What Does A Chiropractor Do?
Most people never even think about a Chiropractor when they have an issue, let alone before they ever have an issue. More often than not, people search for a Chiropractor out of necessity. Because let’s be honest, it’s not the first thought that comes to mind, right?
Generally, when people think of a Chiropractor they think of someone who helps with back pain. However, a local chiropractor can help in many, many more ways.
In this blog we are going to lay out;
What does a Chiropractor do?
When should you see a Chiropractor?
The main benefits of Chiropractic care
What will happen when you visit your local Chiropractor
The effect a Chiropractor will have on your life
What Does a Chiropractor Do?
Chiropractic care is where a Chiropractor uses hands-on techniques to correct imbalances in your body which can help relieve problems with the bones, muscles and joints. Most people will think of Chiropractic care as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Whereas, it’s actually a mainstream form of care, especially in the United States where more people understand the benefits of Chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is more like dentistry, where a dentist deals with oral health, a chiropractor deals with spinal health and its effect on the nervous system.
The aim of a Chiropractor is to care for a client’s neuromusculoskeletal system. Meaning your bones, nerves, muscles, tendons and ligaments all of which support and help you move. Which is why a Chiropractor can be a great compliment to a physio.
Your First Appointment
In your first appointment, a Chiropractor will do an initial consultation to look at your spine’s function, alignment and movement. That doesn’t mean they are just going to get you to stand there and look at your spine. There is sooooo much more to it! They can even take x-rays, if it is clinically needed to create a specific care plan to help your body heal itself.
After your consultation, the good part begins. If your local Chiropractor has decided a plan of care is right for you, you can co-create a plan to start a series of adjustments of the spine. This remove subluxations, which is just a fancy way of saying a joint that’s not functioning properly. Primarily with your Chiropractor, this will be in the spine.
Your Resilient Machine
These subluxations (now you feel smart knowing that, right?) cause interference through the nervous system, just like when your hose pipe has a bend in it, it stops as much water flowing through. Chiropractic adjustments can also help improve the function of other systems throughout the body.
These interferences can irritate spinal nerves and could lead to a variety of conditions. Now this is the cool part, because a Chiropractor does not prescribe any pain medication and instead they will use the spine as different levers to access different parts of the nervous system to help them function better.
Your body is already a pretty amazing and resilient machine. It can deal with so many things, like going from the cold UK to a hot Mediterranean beach. It adapts. And that’s exactly how a Chiropractor will help your body do what it’s already good at!
The Main benefits of Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care can help benefit the whole body, but most people will come for specific areas of the body that need help. The common problems people generally think of seeing a local Chiropractor for are low back pain and neck pain. But this is just a tiny, tiny fraction of what a Chiropractor can do to help your body heal.
Back Pain
It is estimated that 2.5 million people suffer with back pain every day in the UK. Something which can start off as a little niggle can progressively get worse. It all adds up and costs the NHS a whopping £1 billion per year. The huge cost can be reduced by understanding the benefits of Chiropractic care for your back pain. Your local Chiropractor will look at the things that could be causing your back pain. They will then create a plan to help overcome or limit the impact it has on your life.
Whereas most medical professions will look to mask the pain through pain killers to help you continue without treating the issue. It’s a short term fix , but it can create a chronic problem that can continue for years ahead of you and can cause a far worse condition.
Neck Pain
Neck pain affects around 50% of the adult population in the UK. The common causes of neck pain can be osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated disc, pinched nerve, mental and physical stress and strain, poor posture and other health conditions.
Most people worry about neck pain through their lifestyle of poor posture. We now on average, spend 4.8 hours on our phones each day. That’s a long time looking down at your screen which can cause structural changes in your body after long periods of time like this.
Did you know, for every inch forward your head is, it doubles the pressure in your shoulders and neck. Now imagine this over the long periods of time staring at your phone screen, your neck and shoulders will have to take a lot of strain through them. It’s no wonder this can cause tension which could lead to headaches. Poor posture is one of the main causes of headaches and something that can easily be resolved by visiting your local Chiropractor.
What Will Happen When You Visit A Local Chiropractor
When you visit your local Chiropractor for the first time, they will do an initial consultation to assess your body. In the assessment they are looking for any weaknesses or areas of concerns. In your consultation, a Chiropractor will do different tests that may include assessments of your posture and range of movement. If they feel it is necessary, they might take x-rays to see more deeply into your body and its internal layout to best understand the source of your pain.
After Your Consultation
After the initial consultation, your Chiropractor will book another appointment, called the Report of Findings (RoF) so they can go through your results. In your RoF, your chiropractor will go through in more detail what they have found from your initial consultation and the outcomes of the various tests and x-rays (if anywhere taken). They will then outline their plan of care to help you overcome the pain you are currently experiencing, hooray!
What Effect Will a Chiropractor Have On My Life?
Once you have had your initial consultation, been through your Report of Findings and are happy with the plan of care they have laid for you. You will then start your series of adjustments with your local Chiropractor.
Weight loss
Seeing your Chiropractor is like losing weight. It takes time to help your body correct itself through the care given to you. You don’t start a diet on day one to suddenly lose 20lbs, it would be amazing if you did, but we all know your body takes time to adapt. If you imagine you have been walking, sitting, running, and moving in a certain way for many years, it will take time to get your body working the right way. Once they start correcting your function the body will begin resolving your pain.
Low back pain
If, like most clients, you are experiencing lower back pain, a Chiropractor can help get rid of the pain to allow you to enjoy the things in your life pain free. So if you’re a mum of toddlers (or even older kids), you know how cute it is when your toddler looks at you with arms open wide. But you know as soon as you pick them up you’ll feel your back again. Parents of older kids will tell you that won’t ever go away. You almost adapt your body to it, what they call the toddler hip hold.
What would you be able to do if the pain from carrying a toddler round disappeared? And that’s just one case, imagine the plumber carrying heavy boilers and squeezing into tight spaces for years. To then be relieved of that pain, pretty cool, right?
Headaches
For the many people who suffer from headaches, your life could be completely changed if you didn’t have them. The people we see who are staring at a screen or driving long distances each day, to reduce the number of headaches you have in a week would be amazing. How much more work do you think you would be able to do without a headache? Or how many more nights would you be able to go to the gym or even sit with your other half instead of going to bed early. The power of seeing your local Chiropractor on a regular basis can be extraordinary.
How Can Life Effect Help?
At Life Effect, our team of chiropractors are determined to help you to regain control of your life. We start every consultation by getting to know you, what you want from your treatment, your concerns and the things you want to get back to doing. Only then, will we come up with a care plan that keeps you at the centre.
Not only will we get to the root cause of your back pain and discuss appropriate pain relief but we can prevent back pain in the long-term too. To book your free consultation or to discuss how we could help you, simply get in touch with our team.