We treat a range of people of all ages, sizes and ailments. Click the below to learn more.
Newborns & Babies
It is very important to have your infant checked by a chiropractor shortly after their birth to be certain that there is not any nerve interference or spinal problems. Infant chiropractic care is important to ensure proper alignment and symmetrical growth. Birth, even under normal conditions, can be potentially traumatic. During the birthing process pressure, tension and twisting affect the spine, cranial bones, muscular, nervous and skeletal systems of the newborn.
Subluxations [a misalignment or partial dislocation of a vertebral bone in the spinal column] caused by excessive pressure (20kg for a normal birth that increases to 40kg if medical interventions such as forceps or Caesarean section are utilised) during delivery can lead to various symptoms such as colic, earaches, and respiratory distress.
The children who have been under regular chiropractic care, are sick less often and less severely, therefore rarely missing school. Recent studies have also shown that they have fewer emotional and learning disabilities and other neurological problems connected with childhood. In 1989, a study compared the patients of 200 pediatricians with 200 children who had been under the care of chiropractors. Not only was the overall health of the chiropractic children superior to those who had only medical treatment, but they also had fewer ear infections, fewer allergies, lower incidents of tonsillitis and less need to be given antibiotic therapy.
Children
We believe that chiropractic care is necessary for children of all ages. By their nature, many kids are constantly encountering physical trauma – it is estimated that a child from 0 – 5 years old falls on average 5000 times. Over time, repeated physical trauma to young spines is likely to result in subluxations that may not be evident at first, but when the body cannot compensate anymore, the problems begin to appear. Typical symptoms that occur include: recurrent infection, colic, unexplained crying, bed-wetting, earaches, childhood asthma, sleep disturbances, scoliosis, hyperactivity and impaired concentration. It is essential to have your child’s spine evaluated periodically to make sure they are in proper alignment.
Sitting for extended periods of time is also unhealthy for the human spine and school seating is less-that-desirable in terms of ergonomics. Kids also suffer from headaches, back & neck pain, and chiropractic treatment is very effective at helping to alleviate the causes of these ailments. However, because kids heal quicker and have gone through less accumulative trauma, they do not need chiropractic care as often as adults.
When we see children for chiropractic care in our office, we always check for scoliosis or abnormal spinal curvatures. If we can spot these common problems early, we can help reduce the severity of the effects of scoliosis down the road.
Our method of adjusting children is different from that with adults. We use less force and pressure than we use on adults. What we have found is that most kids love to be adjusted and have a great time at our practice.
Teenagers
Everyone benefits from seeing the chiropractor, even teenagers! As teenagers grow their bodies undergo many significant physiological changes that affect not only their physiology but also their posture. Most teens do not complain of backache, but should still have regular wellness adjustments. This is because a chiropractor can help prevent future problems while helping teens have better posture and prevent sport injuries.
Here are the three main reasons why your teen should se a chiropractor today:
- Poor posture habits have set in: We know that you probably remind your teen to sit or stand up straight at least once. While they may not see the negative side-effects of their slouching now, they will definitely feel it later on in life. Having regular chiropractic treatments can help promote better posture and even fix any misalignments that occurred from poor posture and long periods of sitting at school. Of course, getting an adjustment does not automatically mean your teen will have perfect posture, but it may encourage them to sit or stand a bit straighter.
- They carry a heavy load: School backpacks just keep getting heavier and an overloaded backpack is detrimental to spinal health. A chiropractor can help fix any issues a heavy load could have caused. Being properly aligned also helps prevent back injuries. If you worry about your teen’s back, see you local chiropractor and remember your teen should not be carrying more than 10% of their own weight. This applies to their backpack, laptop bag and gym bag too .
- If they play sports: Even though your young athlete may not play sports after they complete school, it is important to keep physical health in mind. There are many individuals who complain of injuries and pain that stemmed from playing school sports. This doesn’t mean you should pull your child off their sports team. Instead, make time for regular adjustment. These can help them play better, help them feel better and help prevent injuries.
Adults
The world today is experiencing ridiculous levels of stress, so much so that we now regard abnormal levels of stress as relatively normal. Stress is a part of any adult’s everyday life and can take many different forms:
- Physical stress from falls, poor posture, repetitive motions, long work weeks, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, playing sport and accidents.
- Emotional stress like fear, grief, anger, relationship issues or seemingly impossible deadlines and economic woes create incredible pressures which affects our physiology, posture and emotional state.
- Chemical stress (poor nutrition, medications, tobacco, alcohol, preservatives, environmental pollution such as herbicides, insecticides and other toxic substances) also affect our nervous system, muscle tone and spine, putting even more stress on the body.
Chiropractic cannot eliminate the stress of modern adult life, but it can help improve your capacity to accommodate it and therefore improve your overall well-being.
Pregnant Moms
Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy has been shown to be both safe and effective and there is a growing body of evidence on the positive effects it can have for both mother and baby.
Some of the benefits of chiropractic care for an expectant mother may include:
- Significantly reduced labour time
- More comfortable delivery
- Less stressful pregnancy
- Decrease in the use of pain medication during delivery
- Increased stabilisation of spinal and pelvic posture
- Prevention of damage to a woman’s neuro-musculoskeletal structure
The hormones of pregnancy that serve to soften ligaments and soft tissues to ease the birth process also decrease the stability of the spine and pelvic joints, which can give rise to pain and discomfort. In addition, the rapid growth of the baby causes an anterior displacement of the centre of gravity, increasing the stress on the lumbar spine and pelvis. Spinal stability becomes harder to maintain as pregnancy progresses and spinal subluxations can occur. Subluxation often result in disturbances of the nervous system that can cause various ailments in pregnant women such as lower back pain, sciatica, nausea, high blood pressure, cervical-brachial neuralgia, neuralgia paresthetica, pubic pain, dizziness etc. Proper nervous system health during pregnancy is crucial not only for the mother but for the optimum development of the baby.
As the baby develops, the uterus enlarges to accommodate this rapid growth. When the pelvis is imbalanced the ligaments connected to the uterus become twisted, limiting the space of the developing baby. This condition is know as intra-uterine constraint and can cause conditions such as congenital torticollis, breach presentation, and a more painful, slower labour. Difficult labour is something every mother wants to avoid as it can lead to medical interventions which can be traumatic for mother and child. Chiropractic is a safe and natural method that can benefit any pregnant women right up until the time of delivery. It restores balance to a mother’s pelvic muscles and ligaments, therefore leading to a safer and easier delivery for both mother and child.
Seniors
Routine chiropractic care has a number of benefits which are especially important for older adults:
Increased:
- Balance and coordination
- Mobility and range of motion
- Joint health and tissue healing
- Sense of well-being
- Energy
Decreased:
- Stiffness and muscle spasms
- Tissue inflammation
- Arthritis and arthritic joint pain
- Spinal stress and subsequent degeneration
- Risk of fall injuries, spinal and extremity pain
- Frequency and severity of back pian, neck pain and headaches
Many people incorrectly think chiropractic care is unsafe for the elderly. In fact, elderly patients are often the most grateful patients, receiving much needed relief from back and neck aches, arthritic pain, headaches, digestive problems and insomnia. Treatment is safe for those with arthritis or low bone density and osteoporosis and involves gentle, low force, muscle and joint release.
Chiropractic care is extremely important for the maturing and elderly adult because of the dramatic changes that occur in the spine with increasing age. As we age, spinal discs, facet joints, ligaments, muscles and other spinal tissues become weaker, less hydrated, more fibrotic, and less able to withstand normal stressors. As a result, spinal pain from spinal degeneration (arthritis) becomes more prominent, tissue injury from relatively benign events occurs, and the time to heal from injuries increase.
Chiropractic for the elderly is also important in maintaining balance and coordination to help minimise the risk of fall. Older people are at greatest risk of sustaining injuries from a fall. At least 1 in 4 older people have a fall each year. These falls can be reduced by ensuring that the spine and nervous system is functioning correctly.
The great thing about chiropractic is that the techniques we use can be greatly adapted from one patient to the next. That is one of the main reasons why chiropractic care can be used throughout a person’s life
Athletes
Regular physical activity is an essential part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. However, many sports activities also carry the risk of injury. Many amateur and professional athletes are sidelined with injuries that could be avoided. Others sit out on a bench because their injury does not respond to ordinary treatment. Still others are playing but at least than peak efficiency, imply because their structural system is not balanced.
Most sports involve body contact, fast starts and stops, and positioning that places an unusual amount of strain on the neuro-musculoskeletal system of the body. Spinal injuries can restrict range of motion, reduce strength, slow reflexes, shorten endurance and decrease performance. Problems can start with the spine and affect extremities, or begin with an extremity like a knee or an ankle and the create further compensation problems in the spine. Chiropractors pay special attention to the spine, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves that become compromised from these activities. Chiropractic is a natural healthcare method that stresses the importance of keeping all the systems of the body functioning efficiently so the player enjoys peak performance, minimum risk of injury and fast recouperation.’
Coaches, athletes and doctors are progressively realising that pain-killing drugs are not the answer as they merely cover up the symptoms, deceiving the athlete in actions which could make the injury more serious. Probably more that any other health profession, Chiropractic’s approach to health closely relates to the needs of the athlete.
Many professional sport teams and athletes use chiropractic to help them perform at their best.