Conditions Treated
Our aim at Axis is to provide safe, affordable and appropriate treatment for a wide range of musculo-skeletal conditions:
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain affects almost everyone at some time, causing restricted movements and untold misery, stress and discomfort. It also causes millions of people to take valuable time off work, costing companies enormous sums in sick pay and lost production.
Recent studies has proved chiropractic as an effective treatment of low back pain. Chiropractors spend approximately 50% of their time treating patients with low back pain. Probably more than any other therapist or health care practitioner. Most low back problems are benign in nature and easily treated by your chiropractor.
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- What causes lower back pain?
- Poor lifting or incorrect carrying of heavy weights
- Poor posture
- Unsuitable seats or beds
- Sports or other injury
- Stress
- Pregnancy
- General ‘wear and tear’
The body is supported by the spine, which carries our spinal cord and nervous system. Nerves branch of the spinal cord between each vertebrae. Therefore injury of the joints may lead not only to local inflammation and pain, but also irritation of the spinal nerves causing pain elsewhere in the body.
Slipped disc is a frequently used, but inaccurate term to describe a damaged disc. This disc are the flexible pads that separate one vertebra from another. When damaged they may rupture or bulge causing back and/or leg pain also known as sciatica. Chiropractic treatment can mobilise the spine to reduce any inflammation around the spinal cord or nerves.
Sciatica is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the base of the spine down the back of the leg to the foot. Unless there is a specific injury to this region, pain here is “referred” from other areas. The nerves that supplies the sciatic region come from the lower back.
Do’s & Dont’s for Acute Back/Joint Pain
Do’s:
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- Ice for 20 minutes every 90 minutes (wrap ice-pack in towel for 2-3 days)
- Take a 30 second walk every 15 minutes
- Take a 20 minute walk two times a day
Don’t:
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- Don’t sit for more than 15 minutes at any one time,
- Don’t sit on a soft sofa or couch, use a hard dining chair
- Don’t sleep on your stomach
- Don’t take hot bath or use heat
Shoulder Pain
The shoulder joint is a shallow ball and socket joint therefore it relies on stability from its surrounding soft tissues. As it is a shallow joint it provides a wide range of motion, however these characteristics makes it more prone to injury.
Shoulder pain can be caused by sport or other injuries when joints, muscles or ligaments become inflamed. Long term inflammation within the shoulder joints, often called frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis will cause severe restriction in shoulder movement.
It can also be due to referred pain from the neck.
Sciatica
Sciatica is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the base of the spine down the back of the leg to the foot. This is usually caused by irritation due to abnormal mechanics in the joints of the lower spine. It can also be caused by a ruptured or protruding disc in the spine pressing on a nerve. By restoring movement to the spine, functional relief can be gained.
Neck Pain
Neck pain commonly occurs due to whiplash injuries, falls, strained muscles, arthritic changes in the spine, poor posture or stress. Neck pain can refer into the shoulders and down the arms and, if there is irritation of the nerves that come from the neck and supply the arms and hands, you may also experience pins and needles, tingling or numbness in these areas.
Middle Back Pain
Middle back pain is most commonly caused by irritation or injury to the joints, muscles and ligaments of the thoracic spine and ribs. The high incidence of poor postural habits, lack of adequate exercise and muscle conditioning, as well as our ever more popular “seated” lifestyle are all major contributors.
Chiropractors work hard to identify the exact problems of middle back pain so that only the safest and most effective treatments can be provided. Since the majority of mid back pain cases are caused by joint or soft tissue problems, hands on chiropractic treatments are extremely beneficial and have been shown to be superior to other forms of ‘back’ care.
Common events leading or contributing to the development of mid back pain:
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- incomplete rehabilitation of past injuries
- improper lifting techniques
- road traffic accidents
- improper workstation set-up
- poor posture
- prolonged sitting
- prolonged use of non-ergonomically designed equipment
- excessive repetitive tarsal motions
- scoliosis (lateral deviation of the spine)
- physical inactivity
- poor diet and nutritional practices
Do’s & Don’ts for Acute Back/Joint Pain
Do’s:
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- Ice for 20 minutes every 90 minutes (wrap ice-pack in towel for 2-3 days)
- Take a 30 second walk every 3 15 minutes
- Take a 20 minute walk two times a day
Don’t:
-
- Don’t sit for more than 15 minutes at any one time
- Don’t sit on a soft sofa or couch, use a hard dining chair
- Don’t sleep on your stomach
- Don’t take hot bath or use heat
Disc Problems/ Slipped Disc
Slipped disc is a frequently used, but inaccurate term to describe a damaged disc. Discs are the flexible pads that separate one vertebra from another, and when damage occurs they may rupture or protrude causing back or leg pain by pressing onto surrounding structures. This can be treated by manipulation of the joints to reduce pressure on the disc and allow more movement.
Arm Pain
Arm pain is commonly due to referred pain from the neck or shoulder, but can also be caused by injuries to the elbow or wrist or the muscles in the arm itself.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is commonly caused by a repetitive action, particularly of the wrist, which leads to straining of the tendons around the elbow joint. People often believe that this condition cant be treated, but they are wrong. Tennis elbow responds very well to treatment and often does not involve stopping sporting activity.
Wrist Pain
Wrist pain may be caused by a fall or a strain due to a repetitive action, leading to muscular strains or restriction in joint movement in the wrist or hand. It may also be as a result of referred pain from a neck injury.
Leg Pain
Leg pain can be due to irritation of the sciatic nerve (see under Back Pain) or can be caused by referred pain from the low back or pelvis. Leg pain may also be due to strains in the muscles or damage to the hip, knee or ankle. During your initial examination your chiropractor will be able to detect the right structure causing the pain.
Hip Pain
Hip pain can be a result of arthritis, strains of the muscles around the hip, joint injuries or referred pain from the spine and is commonly confused with pelvic pain.
Knee Pain
Knee pain can be due to many things, including wear and tear on the surfaces of the joint itself; damage to the cartilage pads within the knee; sprains of the ligaments that hold the knee together; strains of the muscles which surround the knee and help it to move; problems with the kneecap due to muscular imbalance; referred pain from the back, pelvis, hip or ankle.
Arthritic Pain or Spondylosis
Any degenerative changes in the spine may be known as spondylosis. Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. There are many forms of arthritis including osteoathritis, which is due to wear and tear on the joint surfaces, and rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic progressive disease causing inflammation and stiffening of joints, which is less common but affects all ages.
Muscle Pain
Muscle pain can occur in any part of the body. It can be due to a simple strain caused by a sudden overstretching injury to the muscle or it can be caused by a joint injury which leads to muscle spasm around the injured joint.
Sports Injuries
All sports persons, young or old, professional or amateur are prone to need sports injury treatment at some time during their career. Sports injuries are often a result of not warming up, over training or repetitive strain, poor technique and lack of fitness.
A sports injury can affect any part of the body including the back, neck and extremities. Most common injuries will be a complex of joint restriction with some muscular spasm or contracture around the affected area. Some sports injuries may be further complicated by ligament damage.
It is of great importance to get sports injury treatment as soon as possible so that damaged ligaments, tendons, muscles and/or joints are not continually overused or over stressed. Failure to do so may lead to more persistent, chronic damage and pain.
Nerve Pain
Nerve pain can occur in any area of the body as a result of inflammation due to a mechanical abnormality of the joint or due to a disc injury. Chiropractic treatment of children seldom involves X-rays, and manipulation is done by gentle, painless techniques to help restore the spine to its normal function.
Repetitive Strain Injury
RSI is a general term for a group of musculoskeletal disorders involving muscles, tendons, nerves and joints of the upper limb and neck. Repetitive strain injury is not well known because it takes the form of disorders named after the part of the body affected, or the occupation with which they are associated. Tennis elbow is an example of a repetitive stress injury.
A repetitive strain injury is commonly caused by overloading or overuse of certain soft tissues such as muscles or tendons, i.e. by sustained work requiring the use of the same muscle groups continuously. Computer users are particularly at risk. Often stiffness in the spinal joints of the neck and upper back aggravate or even cause RSI in the hands and arms. Spinal problems cause irritation of the nerves as they exit the spine and this leads to problems in the muscles they supply.
What are the symptoms?
- Tightness, discomfort, stiffness or pain in hands, wrists, fingers, forearms or elbows.
- Tingling, coldness or numbness in the hands.
- Clumsiness or loss of hand coordination and strength.
- Pain that wakes you up at night.
- Feeling a need to massage your hands, wrists and arms.
Headaches and Migraine
Headaches can present in many ways. Tension headaches are common due to stress or anxiety causing tightening of the muscles in the shoulders and neck.
Migraine headaches can be very distressing and can last for several days. Symptoms can include severe head pain, dizziness, nausea, flashing lights and visual disturbances. Migraine can be caused by irritation of the nerves close to the vertebrae in the neck or muscular tension.
Other causes of headaches include sinus infections, dehydration, allergies and visual strain.
Your chiropractor is trained to diagnose the cause of your headache, and treat you accordingly, or refer you elsewhere if appropriate. Millions of headache sufferers have benefited from the safe, natural, drugless, chiropractic approach to health care.