What is the biggest barrier to chiropractic for the masses?

Its back care awareness week this week, and it has got us thinking… what is the awareness of chiropractic like in the UK? We know how good we are at treating back pain, and we know how many people in the UK suffer with back pain, so why don’t we have a queue to bristol out of our door? I am still amazed how often i tell people what i do, and i either get asked “is that one of those people that does feet?” or something equally unrelated. Of those who do know, the most common question is still “whats the difference between an osteopath and a chiropractor?” (i wont go into too much detail on this today!) Its not entirely surprising that people don’t know what a chiropractor does, even pronouncing our name properly is a challenge, let alone explaining what it actually is we do. Any one remember the Alistair McGowan sketch where David Beckham comes home and says “Victoria… the doctor says I’ve got to go to choir practice!!”

The american chiropractic association describes chiropractic as “a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.” Whilst this is accurate, and may please lots of chiropractors, i still don’t feel that this means much to the non-medicalised person seeking help. Put basically, we are experts in the management of pain arising from joints and/or muscles… particularly back and neck pain. There are a few things which we believe set us apart. Firstly the treatment… The adjustments we give are specific, very safe and use a high velocity, low amplitude (HVLA) thrust. The benefit of a HVLA thrust is that by using a quick impulse, we can achieve the same amount of force to move the joint, without actually moving the joint as far (because force=mass x acceleration) thus less strain is put on the surrounding ligaments and supporting structures. These adjustments take time to master, which is one of the reasons our training is a five year course. Whilst there are other professions out there who do use manipulation, none of them have as much training in it as we do.

The other thing that sets us apart is our ethos, or philosophy. In its early days, chiropractic was founded on the principle that disease originated from misalignments of the spine, and as such could be prevented by correction of these misalignments. Many chiropractors have moved away from this school of thought, and we certainly wouldn’t go around claiming to be able to cure cancer with an adjustment, but we do believe in treating patients as a whole. Holistic healthcare means taking factors such as diet and lifestyle into consideration when treating patients, rather than just treating their symptoms, and keeping ongoing contact with our patients to promote active health rather than just waiting and reacting when things go wrong again.

Think health care, not sick care!

Chiropractic in Elite Sport

Watching the British Grand Prix last weekend it was interesting to see Fernando Alonso being adjusted by one of his team in that spell after the accident on the second lap.  Thoroughly sensible, and what was most gratifying was that the commentator, David Coultard, commented on the fact that he was receiving Chiropractic.  He was right of course, and Chiropractic has become a permanent fixture of the F1 circuit with Red Bull among others employing a Chiropractor to travel with the team.  The pressures on the bodies, and specifically the necks, of F1 drivers are immense and management of the mechanics of the spine is essential for them to maintain peak performance.

(Mark Webber receiving a chiropractic adjustment at the brazilian grand prix)

Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth, regularly has Chiropractic treatment; indeed he will not contemplate competing in a championship without a Chiropractor in attendance.  Before him the high hurdler Ed Moses also insisted on Chiropractic treatment before he competed, and he won four consecutive Olympic gold medals; no mean feat as that means a career spanning 16 years at the top of his sport (I don’t think he was beaten in over 12 years).  Indeed in nearly all professional sport, from Golf to Rugby and Cricket to Gymnastics, there are high profile examples of Chiropractic helping to maintain individuals at the top of their game.

In the modern era, the difference between a medal and fourth place, or winning and coming second, is measured in milli-seconds and fine-tuning the body to make that difference is something that we are really good at.  In the London 2012 games I was part of the medical team looking after the sailors in Weymouth and saw first hand what a difference we can make.  When the two weeks of competition started the Chiropractors were largely spectators as the Physios saw most of the athletes that needed treatment.  We were the new kids on the block and it was the first time that Chiropractic was available to all of the competitors.  Then, as word got around that there were Chiropractors in the Polyclinics we became busier and busier.  The same happened at Eton with the rowers and in London. The Athletes sought us out to give them the edge, and Chiropractic is now becoming a regular feature in many of their careers.

FICS, the Federation of International Sports Chiropractic has, for a long time, championed the role of Chiropractic in sport, and in elite sport in particular.  We are now setting up an international foundation to raise much needed cash to fund research to further investigate, and report Chiropractic’s effectiveness in enhancing performance, and recovery from injury.  The more it is talked about the better, and the fact that it was recognised and commented on at an event as high profile as The British Grand Prix can do nothing but good.

But it is not just elite athletes that can benefit form Chiropractic care.  It is a simple message but: keeping active keeps us healthy.  We all need to keep mobile, and therefore our joints need to function properly, and I can assure you that after visiting a Chiropractor you will feel the difference.

Whether it is climbing one rung up the squash ladder in your club, turning out for the odd game of cricket on the village green, taking the dog for a good walk or simply doing a bit of light gardening, if your back is hurting you will not enjoy it and that may stop you doing it.  Don’t give in, something can be done to help.

For more information call Dixon Health on 01225 862140 or visit http://www.dixon-health.com