct those “micro-traumas” when they happen.

During pregnancy, there are a lot of changes that take place throughout the body. With an ever-expanding bump, the spine often falls under extra stress. That’s where we come in! Pregnancy isn’t a condition, it’s an amazing experience. With chiropractic care and a healthy spine, it’s even better.

What is it?
A lot of pain experienced in the buttock and thighs can be traced back to joints and muscles higher up in the pelvis and lower spine so it’s really vital that we find the exact cause before we begin. Other common conditions are sacro-iliac joint irritation (the joint where the two dimples are at the base of your back) as well as low back joint problems. Occasionally, the pelvis may be twisted, restricted often from birth, which adds a greater stress to the lower spine. Arthritis is also a common cause of pain.

What would we do about it?
We find the cause first using a series of orthopaedic and chiropractic tests to see your range of movement, strength and tone. As with some of the other conditions, we then treat you using gentle manipulation, deep massage, muscular releases, traction techniques as well as exercises, postural, lifestyle advice.

Joints are where one bone connects with another. They are the space between that allow for proper movement and function. Our body has many different types of joints, from those that barely move at all (like the sutures in your skull) to synovial joints that move in many different directions (like your shoulder joints, ankle joint, spinal facet joints, etc.). We know that when the joints move properly, your muscles and ligaments function at an optimal level. This affords you proper function and no pain. However, when joints do not work properly, this leads to a whole host of problems. Primarily, when the joints do not work properly, the muscles and ligaments cannot function properly either. They will tend to either shorten or elongate, depending on the joint problem. When this occurs, they leak toxins that irritate local tissues and nerves. This leads to further pain and dysfunction that compounds until the underlying issue is resolved.

What causes joints not to work properly?
There are various factors. The major factor is mechanical; poor joint position for whatever reason can certainly lead to joint pain and damage.
Many joint dysfunction can be fixed naturally, without surgery.
Chiropractors correct the underlying cause of joint dysfunction so that the body can restore normal ranges of motion in the region that allows for the compensatory soft tissue reactions to heal. It is through this manner that chiropractors are best suited to deal with joint pain and dysfunction.

What is it?
There can be many reasons for leg pain; cartilage damage, weak muscles, imbalance in muscle strength, foot problems, strains, and being over-weight. It may be a structural problem in the leg or it may be referred pain from the back. In fact, there are too many causes to mention without you nodding off, except to say we can treat most problems that show up!

What would we do about it?
As with arm pain, we will test your movement, structure and strength to determine the cause of your pain. We may use various techniques, depending on your condition, such as deep massage, adjustment of the joints, electrotherapy, stretching and mobilisation.
All treatment is tailored to your age and body tolerances and condition. Our youngest patient is 1 week old, our oldest is 92.