Chiropractic is a highly regulated profession in the UK, requiring chiropractors to complete a four-year degree course at university, and a one-year post-graduate development course to register with the General Chiropractic Council. To maintain their registration, chiropractors must continually update their skills through continued professional development each year. Chiropractic care focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mechanical disorders of the muskeletal system and the nervous system through the emphasis of manual treatments and spinal manipulation to assist with overall health and well-being.

Chiropractic adjustments are well recognised as safe and effective manipulative procedures. This is provided they are carried out by qualified professionals who are able to accurately diagnose and safely treat each patient. All our chiropractors are registered with the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). As with any procedure applied to the body, temporary side effects are possible for around 24-72 hours after treatment.

Chiropractors provide conservative management of a variety of disorders including, but not limited to... Back, Neck, Head and Joint Pain (over 90 per cent of conditions are treated). Chiropractors treat an enormous range of conditions including: Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain Neck Pain Joint, Muscle and Nerve Pain Headaches Arising from the Neck Prevention of Migraine Foot Knee and Hip Pain Hand, Arm and Shoulder Pain Minor Accident Related Injuries Disk Problems Symptoms Associated with Osteoarthritis Minor Sports Injuries.

Depending on the skills of your chiropractor and the therapies he chooses, the aims of treatment are:- • Reduce pain and inflammation • Improve tissue healing • Balance nervous system activity • Reduce tension in tight joints • Improve muscle strength and flexibility • Refine posture and body movement • Help with ergonomics and exercise regimes • Assist a healthier mental and emotional life • Enhance balance and coordination • Optimise cranial function • Correct breathing patterns

Adjustments are not always required however, When you are adjusted, depending on the technique used, you may hear a popping or cracking sound. This noise is nothing to worry about, as it is simply a release of gas when the joint is moved. Very similar to cracking your knuckles - However, don't be alarmed, it’s not your bones breaking! Alternatively, If you are still uncomfortable with hearing the cracking noise, there are a number of alternatives that can be made to the adjustment that don’t involve anything getting ‘cracked’.

During your first visit, the chiropractor will want to know about your health history as well as your current complaint. Your home and work life as well as your level of physical activity may also affect your health, so don’t be surprised to be asked questions about these. Although chiropractors use their hands for most treatments, they also use other methods such as ice, specialized adjusting instruments, and personalised exercise programs, muscle-testing and neurological exercises. Your chiropractor can also give you information and guidance on how you can stay healthy through proper nutrition, general exercise and lifestyle changes.

This is a very tricky question to answer as it’s not a one size fits all situation, it will totally vary from patient to patient and is varied from your presenting complaint, Age, health, lifestyle habits and how well you have looked after yourself over the course of your life, which will all be factors to consider. Some people come to chiropractic to help them get out of pain quickly. This usually doesn’t take too long. However, a lot of people utilise chiropractic as part of their ongoing wellness and as a preventative for future potential damage as It is much easier, and more beneficial for the body to maintain wellbeing rather than trying to fix it when something goes wrong. Your chiropractor will give you a schedule of recommended care but it is always your decision as to how long you wish to benefit from chiropractic care.

Your response to treatment depends on your condition, the length of time you have had the problem, your age and the degree of your disability. Your chiropractic doctor will tell you the frequency and length of treatment typically recommended for your condition. People choose chiropractic as they often get quick results. Individual cases vary and chronic conditions obviously need more treatment, but studies show that people with low back pain get back to work much faster with chiropractic care. You might also consider the benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments even when you feel healthy. Sometimes you won’t know you have a disorder of the joints, muscles, ligaments and nerves until it becomes acute and painful. So, very similar as you see your dentist to have your teeth checked or the opticians for eye exams. With regular visits to your chiropractor we can catch related health conditions early, By the theory of helping prevent them developing into more severe painful episodes. Remember, your spine is susceptible to wear and tear like your teeth and your eyes, so we recommend a regular service to look after it.

Arthritis We see a lot of clients with arthritis, which is essentially wear and tear of the joints. Like most things in life, when something doesn't move smoothly for long enough, it'll start to wear out - our spines are no different. chiropractic care aims to help restore a better function and movement to a damaged joint, and by doing this, symptoms usually improve or in some cases even resolve completely. Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a little different - this is when the density of the bones decreases. Unfortunately, X-rays aren't the best diagnostic too to detect this bone condition as there needs to be about 30% reduction of bone density before it shows on x-ray. Therefore a specific bone density scan is generally required. Interestingly though, osteoporosis itself doesn't really cause any symptoms, but overtime it can predispose the bones to fracture more easily. On the other hand, many clients present with osteoporosis and still gain benefits from having a spine which is moving better - we just might need to adapt our techniques to best suit them.

The number of adjustments varies with each patient and their individual health goals. Each patient senses progress at different times and is generally influenced on what the underlaying cause is. However, many patients sense progress within the first few weeks of treatment. At the beginning stage treatments are usually twice weekly if you are in pain and as you make progress, the frequency of visits become less. For most people the rehabilitation stage is weekly visits for 2-6 weeks, spreading to fortnightly and then monthly as your joints, muscles and nervous system start to stabilise. In chronic cases, complete healing can take months or even years. Spinal care can be like looking after your teeth. We teach you back exercises – analogous to brushing your teeth and recommend check-up visits usually once every 3-4 months. How long you choose to benefit from our care is always entirely up to you. In summary, it is important to come in for your treatments on a regular basis. Most people will feel a lot more comfortable within 6-8 treatments, and often a lot less. Further treatments are usually required to help consolidate and maintain progress – initially this is again about 6-8 treatments on average, depending on the underlying problems. Your chiropractor will discuss with you your likely need for treatment depending on what they find.

Shockwave Therapy is a safe, non-invasive procedure that is an effective treatment if you are suffering from tendon, muscle or joint disorders. It’s a genuine alternative to steroid injections or surgery. The shockwave machine, produces ‘energy waves’ which are targeted to the injured tissues, bringing about it’s beneficial effects. It is a mechanical wave, not an electric one. The mechanical waves kicks off inflammation in the area. In turn, the body responds by increasing blood flow to that area which accelerates the body’s own natural healing process. The shock waves can also break down injured tissue and calcifications. The shockwave therapy stimulates the body’s natural self-healing process, helping you recover faster. It is particularly effective when used to treat long standing conditions, conditions that continue to re-occur or conditions that have not been successfully managed through traditional treatment methods.

Have you had a stubborn injury like Plantar Fasciitis, Tennis Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow or Achilles Tendonopathy pain for some time? Have you tried lot’s of other things yourself, other treatments, resting or gadgets, but nothing has worked? Is your issue stopping you doing lot’s of the things you’d normally enjoy? Are you facing a steroid injection or maybe even surgery? If so, shockwave therapy could be for you. The most recognised conditions that shockwave therapy can help include: Plantar Fasciitis Achilles Tendinopathy Golfers Elbow (medial Epicondylitis) Tennis Elbow (lateral Epicondylitis) Calcific Tendinopathy Trochanteric Bursitis Other tendonopathies, including patellar, biceps and rotator cuff

Shockwave therapy is a treatment that you do feel when it operating, In many cases people experience a little pain but this is well within tolerance. Following the treatment, you may experience redness, bruising, swelling and numbness to the area. But this will improve within a few days and are all normal reactions to the treatment.

The research backed protocols outline that most conditions will require 3-6 sessions of shockwave therapy. However, in some chronic conditions additional sessions may sometimes be required.

Initially you will have a thorough assessment by one of the chiropractors to be ascertain that Shockwave Therapy is the most appropriate treatment for your injury. By having this approach it means that we may be able to combine Shockwave therapy with other appropriate treatments to make sure you make a full recovery. During a Shockwave treatment, your Practitioner will find the location of the pain by searching for painful points. following this, some gel is applied to the skin, which improves the contact between the skin and the hand piece, to allow the shockwaves to penetrate the body properly. The Shockwave therapy machine is used to deliver a series of acoustic wave pulsations directly to the site of your injury. The treatment itself can be a little painful, although this is generally tolerable. The treatment time slot is 30 mins, however, the actual time spent receiving shockwave therapy is typically fifteen minutes. However, at optimize chiropractic we spend time both warming up the area to loosen up tissue before the treatment and will also provde education, advice and other relevant appropriate post treatment care to further support your recovery.

You need to be aware that there are some potential side effects of Shockwave. You may experience: Pain & discomfort – This can occur during or after treatment & usually subsides within 1-2 days. Transient skin reddening and/or bruising at the treatment site. Transient minor skin irritation or damage at the treatment site. Temporary numbness in the area. These are all normal reactions that indicate your natural healing process has been stimulated.

Shockwave therapy is contraindicated in cases of pregnancy, blood clotting disorders, pacemakers, and certain types of cancer. It is important to consult with a healthcare provider before undergoing shockwave therapy to ensure it is safe for you.

Massage is generally considered safe for most people. However, it's essential to consult with a healthcare provider or a qualified massage therapist before getting a massage, especially if you have any underlying health conditions or concerns.

Sports massage uses a lot more pressure than other types of massage. However, we will work within your individual capacity for pressure and uses a scale system to help learn what you like. For example, if you’ve just run a marathon, we know you can’t take a lot of pressure on your legs and in some cases, may develop knots or trigger points that require stronger bodywork which may cause discomfort. when this is the case, we will always communicate with you to make sure we are working within your tolerance pain levels, and ultimately work together to make the session as productive as possible, and as pain-free as possible.

Absolutely! Even if you don’t do any form of sport or exercise, our everyday movements still put stresses on our body, which can, over time, lead to long-term issues. Many office workers, for example, who spend long hours every day sitting at a desk suffer from pain and stiffness in their neck, shoulders and lower back, which can become quite serious problems if left unchecked. By receiving regular sports massage it can help to ease strains put on areas of the body and helps reduce the risk of minor pains turning into more problematic issues which can effect your day to day activities. Sports massage can help with your muscles, mind, and assist you in becoming more relaxed and loose, both allowing you to move more freely, and prevent muscles from becoming too tight and stiff.

Massage can assist the body and help in many ways from: Draining away fluid; to relieve swelling Improve circulation; to increase blood flow to muscles Reduce muscle tension; to promote flexibility and assist preventing injuries Increase Range of Motion Improve performance

Yes. Sports massage is proven to reduce recovery time, sometimes dramatically, by shortening the time it takes for injuries to heal, and makes the after effects “better”. Sports Massage reduces the swelling and oedema associated with soft tissue injuries. After a serious injury, Sports Massage helps form strong, pliable scar tissue instead of the usual random stiff scar tissue, so that range of motion and tissue extensibility are maintained. A short list of benefits are: Shortens the time it takes for an injury to heal. Helps to reduce swelling and oedema. Helps to form soft, pliable scar tissue. Maintains or increases the range of motion. Eliminates splinting in associated muscle tissue. Locates and deactivates “trigger points” that form as a result of the original trauma. Help get the athlete back into training sooner with less chance of re-injury.

This is a great question, and it ultimately will depend on many factors: if you are an athlete/participate in sport, factors such as training volume and intensity is needed to be considered; also whether or not you have chronic pain or if its an acute injury, there are many options for example; some athletes, who train intensely throughout the week generally benefits from weekly massage to maintain the best results and benefits. whereas, recreational athletes generally benefit from an occasional Sports Massage if they’re in pain. If you don’t participate in sport, then occupational factors come into play, for example, if you sit at a desk all day and have a tight neck and shoulders? Or do you carry out heavy manual work which makes you tight and prone to injury? these can benefit from regular massage as overtime repetitive and prolonged positions creates aches and pains, which can worsen overtime and interfere with daily activities. So the best answer to how often will depend on many factors, however, as a general rule, even getting massaged once a month regularly will have a long lasting positive impact on the body.

Sometimes yes. If you have general tightness in musculature, you can expect to come away from a Sports Massage experiencing a lot of relief, at least for a while. But in general if the tightness and pain has been continually bothering you for many months or years. It’s not reasonable to expect permanent relief from a 30 / 45 minute session of Sports Massage to fix everything in one. To help understand how Sports Massage benefits, it is very much like wanting to run a marathon. Your first run would not enable you to run a marathon, however, by consistency, and repeated training will give the best opportunity to run a marathon, in short, one treatment may provide some benefits, however, repeated treatment will give you the best opportunity to maintain and better support the body to keep the niggles and tightness away.

Yes. Contraindications are conditions when you should not be massaged. The most common condition among athletes is that of an acute injury or inflammation. Usually, the first 72 hours after an injury is the acute stage. After the swelling and pain begin to diminish, massage is recommended. Alternatively, other contraindications include: Fever Cuts and open wounds Varicous veins Broken bones Burns Some skin conditions Pregnancy in first trimester (3 months) Uncontrolled Hypertension Cancer Here are just a few examples of contraindications of massage, however, if you are thinking of receiving a massage and not sure if sports massage is safe with a specific condition. If unsure ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR GP BEFOREHAND.