Check list for choosing the best chiropractor in Brighton

Written by Sundial Clinics Thursday, 5 January 2012 10:35

Choosing a chiropractor is easy, choosing a good chiropractor takes a bit more thought. Here are a few tips to make the process more straightforward.

As with choosing any professional service, recommendation by someone who has been is best. Ask around amongst friends and family. There are a million visits a year to chiropractors in the UK and several in Brighton so chances are someone you know has been to one. It is worth asking them why they went to see a chiropractor in the first place and how they got on.

All chiropractors in the UK have to be registered with the General Chiropractic Council by law. You can check the register here to make sure they are on it. If they aren’t – don’t go.

You might also like to check if they are members of the British Chiropractic Association. The BCA is the oldest, largest and most reputable association in the UK and its members adhere to the highest standards of care and professionalism. You can check their register here (chiropractic-uk.co.uk). Their website also has lots of useful tips and advice about what to expect when you visit a chiropractor.

All the Brighton chiropractors at Sundial are GCC and BCA registered.

Most chiropractors stick to treating muscle and joint problems for which there is good evidence for effectiveness. If a chiropractors website makes bold claims to treat all sorts of other conditions without good evidence then best choose someone else. If you want to know what chiropractors can treat effectively then this recent research may help by Bronfort.

If a chiropractor recommends that everyone have an x-ray then this is not considered good practice. X-rays can be very helpful in certain circumstances but useless in others. Good clinical decision making is more important than universally x-raying all new patients.

Most chiropractors will treat you in a private room. We think this is necessary for confidentiality and a more personal approach. Some chiropractors will use an open plan room with several treatment tables and patients in there at once. This may be down to your personal preference. Treatment fees should be lower for this sort of care but often they are the same as for clinics using only private rooms. Be sure to check.

A range of treatments should be available and you should be given a choice. Sometimes there are good reasons to recommend one form of treatment over another, but this should be clearly explained. We have physio’s, massage therapists, acupuncturists and podiatrists as well as chiropractors here at Sundial.

You should not be required to attend health education classes. Here at Sundial, we feel that if anything needs explaining, it is best done on a one-to-one basis to make sure that you get the advice that is specific to you and that you have the opportunity to ask questions.

The number of sessions you need should be made clear at the start and you should start to feel an improvement within the first few sessions. If you are not improving as we both would expect them a full reassessment will be carried out and another approach to treatment will be recommended.

Fees should be clearly laid out in advance and you should not be required to pay large up-front fees. Here at Sundial you will have the option to pay in advance and receive a discount and be refunded any fees you do not use.

We hope this has been helpful. If you have any questions then feel free to email us or call for an appointment for a free check-up, no strings attached.

Gentle Chiropractic – Activator adjusting explained

Written by Sundial Clinics Saturday, 26 November 2011 03:52

If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, or certain types of headaches, you may benefit from chiropractic care. Chiropractors use their hands to unlock the stiff joints of the spine that cause these problems and the resulting nerve irritation and muscle spasm. Indeed chiropractic means “done by hand”. Some people, however, are not keen on the snap, crackle, pop that often goes along with spinal adjusting.Fortunately, there is another way of restoring this movement without the cracking.

Sundial Chiropractors in Brighton

Chiropractors are at the forefront of developing new techniques to mobilise and manipulate the spine. An invention that has gained widespread use in popularity amongst chiropractors and patients alike is the Activator. The Activator is a spring-loaded adjusting instrument that uses speed rather than force to mobilise the joints. The impulse from the instrument takes a mere three milliseconds! It’s so fast that you barely feel anything has happened in spite of the adjustment being incredibly powerful.

Over 100 studies have been done on the Activator since its invention more than 20 years ago. These have shown that this gentle chiropractic technique has a profound effect on the tissues of the spine(1). Some research shows that the click is not the important part of chiropractic treatment anyway. For more go here.

To find out more look at the video by clicking on the image to see just how powerful an Activator adjustment can be.

If you like the idea of chiropractic without the joint clicks then give us a call for a free assessment to see if the Activator might help you.

References

1. Fuhr, Arlan W.; J. Michael Menke (February 2005). “Status of Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique, Theory, and Practice”. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 28 (2): e1–e20. doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2005.01.001

Is the pop necessary for our chiropractic adjustment to be effective?

Written by Sundial Clinics Thursday, 6 October 2011 07:35

Some people love it, some people hate it but the pop or click associated with chiropractic spinal adjustments or manipulation is thought to be the beneficial bit of chiropractic care by many people. But is this right? If a joint doesn’t pop does this mean the treatment hasn’t worked and you won’t get better.

This very question was studied recently using 40 people as guinea pigs. There pain sensitivity was measured by using a hot probe on their leg or foot. Ouch! The individuals then received a spinal manipulation and then retested to see if they could bear a hotter probe. Interestingly, the people who popped and the people who didn’t pop both had the same improvement in pain sensitivity. In other words they could bear hotter probe after treatment whether or not they’re back popped with the manipulation.

So what does this mean for you if you have chiropractic treatment? Well, essentially it means if your back doesn’t pop when we adjust it, you will still get better just as quickly. This is good news for people who don’t like the click because, as much as chiropractors like it, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. For a chiropractic technique without the clicking that we carry out here in Brighton go here.

Of course the other thing to remember from this study is that if a researcher asks you if you want to take part in an experiment to do with pain – run a mile!

Reference:-

The relationship of the audible pop to hypoalgesia associated with high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust manipulation: a secondary analysis of an experimental study in pain-free participants.

Bialosky JE, Bishop MD, Robinson ME, George SZ; University of Florida Department of Physical Therapy.

Journal of Manipulative & Physiological Therapeutics 2010; 33: 117-124.

Exercise, brain changes and chiropractic, new video

Written by Sundial Clinics Monday, 5 September 2011 12:57

You are probably aware of the benefits of exercise on the heart and lungs but you may not be familiar with the effect on brain function. This short video talks about how exercise affects the brain and how chiropractic may be involved too.

Could flat feet cause back pain?

Written by Sundial Clinics Tuesday, 1 March 2011 05:43

The answer is yes. Here’s why. If the arch in the foot flattens out (over-pronates) the shin bone and knee twist inward in a cork-screw motion putting stress on the hip and pelvic bones. This can cause the spine to tilt and the back joints to ache. In fact it has been estimated that up to 80% of people over-pronate.

How do you know if this could be causing a problem for you? Easy right? You look at your feet arches and if they are flat then it is possible. Well, no unfortunately it is not that simple. When you walk the arch raises and flattens continuously and standing posture doesn’t tell you much. There is a straight-forward test that can tell us though if you do have a problem. We ask you to stand and roll your feet in. If a previously strong arm muscle goes weak it is likely that you have over-pronation. If you would like us to test you next time you are in then let us know.

Other signs of over-pronation you might look for are un-even shoe wear, a waddle when walking or sore feet at the end of a long day. Bunions and Achilles tendon problems can also be a result.

It is not just back problems that over-pronation can cause. You will walk over 115,000 miles in your lifetime so obviously foot and ankle pain can be a result but also knee and hip arthritis have been shown to be caused, at least in part, by arch problems. Interestingly it seems that the mechanism causing such issues may be a weakening of the leg muscles in response to nerve endings being irritated in and around the foot itself.

If we find an over-pronation problem we recommend wearing a shoe insert, sometimes called a footbed or orthotic, to support the arch better. The best ones we have found are called Superfeet and they out perform every other footbed we have tried and often do better than a customised one from a podiatrist which may cost hundreds of pounds. They are really comfortable and most of us at Sundial wear them all the time.

Golfers found that wearing footbeds improved balance and fatigue and even improved how far they could hit a golf ball. Runners found that long-standing injuries improved and military personnel found that they had fewer injuries in the first place when wearing orthotics. If you think you might be a candidate for Superfeet then mention it next time you are in.

Choosing the right Brighton Chiropractor and Physiotherapist Clinic

Written by Sundial Clinics Tuesday, 8 February 2011 09:05

Our professional approach, gentle treatment and the great care we take of our clients have helped us become a centre for excellence – and the Brighton back pain clinic that people most prefer.

Many people believe they will have to put up with back pain when in fact, prompt treatment can cure back pain for good. Call us today for a free check to see how our back pain treatment works and if we can help you. We can also help with leg pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain and headaches too. Even arthritis pain can improve with the right treatment.

At Sundial Clinics we work hard to find out what is wrong. That’s why we have physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and Pilates trainers to help you.

Most of our clients come from Brighton, Hove and Kemp Town but many come from around Sussex as we are close to Brighton railway station. We are so confident that we can help you find the pain relief and better health you want, that we offer all our clients a money back guarantee.

X-rays reduce cancer risk says latest research

Written by Sundial Clinics Tuesday, 1 June 2010 02:04

Using x-rays to see inside the body has been around since 1895 and chiropractors were amongst the first to use this wonderful new technology. The first x-ray machine to be installed in a chiropractic college was in 1910 in Davenport, Iowa. Since then x-ray use fallen in and out of favour in both medical and chiropractic circles. Everyone assumes that all x-rays pose a risk to health but latest research puts this to the test.

Recently NICE recommended against the routine use of x-rays for simple low back pain. As far back as 1976 studies(1) showed that ordinary x-ray films don’t show the cause of the pain. Further arguments showed that in most cases and doesn’t improve care or the clinical outcome.  Whilst that may be true for medicine where the first treatment is medication and then, after a while, physiotherapy exercises, chiropractors use x-rays differently.

The 1976 study was limited to the 18-50 age group so the same conclusion cannot be drawn for older back sufferers. Chiropractors take films standing up which shows such things as leg length differences far more accurately than measuring the legs or eyeballing differences at the feet or ankles. Hospitals take back x-rays lying down which show disease but mask postural changes like spinal curvature (scoliosis)  and disc compression with instability.

Chiropractors main form of treatment is manipulation or adjustment of the spine. Whilst this is a safe procedure in most people, if you have a hidden spinal birth defect, x-ray can show if it safe to adjust. Chiropractors feel for individual spinal bone movement and it is the loss of this movement which is thought to cause many forms of back pain. If there is a spinal defect where 2 vertebra have not  grown properly and have fused, which is not uncommon, then that segment will move abnormaly. Without an x-ray a chiropractor might conclude that this was 2 bones locked together causing the pain and start treatment to unlock them. In a review of 847 x-rays form new borns to 85 year olds, 68 % had observable anomalies (2).  These ranged from common wear-and-tear arthritis to tumours and fractures. It is good to know so that the right treatment can be applied.

Are X-rays Safe?

We are exposed to x-rays every day, about 2.4 mSv a year. In Cornwall the rock emits more radiation so it is bit higher here ( no Cornish jokes please). When we fly the exposure is higher still. It has been assumed that any exposure is harmful. This has not been based on research but an assumption that the effects are linear down to zero. This theory means that even small doses have a small adverse effect.

But is this true. In 2008 Rodgers and Holmes (3) went to Chernobyl to find out. Astonishingly they found that at small doses of up to 15 mSv, x-rays were actually beneficial! Up to this level people had lower levels of cancer than a normal un-exposed population. So x-rays are good for you, within reason. A set of 2 low back x-rays is about 1 mSv (4) and the maximum safe dose is 20 mSv a year (5).

The British Chiropractic Association insists on a strict code of practice to ensure even higher safety standards. Regular site inspections and equipment maintenance is carried out to make the best use of a valuable resource in the chiropractors diagnostic options.

References

1. Nachemson, A. L. (1976). The lumbar spine an orthopaedic challenge. Spine,1, 59-71.

2. Beck, R. W., Holt, K. R., Fox, M. A., &  Hurtgen-Grace, K. L. (2004). Radiographic anomalies that may alter chiropractic intervention strategies found in a New Zealand population. Journal Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, 27, 554-9.

3. Rodgers, B. E., &  Holmes, K. M. (2008). Radio-adaptive response to environmental exposures at Chernobyl. Dose Response, 6, 209-21.

4. Wall, B. F., &  Hart, D. (1997). Revised radiation doses for typical X-ray examinations. Report on a recent review of doses to patients from medical X-ray examinations in the UK by NRPB. National Radiological Protection Board. Br J Radiol, 70, 437-9.

5. World Nuclear Association (2009). Radiation and Nuclear Energy. Dec 2009 from  http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf05.html