Our Chiropractors use an array of techniques including gentle and specific impulses into the joints of your body called chiropractic
‘adjustments’ or ‘manipulation’ which is a painless, safe and effective way to treat the body. Other techniques such as mobilisations,
work on the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the body, stretching and rehabilitation exercises may be used. Treatment is based on the
simple premise that mechanical malfunction is best treated by mechanical correction. Therapy is designed to restore the normal range of
movement to the joint, relax muscle spasm, and relieve strain on ligaments. This is done by gently unlocking the stiff joints with
skilled manipulation by hand, using just the right amount of pressure to restore proper function and mobility.
Most of the time treatment is offered at the initial consultation as we believe that, when you have been suffering, you shouldn’t have
to wait to relieve your pain. You may be asked to come back for your Report of Findings and treatment at a later time, either the same
day or at a time convenient to you. This serves a few purposes:
- Reduces the length of your first visit
- Gives us time to correlate our examination findings with the case history
- Avoids overloading you with too much information
A treatment plan will be discussed before commencing. The initial frequency of treatment is normally fairly high for the first few weeks,
with the specific frequency dependent upon your age, the amount of time the condition has been present, and your lifestyle and activities.
Whilst this may seem like a lot, it is a vital part of care to begin to reverse some of the adaptations your body has made as a result of
pain or poor posture.
After that we want to maintain the benefits you have gained through the treatment and keep you healthy well into future.
The course of treatment is like taking antibiotics. Some people respond quickly and we of course hope you will, however a course of
treatment will ensure that not only do we get you out of pain, but we get your spine rehabilitated to its best then maintain it so these
problems will not recur in the future.
We work through 3 phases:
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Pain relief
Once the cause of the problem has been identified we want to get you out of pain as quickly as we can and this usually happens in the first
couple of weeks through the relief phase of care. Some people will only want to be out of pain and get back to their normal activities and
we are happy to help you achieve this goal. However here at The Guildford Spine Centre we want to keep you healthy well into the future so
you do not have to go through the pain you were experiencing again. This is where the second and third phases are crucial.
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Correction & Rehabilitation
In this stage the treatment frequency usually drops and there is more emphasis on you completing some easy and gentle home exercises and
stretches to try and stretch and strengthen your body to get you at your best. You can be strong in some of the large muscles in your spine
but still weak in the smaller key stabilising and supportive muscles of the back. A strong back is a healthy back.
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Maintenance and preventative care
Here the aim is to keep the improvement you have had with the treatment and prevent any recurrences of your problems. It is so easy with
today’s lifestyle of poor posture, hectic schedules, and life’s stresses and strains, to leave you open to further injury. Dr Alex
recommends maintenance care to combat this: “like a regular dentist check-up this should happen when you are not in pain, and any problems
that may be brewing are found and can be corrected before they become painful and you end up back where you started.”
