Chiropractic services in Letterkenny, Donegal. Call now on 074 91 11292 if are experiencing pain including muscle, joint or tendon pains.
Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by DD Palmer of Davenport, Iowa. It recognises the body’s in-built ability to heal without the use of drugs or surgery. Its primary focus is the relationship between the spine, the nervous system and the brain.
It has been recognised and accepted worldwide as part of mainstream healthcare for addressing musculoskeletal problems such as neck pain and back pain, whilst also providing an alternative health and well being service.
Chiropractors typically use a combination of skills – spinal adjustments, soft tissue techniques, and postural corrections along with lifestyle advice on nutrition, exercise, and stress management. With an emphasis on patient education, chiropractors aim to empower patients to take control of their recovery and return to full health.
A health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal adjustment and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation.
– World Federation of Chiropractic
Over 90% of adults experience at least one episode of back pain during their lives. The causes of back pain are many, and can range for trauma injuries, like slips, falls and accidents, to lifestyle related problems. In a technology focused world lifestyle’s are becoming more sedentary and with many people spending 10 hours or more daily sitting staring at screens for work and pleasure, leading to increasing problems.
Movement is super important and we encourage activity, stretches and exercises, as well as adjusting your spine to help correct what we find.
The neck, also called the cervical spine, begins at the base of the skull and contains seven small vertebrae. The cervical spine supports the full weight of your head which is on average about 12 pounds, or 2kg. As your head translates forward in poor posture or prolonged bouts of looking downward (phone use, laptops, reading, knitting screen use), this effectively increases the weight of your head, and overloads your cervical spine causing pain. Other methods of injury include whiplash induced by falls, road traffic accidents or sport injuries. While the cervical spine can move your head in nearly every direction, this flexibility makes the neck very susceptible to pain and injury.
Spinal adjustments and postural exercises are commonly used to address any problems.
Headaches will effect that majority of people over the course of their lifetime. They can range from a mild irritation and brain fog to being completely debilitating. As with all symptoms these are part of our natural alarm system signalling that something is wrong. Causes of headaches are often multifactorial – diet, dehydration, eye strain, postural, stress and hormonal to name but. But many are cervicogenic in nature, meaning that the muscles, ligaments and nerves of the cervical spine are also involved, usually secondary to vertebrae misalignment, subluxations in chiropractic terminology.
Once the very rare but serious causes of headaches such as diabetes and tumours have been ruled out a course of care involving spinal adjustments, soft tissue work, stretches, eye exercises, nutrition advice and postural correction can begin.
“Slipped disc” is probably the most commonly misused term of low back complaints. Discs sit in between the vertebrae and are made up of soft tissue and their primary function is to act as shock absorbers for the spine. Discs cannot slip – they can however weaken over time and this can lead to disc bulges, prolapses or herniations. Poor spinal alignment, chiropractic subluxations, are a major contributor to this.
When discs bulge, prolapse or herniate they can impinge on the spinal nerves, or more infrequently the spinal cord. This will in turn cause symptoms in the lower limbs such as sciatica, numbness, pins and needles, weakness of the muscles or change in bladder and bowel function. In extremely rare cases direct compression of the spinal cord will result in Cauda Equina syndrome which requires immediate surgical decompression.
Evidence shows that the vast majority of disc problems respond very well to conservative care and do not require surgery.
Symptoms in these areas (pain, stiffness, weakness, numbness, pins and needles) can be due to local injury, however as the nerve supply ofr these regions comes from the cervical spine it is very important this area is also assessed. Do not fret your chiropractor is an expert when it comes to this.
Problems in these areas can sometimes be an ascending problem, meaning it’s a bottom up complaint. If the base is out, the rest is out type scenario. However there can also be problems which are descending in nature, meaning they can often originate in the spine or pelvis. Spinal misalignment, or chiropractic subluxation, are often a major factor in these.
After fully assessing biomechanics, posture, and neurology your chiropractor can set about correcting the source of the problem, not just treating the symptoms. Adjustments, soft tissue work, rehab exercise, taping and postural correction are just some of the techniques used.
Pregnancy care and early years of life- A recent study found that more than 75 percent of pregnant women experience pregnancy-related low back pain, pelvic pain, or a combination; and that this pain increases as pregnancy progresses.1 Chiropractic care is a safe, effective, and drug-free way to manage these and other musculoskeletal symptoms during pregnancy.2,3
The most common presenting complaints are low back pain, sciatic nerve pain, sacroiliac pain, pubic symphysis pain and round ligament pain.
Your chiropractor has taken specialist post graduate courses in Pregnancy and Paediatric care and uses a combination of low forces techniques, fascial and soft tissue release work and nutrition and exercise advice.
1. Weis CA, et al. Prevalence of Low Back Pain, Pelvic Girdle Pain, and Combination Pain in a Pregnant Ontario Population. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2018 Aug; 40(8): 1038-1043. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30103876
2. Lisi AJ. Chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain of pregnancy: a retrospective case series. J Midwifery Womens Health 2006; 51:7-10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16399602
3. Stuber KJ, Wynd S, Weis CA. Adverse events from spinal manipulation in the pregnant and postpartum periods: a critical review of the literature. Chiropr Man Therap. 2012; 20:8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3348005/
The key is understanding how the body truly works, and getting to the root of the problem not just treating the symptoms. In sport the demands on the body are extremely high, with so many moving body parts requiring precise movement and control to achieve optimum performance. Misalignments in the joints, imbalances on the muscular system or impairment of the neurological system need to be addressed. When you have this skillset you can apply it to any athlete from and sport from the weekend warrior to the elite performer striving for world records.
Muscular strains, joint sprains, recurrent injuries, decreased performance or optimising strength and performance are the reasons why athletes most commonly present.
Continuing health and wellbeing: a common question we hear is “when I’m well, can I keep coming every so often for a check-up or maintenance?”
The answer is of course you can, our aim is not just to get you well, but to keep you well. We strive to make you robust to deal with the demands of life. We encourage a lifestyle which advocates wellness, not one which is merely based around avoiding disease. This includes regular exercise and movement, good nutrition, keeping hydrated, destressing, and chiropractic adjustments.
How often is up to you – people often choose monthly, 6 weekly or 8 weekly visits depending on the demands of their lifestyle. Some choose to wait until they are “just getting a bit stiff’ before getting adjusted again. The choice is always yours.
Aside from changes in their original complaint people frequently report improvement in their energy, concentration, posture, sleep pattern and strength to name but a few.
