No, getting adjusted should not hurt. More often than not you will actually feel a release of pressure. Any discomfort after an adjustment would be similar to what you might feel in your muscles after a workout at the gym.
A subluxation is a misalignment of one or more vertebra in the spine causing an interference to the nervous system.
The noise that you may hear when you get adjusted is a suction sound as nitrogen gas within the joint escapes. The adjustment does not aim to release the gas, it is merely a side effect of little to no clinical consequence. Some adjustments don’t make any noise at all. It is good to know that the click you may hear is not the bone itself.
When we look at Adjustments against other Medical Interventions they are incredibly safe. Chiropractors are fortunate enough to have one of the lowest malpractice insurance premiums because of low numbers of litigations against the profession. However, there are always risks associated with any procedure. We minimise the risk through our thorough history, examination and testing as well as using specific gentle techniques. We will always discuss any risks with you before proceeding with care. No two cases are the same, therefore we tailor our approach to make sure we deliver to best Chiropractic care that is safe and effective.
In the words of the New Zealand Government’s Inquiry, chiropractic care is “remarkably safe.”Chiropractic has an excellent safety record. It is the result of a conservative approach to health that avoids invasive procedures or addictive drugs. In relation to the treatment of neck and back pain, studies have shown that a course of chiropractic care was 250 times safer than a course of anti-inflammatory drugs
Chiropractic in New Zealand: Report of the Commission of Inquiry. (1979). Hasselberg PD, Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. Dabbs, V., & Lauretti, W.J. (1995). A Risk Assessment of Cervical Manipulation vs NSAIDs for the Treatment of Neck Pain. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 18(8), 530-536
You always get to decide whether you want to continue with the benefits of Chiropractic care. Many people choose to continue to get adjusted as they enjoy the ongoing benefits of living pain free life, as a result of a healthy spine and nervous system. We will always give you our best advice with your care, based on your goals and what your specific objective results show.
Yes, Chiropractors in Australia complete a minimum 5 year University qualification. They are registered through AHPRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority and governed by their Registration Board. They complete studies in Anatomy, Physiology, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Radiology, Pathology and Chiropractic Diagnosis and Skills. Our Chiropractors also complete compulsory continuing education.
In short, yes. Chiropractic x-rays are used as a diagnostic tool for doctors and play a crucial role in ensuring you are provided with the proper treatment and care.
Why X-Rays Are Important:
X-rays are important because they allow the doctor to see a visual of your spinal condition. Through x-ray films the doctor can determine the health of your spine as well as if any fractures, dislocations, subluxations (a misalignment of the intricate spinal bones called vertebra), arthritis, infections, or tumours are present.
Are X-Rays Required:
Ultimately whether or not x-rays are required for a patient to receive care is up to the doctor’s discretion. Since the majority of people seeking chiropractic care are doing so because of pain it is often necessary to take x-rays in order to determine the cause of symptoms.There are several reasons though where x-rays are not needed or required to be adjusted. For instance, x-rays are usually not taken on children unless scoliosis is suspected. Also, for safety reason x-rays should never be taken if you are pregnant and you are usually not required to take new films if you have had recent spinal x-rays which the doctor can review.
Physiotherapists are generally hospital trained and specialise in post-surgical rehabilitation as well as Sports Injuries. When it comes to the spine they are generally focussed on muscles and strength. Chiropractors on the other hand specialise in the spine and nervous system and are generally trained in private practice. Chiropractors use spinal adjustments to correct the spine as well as strength and postural work.
No you definitely don’t need a referral. Chiropractic is a primary healthcare profession, which means you can attend without the need to see your Doctor.
To get the best results with your care, we recommended you to do the following 4 things;
- Get your adjustments regularly and in rhythm,
- Follow your specific exercises,
- Break your bad habits
- Get soft tissue work (remedial massage and/or dry needling)
Dry needling is a skilled technique performed by trained Practitioners to help manage musculoskeletal injuries and pain while also addressing movement dysfunction. Dry Needling utilises a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin, fascia, and muscles to address adhesions and trigger points that have developed in the muscle tissue. This speed’s up the healing process and relieves pain by decreasing muscle spasm, increasing joint range of motion, and correcting movement dysfunction.
Some people after 1 adjustment can see results, others it can take weeks, or even months to see results. It varies with each person.
We need to firstly go through a detailed consultation process to see what your underlying structure looks like so we don’t do more harm then good.
An adjustment is an applied force so it only takes a few seconds to adjust any misalignments. The adjustment is only the start of the process. The adjustment releases pressure of your nerves so the energy/ electricity can flow to where it’s needed so your body can begin the healing process. The effects of the adjustment can last hours to weeks.
Chiropractors in Australia receive their title of ‘Dr’ through national registration with their professional body, similar to other health care professionals. Just like medical doctors, chiropractors are professionals that are subject to the same type of testing procedures, licensing, and monitoring by national peer-reviewed boards.
Chiropractors receive their registration through The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This is the same body that registers other mainstream health care providers such as GPs, physiotherapists, dentists, podiatrists and psychologists.
Federal and state programs, such as Medicare, DVA and Workers’ Compensations programs cover chiropractic care, and sick-leave certificates signed by chiropractic doctors are accepted everywhere.
Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle.
Since significant trauma can occur at birth, many parents choose to have their newborns checked for any spinal health related problems. Later, learning to walk, riding a bicycle, and other childhood activities can cause spinal health related problems.
While a bandage and some comforting words can help a skinned knee, the potential underlying structural damage to the child’s spine, skull, pelvis and extremities is the unique domain of a chiropractor.
Many childhood health complaints that are brushed off as “growing pains” may be able to be traced to the spine. Regular chiropractic checkups may be able to identify these problems and help avoid some of the health complaints seen later in adults. Naturally, Chiropractic adjusting procedures are modified to a child’s spine, particularly babies.
More and more people are consulting chiropractic doctors, especially in their later years. With growing concerns about over-medication and the side effects of combining various prescription drugs, safe, natural chiropractic care is growing in popularity.
Restoring better spinal function can help improve mobility, vitality, endurance, and appetite. Many patients report improvements with arthritic symptoms and other chronic ailments often associated with the aging process. The adjusting technique used by your doctor will be modified for maximum comfort and results. As we get older and wiser, the simplicity and effectiveness of chiropractic care becomes more and more obvious.
Chiropractic works by helping to restore your own inborn ability to be healthy. When under the proper control of your nervous system, all the cells, tissue, and organs of your body are designed to function well and resist disease and ill health. The chiropractic approach to better health is to locate and help reduce interferences to your natural state of being healthy.
A common interference to the nervous system is the twenty four moving bones of the spinal column. A loss of normal motion or position of these bones can irritate or impair the function of the nervous system. This can disrupt the transmission of controlling nerve impulses.
Chiropractors aim to improve nervous system function primarily through chiropractic adjustments (with particular attention to the spine, skull and pelvis), to help remove any interference that may be impairing normal health.
The initial consultation is $195 which includes your return visit to get your results. Each adjustment you receive from the chiropractor will range from $80-$55 as we have a few flexible pricing options for you to choose from.
Each patients treatment is tailored to their body, and their particular problem.
Treatment consist of spinal adjustments to improve spinal function. Adjustments are a gentle force ‘thrust’ into the spine which is referred to by some people as a manipulation. At The Back Dr we use a variety of manual techniques including Diversified technique, Drop Piece technique which is a specific, manual adjusting technique. We specilaise in postural correction using CBP (Chiropractic BioPhysics). We also use gentle low force instrument techniques such as Activator & Other treatments including Inversion therapy stretching, muscle release work, postural advice and exercise prescription.
We all have the same goal and that is to get you healthy. But it is the way we go about helping you that is different. At The Back Dr we have the goal of helping your immediate symptoms and actually getting rid of the underlying cause to decrease the chance of your symptoms coming back. For example, if you had knee pain we would be treating your knee, but we also know that knee problems without direct trauma to the knee can be caused by a pelvic or foot problem. If we only treated your knee, we wouldn’t really be doing all we can to help you. At The Back Dr we take a holistic approach and look at the site of your symptoms but also the reason those symptoms are occurring.