What do chiropractors treat?
Many people think that chiropractic care is all about the spine. While we certainly have a particular interest in spinal alignment, chiropractors treat a wide range of conditions and can help with many areas of your health and wellbeing. We treat our patients holistically, so we take your entire physical, emotional and social wellbeing into account, no matter what you come to see us for.
What is chiropractic care?
The word “chiropractic” comes from the Greek words “cheir” (hands) and “praxis” (practice). Chiropractic treatment is a hands-on therapy where a specially trained professional uses manual therapy, such as physical manipulation or massage, to reduce pain, improve function or increase mobility.
Chiropractic care focuses on the musculoskeletal system – that is the bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments that support your body’s weight and allow you to move. Our particular interest is in the spine, as spinal health and alignment has a huge impact on the rest of the musculoskeletal system.
Chiropractors understand that all systems of the body work together, and all parts of the body are linked, so we know that an issue in one place will have a domino effect on other areas. That’s why we take a holistic view of our patients, and treat you as one complete person, not isolated symptoms.
What is holistic treatment?
Some healthcare practitioners will respond to individual symptoms with a targeted response. This might work in the short-term, but if the symptom is being influenced or affected by an issue elsewhere in the body, it is likely to remain a problem or recur in the future. Similarly, if you treat the symptom itself without tackling the cause, then the problem will never go away.
When you come to see a chiropractor, we will look at you holistically (as a whole person). That means looking at your overall physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, activities, working methods and anything else that might be impacting your current issue and your health in general.
We will then tailor our response to your body as a whole, which means that alongside direct treatment for your particular symptoms, we might suggest lifestyle adjustments, exercises, equipment, or other techniques that could help you.
So what does a chiropractor treat?
The short answer is that chiropractors treat a wide range of issues causing physical pain, loss of movement or issues with musculoskeletal function.
The longer answer is that chiropractors can provide treatment to support almost any condition, if it is influenced by the musculoskeletal system. Because all the systems of the body work so closely together, a problem that has its roots in a musculoskeletal issue might present with symptoms that at first glance appear to be unrelated. Likewise, an issue that didn’t originate with a musculoskeletal problem might cause symptoms that affect that system. Therefore, whatever your main symptom is that is causing you concern, a chiropractor can investigate thoroughly to assess whether it’s their help you need, or a different practitioner, or even a combination of both!
The main conditions that chiropractors treat most often are:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Headaches
- Leg and foot pain
- Arm and elbow pain
- Muscle pain
Some other conditions that we treat less regularly are:
- Fatigue or lack of energy
- Digestive problems
- Numbness or tingling
- Whiplash
- Sciatica
If you want to know whether a chiropractor can help you with a particular issue, give us a call on (02) 9523 9940 or email info@baysidechiropractic.com.au and we’ll see what we can do.
