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Everyone! Chiropractic care is not limited to anyone. It's important for infants/toddlers, teenagers, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, elderly, athletes, pregnant women, injured workers, labourers, anyone working with computers, professionals, people from any occupation and walk of life. 

Anyone can be subjected to stresses to their body and spine via their work, their play or their general life; So everyone can be checked.

If you have never seen a chiropractor before, it is natural to wonder what to expect during your initial visit and follow-up appointments. With this in mind, we want to give you as much information as possible so you can feel at ease.

When you first arrive, you will be warmly welcomed by our friendly Clinic Team, who will ask you to complete any new patient paperwork, if you have not already completed this online.

Then you will be met by your designated practitioner and shown to a private consulting room.

Consultation

During your first visit, your practitioner will ask you questions not only about the pain or complaint that may have brought you to us, but also about your past medical history and general lifestyle. This will ensure that your diagnosis is accurate and that a cause is established.

At SANDS Private Health Clinic, we believe that identifying and treating the cause of a problem will result in a quicker and longer-lasting response to care.

Your details are confidential and no one else will be allowed to see your notes without express permission.

Examination

Once the case history is complete, an examination will be performed, which will concentrate on your nerves, muscles and joints (known as the neuromusculoskeletal system), but it may also be necessary to check areas such as your heart, lungs and abdomen to rule out other causes.

Should your practitioner require you to get undressed, gowns are made available for you to wear during the examination.

People often come to us after previous treatments elsewhere have proved unsuccessful and we want to be the last clinicians you consult. This is another reason why our practitioners like to give your case due consideration before commencing care.

As people can often be sore after the initial examination, you will likely not receive your first adjustment/treatment during this appointment. In this instance, we usually recommend that an ice pack is applied to the affected area at home a few times a day for up to 20 minutes. This process is repeated until your next visit, so that the inflammation has a chance to subside; then the first adjustment/treatment can take place (Ice packs are available to purchase at reception).

Upon completion of your examination, you will be booked in for your Report of Findings (RoF) and first treatment appointment, where care can commence as soon as is convenient for you. In urgent cases, we always aim for this to be done within 24-48 hours.

Your RoF appointment is an opportunity for your practitioner to explain in detail what is wrong, how they think they can help, how long they expect it will take and how much it will cost.

You are welcomed and encouraged to ask any questions that you may have at this time.

Chiropractic care is like building a house – certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly. When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. Your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three general phases of care we commonly look at within chiropractic, these are:

Phase 1:  Pain Relief

Most people don’t seek care because they are in pain. They seek care because their problem is affecting their quality of life and preventing them from doing the things they both need to do and want to do on a daily basis. How often you need to be seen will be determined based on your particular problem.

Phase 2: Corrective/Mobility Improvement

During the corrective care phase, muscles and other tissues are allowed to heal more completely, thereby helping prevent injury. How long this phase takes will be determined by your overall health goals and the severity of your problem.

Phase 3: Wellness Care

Once your body has fully healed, it is important to come in for periodic adjustments to maintain your mobility. This will allow you to do the things in life that you need to accomplish on a daily basis and avoid problems in the future.

After assessing your condition and overall health, your chiropractor will carry out a physical examination (unless there is a specific reason for them not to). A gown will be available for you to wear as you may be asked to remove some of your clothes. 

Your chiropractor will perform a range of tests that may include assessment of your posture and range of movement. They may do things such as measure your blood pressure and examine your abdomen to help find out what is wrong.

After the initial assessment and physical examination has been completed, your chiropractor may require you to have further investigations such as an X-ray (or another type of scan such as CT or MRI or a blood test.) If these are required, your chiropractor will explain why they are necessary, and how and when they will be arranged. 

After these assessments and tests, your chiropractor will explain what is wrong and whether your condition can be helped by chiropractic treatment. If they think chiropractic treatment will help, they will give you a care plan, which will set out what you can expect when receiving chiropractic care, the costs of care and the treatment options that are available to you. You will also be told about exercises and lifestyle changes that can help you manage your condition and assist with your recovery.

Anyone who says they're a Chiropractor must register with the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). To check the register please visit their website here. Or alternatively visit The British Chiropractic Association website here for more general information on services.

Yes, some Chiropractors have trained in other areas such as dry needling/modern acupuncture therapy, kinesiotaping etc. These types of treatment techniques if deemed appropriate for the patient, can be incorporated into the treatment sessions. This is discussed in the treatment plan.

Yes we do, you can see some of the most effective ones on our YouTube channel. 

You may want to see a podiatrist for advice and treatment if you have, thickened or discoloured toenails, cracks or cuts in the skin, scaling and/ or peeling on your soles, or any other foot-related problem.

Podiatrists can also supply orthotics, which are tailor-made insoles with padding and arch supports to relieve pain on the arch of your foot. Orthotic insoles are put into your shoe to realign your foot, take pressure off vulnerable areas of your foot, or simply to make your shoes more comfortable.

Even if your feet are generally in good condition, you might consider having a single session of podiatry. For example, you may want to have any hard skin on your feet removed or have your toenails clipped.

A podiatrist can also advise you about footwear (take your shoes with you) and give you guidance and best practice on long term foot care.

Podiatrists can also help with more complex foot problems, including preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to sports and exercise.

There's no difference between a podiatrist and chiropodist, but podiatrist is a more modern name.

At your first consultation, the podiatrist will take a full medical history and carry out basic tests such as checking the blood circulation and feeling in your feet. They may also look at the way you walk and move your lower leg joints.

They'll discuss your concerns with you to make a diagnosis and finally form a treatment plan.

Any minor problems that are picked up can usually be treated on the spot, including the removal of hard skin, corns and calluses.

The session is usually completely painless (even sometimes pleasant) and takes between 15-30 minutes in most cases.

Anyone who says they're a podiatrist or chiropodist must register with the HCPC. To check the register please visit their website here.

Absolutely! Even if you don’t do any form of sport or exercise, our everyday movements still put stresses on our body, which can over time, lead to long-term issues. Many office workers, for example, who spend long hours every day sitting at a desk suffer from pain and stiffness in their neck, shoulders and lower back, which can become quite serious problems if left unchecked. Regular sports massage will help to ease the strain put on these areas of your body, reducing the risk of serious problems arising.

Sports massage will help your muscles, as well as your mind to become more relaxed and loose, allowing them to move more freely and preventing them from becoming too tight and stiff. Massage helps to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. People who drive a lot as part of their job have similar problems to the office worker and can benefit from sports massage in the same way. Anyone working in a physically demanding job where movements such as lifting or carrying heavy objects regularly can also benefit from regular sports massage to help counteract the stress put on their knee joints, lower back and shoulders.

Yes. Sports massage is proven to reduce recovery time, sometimes dramatically by shortening the time it takes for injuries to heal and makes the after effects “better”. Sports Massage reduces the swelling and oedema associated with soft tissue injuries. After a serious injury, Sports Massage helps form strong, pliable scar tissue instead of the usual random stiff scar tissue, so that the range of motion and tissue extensibility are maintained. A short list of benefits are:

• Shortens the time it takes for an injury to heal.
• Helps to reduce swelling and oedema.
• Helps to form soft, pliable scar tissue.
• Maintains or increases the range of motion.
• Eliminates splinting in associated muscle tissue.
• Locates and deactivates “trigger points” that form as a result of the original trauma.
• Help get the athlete back into training sooner with less chance of re-injury.

That depends on several factors: if you are an athlete/participate in sport, factors such as training volume and intensity need to be considered; also whether or not you have chronic pain or acute injury, etc. If you don’t participate in sport, then occupational factors may come into play, for example, do you sit at a desk all day and have a tight neck and shoulders? Or do you carry out heavy manual work which makes you tight and prone to injury?

For some athletes, a weekly massage gives huge results. Other athletes only get an occasional Sports Massage if they’re in pain. The best way to reduce the effects of hard training, stress or occupational aches and pains is with regular Sports Massage. It is a fact that even getting massaged once a month regularly has a long lasting positive impact.

Sports massage uses a lot more pressure to release tightness etc than other types of massage. However, our team will work within your individual capacity for pressure and use a scale system to help learn what you feel comfortable with. For example, if you’ve just ran a marathon we know you can’t take a lot of pressure on your legs. Sometimes individuals develop knots or trigger points that require stronger bodywork which may cause discomfort. If this is the case, our therapists will communicate with the you about pain levels, working together to make the session as productive as possible and as pain-free as possible.

Yes. Contraindications are conditions when you should not be massaged. The most common condition among athletes is that of an acute injury or inflammation. Usually, the first 72 hours after an injury is the acute stage. After the swelling and pain begin to diminish, massage is recommended. A partial list of contraindications are: fever, vascular conditions, severe heart disease, contagious skin conditions, inflammation, abrasions, cuts, hematomas, cancer, neuritis, recent surgery, infectious diseases, diabetes with vascular dysfunction, fractures, and acute injury. There are too many possible conditions to list here so it is your responsibility to alert us to any medical condition or injury before a massage begins.

Always consult with your doctor if unsure.