THE TREATMENT
Many patients have described McTimoney Chiropractic as a subtle, gentle and light treatment. This approach makes McTimoney a technique suitable for people of all ages from the child to senior citizens. The entire body is assessed and treated in each session, since the body is always considered as a whole.
Patients may be given specific exercises and lifestyle advice to help maintain and improve their condition, and advice on posture and movement to help prevent relapses.
If your chiropractor suspects an underlying condition such as a fracture, tumour or infection after the history taking or examination for which other treatment is appropriate, you will be referred to your GP or another specialist. Serious spinal pathology and nerve root problems would also be referred for further investigation. McTimoney Chiropractors prefer to work in co-operation with GP’s and other healthcare professionals
McTimoney Chiropractic is regarded by many of our patients as a gentle treatment. Its aim is to realign the bony structure, especially the spine, to free the nerve structures from
McTimoney Chiropractic is a whole body approach to Chiropractic. This is because most of our everyday actions are a result of an orchestrated combination of smaller movements involving different parts of our body. If one small imbalance within this chain of movements develops the rest of the body can be affected possibly causing pain and discomfort.
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Arm pain may be caused by referred pain from the neck or shoulder and also by injuries to the muscles, elbow or wrist. Sometimes arm pain is referred from a distant organ. TENNIS and GOLFERS ELBOW (Lateral and Medial Epicondylitis) They are commonly caused by a repetitive action, particularly of the wrist, which leads to straining of the tendons around the elbow joint. Tennis elbow is associated to tearing of the extensor carpi radialis brevis origin and successively extending to the extensor digitorum common. Forceful movements requiring wrist extension , radial deviation and supination are the most common. Some professions often affected are meat cutters, plumbers and obviously tennis players. Golfers elbow is associated to tendinopathy of the wrist flexors and Pronator Teres muscle. It is usually caused by wrist flexion and pronation like when using a screw driver or hammering. ARTHRITIC PAIN OR SPONDYLOSIS Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. One in three adult suffer from some form of arthritis and the disease affects about twice as many women as men. Arthritic diseases include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, which are autoimmune diseases; septic arthritis, caused by joint infection; and the more common osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. Arthritis can be caused from strains and injuries caused by repetitive motion, sports, overexertion, and falls. Unlike the autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis largely affects older people and results from the degeneration of joint cartilage. Arthritic joints can be sensitive to weather changes. The increased sensitivity is thought to be caused by the affected joints developing extra nerve endings in an attempt to protect the joint from further damage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritis
Back pain may relate to the bony lumbar spine (main support for our bodies which carries the spinal cord and the body's nervous system), discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back imbalance of the pelvic structure, internal organs and the skin covering the lumbar area. It may radiate from the lower, mid or upper back. The pain may be a tingling or burning sensation, a dull aching, or sharp pain. Weakness may also be felt in the legs or feet. Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. According to several studies approximately 80% of adults will have lower back pain at some time in their lives. Incorrect lifting and carrying, overuse or poor posture can lead to restriction of the joints in the spine are the most common cause of back pain. Lumbago is just another term indicating backache. Sciatica Sciatic nerve irritation pain most commonly known as Sciatica may radiate from the base of the spine, down the back of the leg to the foot. This is usually caused by disrupted biomechanics in the joints and muscles of the lower spine. It can also be caused by a ruptured or protruding disc in the spine pressing on a nerve or by hyprtonicity of the Piriformis muscle. Slipped disc is a frequently used but inaccurate term to describe a damaged disc. Discs are flexible structures in between our vertebrae which allow our spine to be flexible. Also they act as shock absorption. When damage occurs they may rupture or protrude causing back or leg pain by pressing on to surrounding structures. The disc has been blamed for being the cause of most back pain. It appears that it may be also a primary source of pain rather than just causing pain indirectly pressing on the neighbouring structures such as a nerve. Back pain is common in pregnancy. Laxity of the ligaments to prepare the pelvis to childbirth and the enlarged abdomen put great strain on the low back area. Difficult birth or the increased lifting that is inevitable with young children can also contribute to aggravate an existing condition.
A headache (medically known as cephalalgia) is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. Headaches have a wide variety of causes, ranging from eyestrain to inflammation of the sinus cavities to life-threatening conditions such as encephalitis, brain cancer, meningitis, and cerebral aneurysms. When the headache occurs in conjunction with a head injury the cause is usually quite evident; however, many causes of headaches are more elusive. The most common type of headache is a tension headache. Some people experience headaches when they are hungry or dehydrated (severe dehydration is the cause of the headache during a hangover, since alcohol is a diuretic). Migraine can be caused by irritation of the nerves close to the vertebrae in the neck or muscular tension. It is common to take over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen - often sold as Tylenol or Panadol) or ibuprofen to relieve headaches. However, when taken too frequently, painkiller medications may actually cause headaches.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headache) Hip joints unlike the shoulders are quite stable joint and require a strong force to cause dislocation. Whereas shoulder problems are usually soft tissue related, the hip is more likely to be affected from bone or joint damage. Hip problems are usually more age related. This can be appreciated more frequently in the degenerative changes in the hip joint in senior citizens. Patients often complaint of hip pain when referred from other structures such as the low back, unbalanced pelvis structure, strained muscles, or the buttocks and inflamed bursae. JAW PAIN (temporomandibular joint or TMJ) The TMJ is a synovial joint which can become painful subsequent to a number of problems that can be divided in intraarticular and extraarticular. Extraarticular related pain may range from dental problems to cervical spine involvement. Intraarticular can range from capsulitis, synovitis to problems to the intraarticular disc. Other common causes for jaw pain are direct trauma, muscular tension around the jaw and abnormal mechanics of the Temporomandibular joint itself. Knee complaints are common. Chiropractors often serve the role of conservative management. Knee pain may be caused by a number of reasons: -radiating pain from a nerve root compression - referred pain from low back, hips and pelvis. - peripheral nerve entrapment - dysfunction of lower extremities mechanics such as pronation and supination of the foot (eg. Flat foot), tibial torsion, genu varum/valgus, etc. - truma ( often involving the ligaments and the menischi) -overuse - bad posture -Other (infection, tumor, etc.) Leg pain can be referred by an irritation of a neurological structure in the back (see under Back Pain) or can be caused by referred pain from the low back or pelvis. Strains in the muscles or damage to the hip, knee or ankle can also cause leg pain. Other common causes of leg complaints are: Shin splints- associated to the inflammation of tendons, periosteum (outer part of the bone) interosseous membrane and muscles in the lower leg often present in runners Tibial stress fracture- Pain of insidious onset due to overuse like running on hard surfaces. Feet and ankles provide support, shock absorption and balancing of the body. These structures if imbalanced can alter the mechanics of the lower limbs affecting the posture of the whole body generating dysfunctions in all the bearing weight joints such as the knees, hips and the spine. The most common conditions are biomechanical in nature and they include: - Ankle sprains and strains. - Achilles tendonitis, bursitis and fat pad syndrome. - Pronation and supination of the feet (fallen arches) can generate local pain like Plantar facitis and dysfunction in other joint in the upper part of the body. - Norton’s Neuroma, metatarsaglia and stress fractures. - First toe. Hallux valgus (outward looking big toe), bunions. The Sciatic nerve could also refer pain in to the feet. MUSCLE PAIN Muscle pain can occur in any part of the body. Most commonly caused by a simple muscle strain or an injured joint which may cause the muscle around It to spasm as a form of protection. The cervical spine is a relative delicate structure which acts as a support for our head which is one of the heaviest parts of our body. This structure is susceptible to damaging lever arm in acute injury events forcing the head to move quickly into the extremes of the range of movement possibly damaging the cervical spine itself, soft tissue and neural structures like in whiplash. This area is also affected more insidiously by poor posture or positions held for a prolonged time such a forward head position where the neck muscles are constantly engaged and overused. Poor posture and injuries can lead to arthritic changes in the skeletal structure. Neck problems can be a cause of headache and if the neural structures in the neck are involved radiating sensations such as pain, pins and needles, tingling and numbness into the shoulders and down the arms can be experienced. PELVIC PAIN See Back Pain above.
The Shoulder is a complex joint which has to compromise its stability to achieve greater mobility in all directions. It relies on the coordinated interaction of a number of joints and its stability depends greatly upon its ligaments, capsule and muscles which are holding the head of the humerus in its socket. Often shoulders pain is the result of the excessive demand on these stabilising structures. Injury can occur for a single trauma but it is often due to repetitive activity or overuse. Shoulder pain can originate from a number of sources: - referred pain from musculoskeletal structures such as the cervical or thoracic facets joints or muscles trigger points. - Radicular pain from a root compression in the cervical area - Peripheral nerve entrapment - Referred pain from a visceral structure - Local cause of pain: Trauma, Overuse, Arthritis, Other( tumor, Infection, etc) Wrist pain is often the consequence of direct trauma, repetitive action and/or arthritis. It may also be the result of referred pain from a neck injury. When complaint of pain is associated to weakness or numbness/tingling, peripheral nerve entrapment is likely.
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