ADJUST YOUR HEALTH

By Abigail Baker

Are you experiencing pain as a result of the hunchedover, goblin-like posture to which you’ve become accustomed while working from your non-ergonomic home office? Or have you been over-exerting yourself physically or bundled up in a ball of tension? If any of these questions hold true, it might be time to visit a chiropractic facility.

Chiropractic is a medical specialisation whereby a doctor - in this case a chiropractor - induces a treatment ‘by hand’. This healing method is nonsurgical and nonintrusive, and it mostly focuses on your spine - from the base of your skull, 24 vertebrae down, to the bottom of your hips – and your nervous system. Chiropractors also consider the biomechanics of your upper and lower limbs, and effectively use this specialised type of treatment to improve and optimise your joints, muscles and nervous system through adjustments and the simple persuasion of touch.

Chiropractors heal by use of massage and dry needling, but also through assigning rehabilitative exercises, lifestyle counselling and electrical modalities. Thus, they can deal with the symptoms of an unhealthy lifestyle such as neck pain, headaches, tingling hands, lower back pain and disc herniation, as well as habits or conditions that will continue to cause you trouble, like bad posture, exercise misinformation or mismanagement, scoliosis and arthritis.

Some of the most frequently asked questions a chiropractor hears…answered!

It is probably best to leave the clicking to the professionals. Doing it correctly takes years to master, and clicking your own back could lead to an already unstable spine becoming even more unsteady. Rather try adding exercise and stretching to your daily schedule. Movement is medicine!

Discs don’t actually physically slip, but when they become damaged, they can tear and impact nerves.

Up to 90% of people experience back pain, which means that people of all ages and lifestyles should consider seeing a chiropractor. More specifically, babies who suffer from colic, pregnant women with backache, office and labour workers, elderly men and women, athletes who constantly push their bodies and those who have recently been in an accident should all consider visiting a chiropractic facility.