College of Chiropractors awarded a Royal Charter

Written by Sundial Clinics Thursday, 15 November 2012 04:36

Matthew Bennett and the Royal Charter

The College of Chiropractors has been awarded a Royal Charter. We found out last week the fantastic news that the Her Majesty the Queen had granted this prestigious award though the Privy Council. One of our chiropractors, Matthew Bennett, is on the board of the College of Chiropractors. “This is the first time that an emerging profession has been granted a Royal Charter. It recognises the marvellous work the College does in promoting patient safety, research and quality of care. We all very proud” says Matthew.

The College of Chiropractors was formed in 1999 to promote excellence in practice. It has over 1200 members in the UK and links with several other bodies around the world. It has headquarters in Reading but runs post-graduate courses all over the country. Matthew is the Director of Graduate Training responsible for 200 trainers and their trainees. He also teaches on the graduate programme as well as mentoring new graduates locally.

A Royal Charter is rarely granted and signals permanence and stability and, in the College of Chiropractors’ case, recognition of the innovative approach the College brings to the development of the chiropractic profession. The Royal Charter essentially formalises the College’s position as a unique, apolitical, consultative body, recognising its role in promoting high practice standards and certifying quality and thus securing public confidence.

Matthew adds “This new award for the College of Chiropractors puts it on a similar footing to the other Royal Colleges in medicine and dentistry. Our team has worked for a decade to achieve this.” Whilst the new College has a long way to go to match the prestige of its bigger brothers it is a big step towards recognising the value that the chiropractic profession can bring to healthcare in the UK. This can only be a good thing for the millions of people who are still suffering from back pain, neck pain and other spinal health problems. As chiropractic care becomes more widely available in the NHS the College of Chiropractors will play massive role in ensuring quality of care and high standards of practise.

Brighton Chiropractor and physiotherapist working together

Written by Sundial Clinics Monday, 12 November 2012 04:36

Chiropractors and physiotherapists work together surprisingly often. One of the great advantages of having a team of practitioners at Brighton’s Sundial Clinics who can treat back or neck problems and sports injuries is that the best combination of treatments can be given. Sometimes this will mean deciding which type of practitioner is best suited eg Low back problems are typically seen by our chiropractor and calf strains by our physiotherapist. There are times when seeing both a chiropractor and a physiotherapist is the best solution, an approach called “co-management” writes Sundial chiropractor, Richard Hollis.

Here are a couple of case studies of recent clients at Sundial Clinics here in Brighton, who have benefitted from seeing both a chiropractor (in these cases me!) and our physiotherapist, Quentin.

Case 1

Mr A had 3 weeks of right Achilles tendon pain which had begun after overstretching playing football. It was recommended that physiotherapy would be the best option and Quentin diagnosed a right Achilles strain and began treatment with laser, massage, taping and exercises. After 10 days progress was a little slower than anticipated, so after discussion with Mr A, it was agreed that the injury may benefit from some dry needling (also known as Western Medical Acupuncture) to help decrease inflammation, decrease pain and help stimulate healing. This is a treatment that I am qualified in and was able to apply some needles the next time Mr A had an appointment with Quentin by booking a little time out in my diary. We followed up the next week and Mr A reported a 60% improvement and treatment was repeated. Improvement continued and Mr A has now returned to playing football.

Case 2

Mrs B was seeing me for right sided sciatica which after a short course of treatment was 90% improved. She mentioned at an appointment that she had unfortunately slipped on some leaves a few days before, landed on an outstretched right arm and now had right shoulder pain, with limited shoulder movement. I examined her shoulder and concluded she had strained a muscle called supraspinatus, part of the “rotator cuff”. I recommended that she should see Quentin for some physiotherapy advice and that I would see her again as planned in 2 weeks and could discuss the progress physiotherapy had made with her shoulder. At the next appointment her sciatic pain was resolved and her shoulder had improved by 80% with physiotherapy and that Quentin expected it to be completely resolved by the following week.

If you are unsure who you should see first, a chiropractor or physiotherapist, then book in for a free check and we will suggest who would be the ideal practitioner to sort out your problem.

Getting bad backs better – slowly

Written by Sundial Clinics Tuesday, 28 February 2012 11:05

On bad backs Brighton chiropractor Matthew Bennett says “Lots of people come in to see us wanting a quick fix for their back pain. They may have had their back ache off and on for years. They may be out of shape physically, having done no meaningful exercise since school. They may be sitting 8 hours a day in a poor chair working at a stressful job. And they want us to get them better in a visit or two. We tell them honestly – it isn’t going to happen that way”.

We do get patients with a bad back better. Lots of patients. We get great results and they are really happy with our care when we ask them for feedback. One reason we get great results with back pain is we know that for most it is going to take a while.

Healing bad backs takes time

We know that unlocking stiff spinal joints takes about 6 to 8 weeks of regular care. We know that our rehabilitation exercises will not achieve their potential for 12 to 16 weeks. We know that we may have to use several different techniques to get people better. We may need to prescribe orthotics, a new chair, a new mattress or even a change in lifetstyle.

One thing we won’t do is tell you that it will be easy and you’ll be better in a visit a two.

When a bad back goes bad it very rarely happens instantly even if the pain come on instantly. Minor injuries over many months or even years cause damage to delicate spinal joints and muscles. This affects spinal joint movements and can cause weakness in other areas.

These niggles ease off in a few days and are forgotten. The niggles often become more frequent; they may hurt more than before and they take longer to go. Slowly the elastic tissues of the back stiffen up until the back cannot bend and twist normally and then PING! Acute and severe pain develops.

Of course it is true that every once and while someone crawls in to see us in agony and skips out all straightened up again but that is rare. Of the thousands of people we see each year we only see that sort of response in one or two. Usually these bad back cases have a very specific joint locking that has come on recently in the last day or two and no previous history of back pain. For most however it takes several sessions and some hard work to get a good improvement.

If you have back pain and our get better slowly approach appeals to you then we would love to hear from you. We will work with you to get you better as quicky as we can. Give us a call to make an appointment. Your back will love you for it.

Chiropractic on the NHS

Written by Sundial Clinics Tuesday, 21 February 2012 10:20

Do you think chiropractic should be available on the NHS? A new study shows how effective chiropractic on the NHS can be. The research into a pilot scheme in Essex has just been published and it shows that more than 99% of patients referred were satisfied with their care. Interestingly chiropractors worked alongside osteopaths and physios to get these favourable results.

When a patient went their GP with back or neck pain they were assessed and could be referred into the manual therapy program. They were sent to their choice of chiropractor, osteopath or physio and were seen within 2 weeks. Gone were the long waiting lists for referral to other NHS services.  Gone was sole reliance on a fistfull of drugs and a photocopied leaflet of exercises. Patients had a series of about six sessions of manual therapy, guided exercises exercises and advice.

Two out of three of these patients showed good improvements in their pain levels and daily activities. Importantly, nearly half had had pain for a year or more with very little relief. Finally they found something to help them.

Of the 696 people who went along to these therapists most reduced their medication as well.

Brighton Chiropractors and Physio’s Working Together

Here at Sundial we have chiropractors and physio’s working alongside each other too. Although we are wholly in the private sector at the moment we support getting NHS cover for our patients. For this reason we support the Health Care Bill which is attracting so much controversy at the moment.

If you want chiropractic more widely available on the NHS ask your GP to consider it.

References

Evaluation of a general practitioner referral service for manual treatment of back and neck pain

Mark Gurden^{et al}

Primary Health Care Research & Development Primary Health Care Research & Development, FirstView Article : pp 1-7

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

Gentle chiropractic is being used more widely. 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”. Brighton chiropractor, Matthew Bennett says “Some people 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 gentle 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.

Here is a check list to choosing the best chiropractors in Brighton