What is Chiropractic and how does it work?

Founded in the late 1800’s, Chiropractic is a holistic practice that focuses on the relationships between structure and function, with an emphasis on disorders of the musculoskeletal system. It is widely known for its effectiveness in reducing muscle, joint and nerve pain.

While Chiropractic is commonly linked with spinal health, Chiropractors work with adjusting all joints, including knees, shoulders, hips, ankles, jaw, elbow and wrists. A Chiropractor works by using specific techniques to rebalance the muscles and joints, which in turn reduces any associated symptoms of pain, tension and spasm. By getting the body back to its balanced state, the muscles that have been compensating can return to normal, and any pressure on the joints and nerves will be reduced. Chiropractic aims to identify and address the root cause, not just the presenting symptoms.

Why have Chiropractic at Health In The Bay.

With over 15 years experience, Martina is a highly skilled and passionate chiropractor. She combines traditional Chiropractic techniques with new techniques, many of which involve gentle, low-force adjustments. Her philosophy to health revolves around the belief that our bodies have an innate ability to heal, and that sometimes it just needs a little assistance to restore balance.

At Health In The Bay, we have 8 highly experienced and passionate practitioners from various modalities, including Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Cupping, Massage Therapy, Nutrition, Counselling, Psychotherapy and Neuro Emotional Technique. These practitioners all work together to achieve a common goal of improving people’s health and wellbeing.

Can Chiropractic help with my problem?

Chiropractors work holistically to restore the natural balance and functionality of the body. Some of the more common problems that we see here at Health In The Bay are:

• Neck pain: Neck pain is one of the most common conditions due to the necks susceptibility to pain and injury, and is often associated with poor posture, stress and emotional tension. Chiropractic can help improve range of motion and alleviate pain and stiffness.
• Back pain: Back pain is another very common complaint and can present as a dull or sharp pain, which can be accompanied by numbing, tingling or burning sensation. Chiropractic can be effective at improving both acute and chronic back pain.
• Sports injuries: Sports injuries can be caused by accidents, overuse, trauma, repetitive motions or poor training. Chiropractic can work with the muscles, joints and ligaments to address both acute and chronic sports injuries, as well as helping to break down scar tissue.
• Shoulder pain: As the shoulder joint is very flexible, it is also susceptible to pain and injury. Chiropractic can help control the pain, improve range of motion, ensure optimal healing, and restore normal function and elasticity to the tendons, ligaments and muscles.
• Headaches & migraines: Headaches are commonly caused by muscle tension in the neck. Our sedentary lifestyle, poor posture, and often many hours spent in fixed positions, can irritate joints and nerves, and cause muscle tension in the neck, back and head, leading to headaches. Migraines are a severe form of headache. Chiropractic care is known to be effective in alleviating common headaches, and often improving and preventing migraine symptoms.

Chiropractic is also known to help with many other conditions such as jaw pain, vertigo, knee and ankle pain, sciatica, nerve pain and muscle weakness. By having a freely moving skeletal system, the nervous system (which is partly housed and protected by the spine) will also be able to function freely and optimally. By improving the ability of the nervous system to function, a treatment by a Chiropractor can have other follow on benefits.

What techniques are used by Martina at Health In The Bay?

Our chiropractor, Martina, utilises a wide variety and combination of techniques that cater to individual needs, and ensures the treatment is both effective and comfortable for the client. She uses a holistic approach which involves directly treating the presenting symptoms and imbalances, as well as addressing the underlying cause to ensure long lasting changes for the client.

Some of the techniques she uses are:

• Adjustments
• Activator
• Applied Kinesiology
• Intraoral Cranials
• Vector Point Cranials
• Neuro Emotional Technique (NET)
• Neurolink
• Soft tissue releases
• Stretching

Chiropractic – It’s not just about the spine.

While Chiropractic is commonly linked with spinal health, Chiropractors work with adjusting all joints, including knees, shoulders, hips, ankles, jaw, elbow and wrists.

Chiropractic at Health In The Bay focuses on treating a wide range of conditions, and the benefits go far beyond just pain relief. Chiropractic adjustments is also known to help modulate nerves, which in turn confers many health benefits.

The difference between Chiro, Physio and Osteo.

Generally speaking, all three of these professions seek to provide relief and improvement of various body pain, headaches, sports injuries etc. However, there are distinct differences in the philosophy and techniques they use to achieve this.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy specialises in the management and prevention of movement disorders, and uses methods such as exercise, motivation, and massage, and is mostly known for their treatment of sporting injuries.

Chiropractic vs Osteopathy

Chiropractic and Osteopathy share many similar techniques, however their difference in the philosophy to healing means a slightly different treatment approach is used. Osteopaths center their treatments around the improvement of blood and lymphatic flow to aid healing, while Chiropractic focuses on improving the function and balance of the nervous system to assist healing and restoration.

What if I’m scared to see a Chiropractor?

There are many techniques that Martina uses to adjust the spine, ranging from traditional spinal manipulation techniques, to gentle and low-force adjustments that do not involve the sound of cracking or popping, as well as several soft tissue techniques. The treatment are always tailored around each individual needs, age, gender, condition, and comfort level.

How many visits will I need?

As a general guide, clients will often book 1 – 2 weekly sessions with a Chiropractor for the first few weeks, and should noticeably feel improvements and reduction in symptoms during this initial period. Often, the sooner the issue is addressed by a Chiropractor from the time the symptoms occur, the quicker the recovery period as the body has often not had time to adjust to its impaired state. As the client’s function and symptoms improve, the frequency of visits typically decrease, and clients may choose to book in bi-monthly or monthly maintenance sessions as required.

Depending on the nature and severity of the client’s condition, Chiropractors will work with the client to device a treatment plan to suit their needs, always taking into account the client’s finances, schedules, and lifestyle factors – and it is ultimately up to the client how often they wish to book in. At Health In The Bay, we don’t lock our patients into plans. We discuss the ideal treatment and make suggestions, but it’s ultimately up to you how often and when to re-book for follow-up appointments. The best indicator as to how you are improving is how you feel.