Chiropractic is a primary health-care profession that specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and overall management of conditions that are due to problems with the joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves of the body, particularly those of the spine.
Treatment consists of a wide range of manipulative techniques designed to improve the function of the joints, relieving pain and muscle spasm.

The effectiveness of chiropractic treatment is supported by research as well as by various UK government and medical organisations. Chiropractic may be available to patients under the umbrella of the NHS, but this will depend on the situation within a specific NHS Primary Care Trust. Otherwise patients see chiropractors in a private capacity either through self referral or as a result of a referral from their GP, other doctor or health professional. BCA chiropractors also treat people who are seeking treatment through private health insurers.

People of all ages and from all walks of life can benefit from chiropractic treatment, from babies and children, through adulthood and into later years and including pregnant women.
 
The skilled manipulations applied are very specific, directed at individual joints in order to reduce strains and improve mobility in one area without disturbing another.

BCA chiropractors support the treatment they offer with individual advice about the patient's lifestyle, work and exercise, in order to help in managing the condition and preventing a recurrence of the problem.

What can Chiropractic Treat?

Headaches.
Headaches are common and almost everyone takes the odd one now and again for granted.  You may however be suffering with more than you can cope with and chiropractors can treat many of the causes of headaches.

Chiropractic may help to relieve tightness in your neck muscles due to stress and tension in your neck, shoulders and back. Treatment may also be effective in the treatment of headaches that are the result of an injury or repetitive strain to your neck.

Migraine is a severe headache, accompanied by other symptoms.  Problems affecting the bones in your neck (vertebrae) can cause headaches and be a contributory factor in migraine.
 
A  BCA chiropractor will carry out a full examination (which may include an X-ray) and take a thorough history before advising an appropriate treatment programme for you.  Treatment consists of specific adjustments done by hand to free stiff joints and reduce spinal nerve irritation.  Your chiropractor may also recommend ice, heat or massage treatment amongst other things.  They also support the treatment they offer with individual advice about the patient's lifestyle, work and exercise, in order to help in managing the condition and preventing a recurrence of the problem.

Neck Pain.
Your neck supports the weight and movement of your head and also contains the vast majority of nerves that connect from your brain to the rest of your body.  With the amount of driving, computer work and other daily activities that most of us do, it is not surprising that we can need a little chiropractic help keep our necks doing their job.

Neck pain can be caused by the long-term effect of poor posture from bending, repetitive lifting or manual work.  Losing the proper movement in the joints of your neck may interfere with the healthy working of the nerves that run through it causing irritation to these nerves.  This, in tern, can lead to pain where the nerves end – ‘referred pain’.

Your BCA chiropractor may treat your neck for problems with your head, neck, shoulders and arms.

Wear & Tear (Arthritis).
Degeneration of the joints in the body begins without your knowing – it happens to all of us.  The general wear and tear of a lifetime results in joints laying down extra bone in an attempt to support a damaged area.  In general, our bodies compensate for this and we feel little or no pain, but the slight loss of proper movement in a worn joint may cause nerve irritation and inflammation leading to pain.

Arthritis, spondylitis or rheumatics are names normally given to the pain and stiffness resulting from wear and tear to your joints. They can occur in any joint of your body, including your spinal vertebrae, but chiropractic treatment may often relieve the pain.

There are some types of arthritis - such as rheumatoid arthritis - that also involve periods of inflammation and destruction of the joints causing severe pain. Although chiropractors cannot treat the cause of this kind of arthritis, they may be able to help to relieve the disability that results from it once the inflammatory phase is over.

Other joint problems, caused by repeated trauma, that chiropractors treat include:
- shoulder pain
- tennis elbow
- golfer's elbow
- knee pain
- repetitive strain injury (RSI)

Whiplash.
Whiplash injuries need not be the result of car accidents. A slip or fall can give you a whiplash-type injury and sudden movement, especially if repetitive, may cause injury as well. Normally, the joints at the back of your neck glide over each other and are self-lubricated but a whiplash injury forces them together, damaging the surrounding area, which includes nerves, muscles, ligaments and discs.

Damage from a whiplash-type injury can give a variety of symptoms including: dizzyness - light headedness - neck pain – headaches - arm pain - fatigue - poor concentration.

Treatment for these kinds of injuries involves often gentle, specific adjustments to your neck. This will decrease pain and restore normal movement to the area, aiming to ensure that each joint is working at its best. Some chiropractors use rehabilitation techniques to retrain those receptors that may have been damaged through a whiplash injury, as well as doing supervised neck strengthening exercises.

They also support the treatment they offer with individual advice about the patient's lifestyle, work and exercise, in order to help in managing the condition and preventing a recurrence of the problem.

Pregnancy.
Chiropractic can benefit people of all ages, including small children and pregnant women.

Pregnancy can cause uncomfortable effects, including changes in posture due weight gain that cause pain in your back, buttocks, groin and legs.  Postural changes may also influence the ligaments and muscles attached to the pelvis and in turn the positioning of the uterus and birth canal. 

Although a natural process, birth is sometimes traumatic for both mother and baby and chiropractic may help you and your baby recover.

As children grow, chiropractic can help not only with the strains caused by the rough and tumble of life but also with some of the problems that children can suffer in their first years:

Colic – sleeping and feeding problems – frequent ear infections
– asthma – prolonged crying.

Also bending and lifting children, particularly as they get older, can put increasing pressure on your spine and joints.

A  BCA chiropractor will carry out a full examination and take a thorough history before advising an appropriate treatment programme for you or your children.  Treatment consists of specific adjustments done by hand to free stiff joints and reduce spinal nerve irritation.  Your chiropractor may also recommend ice, heat or massage treatment amongst other things.

Servicing your spine / maintenance care.

Why do you get your car serviced regularly, even when it is running well?  To see that it goes on running well!  Once a chiropractor has helped you back to health, a regular check-up can keep your body in working order.

Like a telephone network, your spinal cord delivers messages from your brain to your body through the nervous system. The vertebrae - the bones of your spine - provide protection for this vital part of your body. As you go through life, a loss of proper function (movement) in the vertebrae may interfere with the healthy working of your spine and the nerves that run through it. This may affect your body's natural ability to recover from injury and you may find yourself increasingly unwell, unable to shake off apparently minor aches, pains and even some illnesses.

Loss of joint movement could be due to the daily wear and tear of life or as a result of things such as sporting injuries, workplace discomfort, stress, poor posture, accident or pregnancy.

Don’t wait for problems to start, see your BCA chiropractor to keep your body in check.