Pain is an important part of how the body works. It warns us about damage and harm. But pain can be caused by all sorts of different things, and sometimes the pain signal is out of control. Some pain is caused by obvious trauma, a wound or impact, often it is caused by micro-damage in muscles or ligaments, such as the pain of muscles exhausted by a poor posture. Yet other types of pain are purely neurological, with the only changes occurring inside the structure of the brain. It is crucial to differentiate between the causes to be able to solve the problem.
The first goal in the treatment of pain is always to remove the painful stimulus. In some cases this means waiting for the damaged body part to heal, for example after a fracture. More often it involves correcting the movement pattern or posture which is causing stress to nerves, muscles or joints. If the pain has become chronic, the next step is to allow the brain to ignore pain signals once again and to return to its normal level of activity.
Chiropractic Neurology is quite simply a chiropractor with a special interest in the intricacies of the neurological system and the treatment of chronic pain. The role of a Chiropractic Neurologist is to explore these patterns to pinpoint what is causing the symptoms and more importantly, why. Chiropractic Neurology can be effective in the diagnosis and treatment of Low Back pain, Neck Pain, and Sciatica.
The Technical Part
The primary goal of your brain is movement. Your brain uses your eyes, your ears and the feedback from your muscles and joints to create a 3D map of your body and your environment. All movement is based on these sensory maps. If you’re suffering from chronic pain, in any area of the body this may be due to a physical lesion or it may be that your brain is having trouble creating these sensory maps and healthy movement patterns.
Your brain and nerves are highly adaptive throughout your lifetime. As a child this allows you to learn to walk, talk and play. As an adult it allows you to learn new skills. It also allows us to heal remarkably well from injury. However, sometimes this adaptive response is incomplete and occasionally it can work against us, pain nerves may become increasingly painful after an injury, resulting in a more chronic condition and causing anxiety and stress. This is where we may be able to help.
Correct diagnosis is paramount when treating these conditions, there is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment plan. This is why we allow longer for our Chiropractic Neurology appointments, the extra time enables us to understand your history, how your symptoms started and are progressing and to perform specific tests to pinpoint the cause of them. It also ensures we are able to support patients through their recovery and the rehabilitation process.
Assess Your Condition
What to Expect
Chiropractic Neurology Appointment times are longer than standard appointments. Initial consultations can often last up to 75 minutes, the examination is more detailed, and treatment will almost certainly involve special treatment modalities and exercises.
Assessment
The goal of the initial consultation is to find out what’s the problem, why it’s there, and how to fix it. Your appointment will begin with a full health history to enable us to learn more about your condition and any other health concerns. This will be followed by a physical and neurological examination. During this time, we carefully assess movement, balance, posture and pain, in particular, the function of the nerves, spinal cord and brain.
Report of Findings
Following your examination your chiropractor will talk through their findings with you and discuss a proposed plan for treatment going forward. This will include details on the techniques that will be used, how long treatment is likely to take to see a significant improvement in your symptoms and how long it may take to rehabilitate movement, balance and posture to prevent recurrence of your symptoms.
If X-rays, other imaging or further testing is required, your referral options will be discussed with you at this point.
Treatment
Once you are happy with your treatment options and have had any questions answered, your first treatment can start. Treatment is similar but different to a standard chiropractic treatment. The assessment will have identified which areas of the nervous system are working too much, too little or are having trouble integrating information. The goal of treatment will be to repetitively stimulate the neurological pathways that travel to or from the affected area.
Exercises
In order to continue to stimulate the neurological pathways you will most likely be prescribed simple, daily home exercises. With enough intensity and repetition this should start to create ‘plasticity.’ They normally will take 5-10 minutes twice per day.
Until fairly recently, the nervous system was considered “fixed” after childhood, meaning that if you suffered an injury you just had to put up with it. Luckily, these days we know that’s not true. The nervous system has a remarkable ability to adapt, heal and learn which means if we can identify where issues are occurring we can look at ways to combat them, resulting in reduction of symptoms.
Throughout the past year, Jake has helped me on my journey to delve into and treat a number of unusual neurological symptoms I’ve been having. Jake’s support has been nothing short of outstanding. Neuro patients will often find that they don’t feel listened to by doctors/consultants alike and it is often assumed that they are making the symptoms up, or they are all in their heads. Not once have I got this impression off of Jake- he’s listened intently and always taken anything i’ve told him seriously. Jake’s bedside manner is wonderful and he is great at making you feel supported/comfortable. It’s always nice to have someone by your side in hard times, and it definitely feels like Jake is your ally in the battle against living with chronic neurological symptoms.
Matthew
I found Jake when I was in severe pain with my back. Immediately I felt confident that he understood my concerns and that he would find a solution.
Steve
ACCOUNTANT
Why choose us?
Convenient healthcare
We are open 6 days a week and can offer appointments up to 7pm to suit your commitments.
We aim to accommodate new patients within 48 hours of enquiry.
Conveniently located with easy access from central London and the A3.
Easy to use online booking system with instant confirmation; book with us anytime, from anywhere.
Ground floor premises with free onsite parking.
Treatment can usually be started on your first visit.
Experience, expertise and clinical excellence
One of only 16 chiropractors in the UK to have passed the American Chiropractic Neurology Board exams.
Awarded the ‘Clinic Management Quality Mark’ and the ‘Patient Practice Quality Mark’ by the Royal College of Chiropractors for clinical excellence and consistently exceeding our customers’ expectations.
All our Chiropractors are registered with the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) and General Chiropractic Council (GCC) and the chiropractic profession is regulated by law.
Our practitioners are registered with most health insurance companies and we offer direct billing with Bupa for Neurology appointments.
Friendly and honest team
Our highly trained reception team are on hand to answer your queries via phone, email or in person.
We are genuinely interested in helping you get better and stay that way.
No gimmicks or sales pitches, We charge a flat rate for our appointments and you pay as you go.
Our team regularly co-manage patients, to ensure that you are receiving the best treatment and get better quicker.
Personalised treatment plans to suit your specific needs.
If we don’t think we are the best people to help you, we will tell you… and then help find you someone who is!
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