What is Chiropractic?
A health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal adjustment and other joint and soft tissue manipulation (World Federation of Chiropractic).
The Chiropractic paradigm.
The chiropractic paradigm consists of three main parts:
- Purpose
The purpose of chiropractic is to optimise the body's health. - Principle
The major principle of chiropractic is that the body's natural or innate ability to heal itself is controlled by the nervous system. - Practice
In chiropractic practice, we first establish a diagnosis in order to then facilitate proper biomechanical and neurological function of the body through appropriate chiropractic care. This is to ultimately promote optimal health of the body.
What should I expect during the consultation?
When you arrive, you will first fill out a Patient Information Sheet with your personal details (name, address, etc.) and few questions about your problem. Depending on your condition we may ask you to fill out a questionnaire to help us get as much information about your problem. Then you will go into the consulting room where Dr Wood will take a detailed history of your presenting complaint(s). He will also ask about past problems or illnesses. Even though past history might seem irrelevant to you, it is important as there may be something related you are unaware of or it may alter the type of treatment provided.
After the history, a thorough examination will be performed. This will include any orthopaedic, neurological and chiropractic tests to help identify the the problem areas or any imbalances. The tests should not be too arduous and might include you or the Dr moving the relevant joint around, applying gentle pressure and other non-invasive manoeuvres. Some of the test may be provocative in nature, that is we try to reproduce your symptoms, every action is taken to ensure your comfort.
The history and examination will usually provide Dr Wood with the information to make a diagnosis and devise a Customised Care Plan for your individual case. Sometimes we need to do further test like X-rays or MRI scans before a diagnosis can be made.
A Report of Findings visit will then be scheduled. At this visit Dr Wood will give you a detailed explanation of what is going on (diagnosis) in terms you can understand and what we can do to help (Care Plan). The Care Plan or management plan, includes what procedures or treatments would be used as well as the number and frequency of visits should be required to reach your health goals. Dr Wood will always allow time for you to ask questions and will outline the expected outcome (prognosis) and any potential side effects so you can make an informed decision. While 99% of our patients opt to start treatment at this visit, some like to think about the information they have been given for a bit longer, before scheduling their treatment visits.
How many treatments will I need?
This is entirely dependant on the nature and complexity of your individual problem, the severity of the injury (how much tissue damage or change has occurred) and how long you have had the problem (chronicity). Other factors that can make a difference: your age, healing ability and nutritional status.
Physical stress like poor posture, emotional and mental stress all have a profound effect on your body's healing. Chemical stressors like smoking and medications can have a negative effect on your healing time.
We always monitor your progress visit to visit and schedule Progress Checks / Re-evaluations to make sure we keep things on track. To receive optimal benefits from your Chiropractic Care it is important to follow the Care Plan provided by making sure you attend your visits, perform the exercises given, make any lifestyle changes recommended and keep a positive attitude.
The three types of stress and their affect on our body.
Our bodies are placed under varying amounts of stress everyday of our life, which, overtime, can begin to affect its performance. If a body is no longer able to deal with stress in a proper manner it becomes susceptible to disease and injury. Stress can be broken down into three different types.
Physical Stress
Microtrauma. e.g. improper posture when sitting, standing, walking or sleeping, repetitive strain injuries or wear and tear due to congenital anomalies.
Macrotrauma. Falls, slips, fractured bones, car accidents, etc. The trauma doesn't need to be large and its effects can contribute to problems not only at the time it occurred, but also many years down the road.
Emotional Stress
This is your mental well being. It includes stress from all aspects of your life, e.g. work, relationships and your overall outlook on life. Emotional stress triggers responses in the autonomic nervous system, which influences the function of your body's tissues, muscles, organs, etc. It can play just as much of a role as any physical stress towards your overall state of health.
Chemical Stress
This is what you put into your body. Chemical stresses include pollution, poor diet, alcohol, smoking, drugs, medication and caffeine.
The phases of care.
There are three phases of chiropractic care. Whichever phase you decide to take your care to, is up to you. The amount of treatment is individual to every patient. Your age, lifestyle, general health, genetics, stress levels, prior injuries, amount of degeneration, the severity, nature and length of time the problem has been there must all be taken into consideration.
Initial Intensive Care
This corresponds to relief from you symptoms. Symptoms are generally the result of inflammation, muscle spasm or irritation of pain fibres in joints, muscles and tendons. Chiropractic adjustments will help to decrease all of these, thereby providing symptomatic relief.
Generally speaking, this occurs first in the phases of care. Treatment visits are often frequent during this phase to help get you out of pain quicker and start the healing process. Dr Wood will often give you some practical advice and simple home/office procedures to assist in making you as comfortable as possible.
Rehabilitative Care
This corresponds to the healing process or bringing your body towards optimal health. Once the body has cleared what was causing the symptoms (inflammation, muscle spasm etc.) it can then focus on correcting what lead to the symptomatic state in the first place, i.e. neurological and biomechanical dysfunction.
Dr Wood will continue to give chiropractic adjustments to help bring your body to its best possible function. Treatment frequency will usually decrease, but this phase may take some time. Much like going to the gym, your body does not strengthen and stabilise overnight. As your body begins to function better, you will be given exercises to promote flexibility, strength and stabilisation of you body in the proper functional state.
Wellness Care
This corresponds to maintaining optimal function. Continued chiropractic care can help detect the build up of daily stress and correct it before it leads to a state of dysfunction. This can be thought of as a periodic check-up using the "Prevention rather than Cure" approach. The frequency of treatment in this phase is much reduced. Again, this is determined by the individual nature of every patient. However far you decide to take your treatment is always up to you. Dr Wood is there to provide the treatment and guide you through your care.
Is Chiropractic just for back problems?
No. Chiropractors are trained to treat and rehabilitate many parts of the body. They work on shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, the jaw, etc. Some patients may experience systemic and general health benefits as well, through the relationship of the spinal nerves and organs they supply. The most important thing is to identify the cause of the problem and try to correct it. Treatment for other problems will often involve treatment of the spine. There are two main reasons for this:
- The nerves that regulate the body originate from the spine.
- The structure of the body is such that the rest of the skeleton hangs off of the spine.
Spinal problems can lead to problems elsewhere and vice versa.
What if I've just had spinal surgery?
In most cases chiropractic treatment is safe post spinal surgery. In fact, this is all the more reason you should see a chiropractor. Spinal surgery is a stress and in most cases will permanently alter the motion of the joints were it was performed. This will lead to compensational changes elsewhere starting the degenerative process. Chiropractic treatment can help to minimise the compensational changes and keep your body functioning as best as possible.
What if mine is not a problem for Chiropractic?
If the history and examination suggest yours is not a chiropractic case, Dr Wood will make recommendations or the necessary referral to get you the appropriate care. He may also suggest co-management with another health care practitioner.
Contact info
Guildford: 01483 - 306 722
Weybridge: 01932 - 820 400
Email.
