Is Chiropractic for me?
Who do I need to see? A Chiropractor? Osteopath? my GP? This is often the question people are asking when they first experience back pain or neck pain symptoms. Often people will go on Doctor Google and suddenly become overwhelmed with an abundance of information.
Is my leg pain coming from my joint, my disc, a muscle entrapment? The list goes on. Unfortunately the truth is google is never going to be able to diagnose your condition and more often than not the information is not coming from a professional, in fact it could be anybody – even a teenager sitting in their mothers basement.
Chiropractic is a 5 year degree which involves a Bachelor or Masters of Chiropractic and a Bachelor of Science. The core focus of the degree is diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders – meaning head, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, finger, back, hip, knee, ankle and foot (every muscular and skeletal condition of the body). Often people assume your chiropractor can only treat back pain and neck pain but there is so much more than just these areas.
Chiropractors are qualified to take x-rays, interpret x-rays and write x-ray reports as this is a large component of their degree, often they will refer to a radiology clinic because it is more cost-effective for their patients however the interpretation of the x-rays does not need to wait for the x-ray report.
When it comes to conditions like headaches, arm pain and leg pain (for example sciatica), more often than not these conditions are related to the nervous system – which put simply is your brain and spinal cord. The brain and spinal cord is protected by your skull and spine which is the protective armour for this delicate but very important system.
You will notice that when you consult your chiropractor, he will often look at your whole body – this is not because he is ignoring your area of complaint but rather because if we only focus on the area of complaint and not the whole body the condition may very well come back time and time again.
For example a mid back problem is often related to forward shoulders and forward head posture, if we only release the muscles or joints of your middle back and do not correct your posture, the area will be loaded with stress again and you will be in the clinic sooner than we would like when we we want to see you happy and healthy for a long time after your care has finished.
The beauty of Avalon Beach Chiropractic & Wellness if we have other practitioners also available, including remedial massage therapists, a podiatrist, a nutritionist, a naturopath and dry needling therapists. If your condition requires the assistance of another professional we have them on hand for you.
We hope to see you in the clinic soon.
Avalon Beach Chiropractic and Wellness