Conditions We Treat
Back Pain
Back pain accounts for over 12 million work days lost every year in the UK and at least 80% of the UK population will have experienced back pain at some point in their lives. It is the most common cause of chronic pain and costs the NHS and the economy millions of pounds each year.
Research has shown Chiropractic to be one of the most effective therapies in alleviating lower back pain, especially in the long term, by improving the functional causes that started the problem in the first place.
There are many causes for back pain, from mechanical and fracture issues to infections, autoimmune diseases and internal organ issues.
The most common cause is undoubtedly mechanical, arising from:
- Lifting incorrectly
- Bending awkwardly
- Poor posture
- Strained muscles
- Irritated nerves
- Inflamed joints
- Sporting injuries
- Disc sprain / strains and bulges
- Inactivity – lack of movement
Chiropractic care focuses on re-establishing normal motion in joints that are not moving properly or in the incorrect position. In turn, this can help the nervous system, the master control system within your body, to function properly, promoting self-healing. The length of time you have been in pain has a direct correlation with the length of time required for correction. Identifying and establishing the cause of the pain at an early stage is important, but research shows that chiropractic care is very beneficial in the management of more long-term chronic back pain too.
Once your Chiropractor has identified the cause and diagnosed your back pain, a course of chiropractic care can be planned and advice and recommendations provided to help prevent relapses.
Neck Pain
Neck pain is becoming more prevalent, especially with the rise in mobile device usage and associated poor posture. We have helped many people in Pembrokeshire with this complaint. Neck pain can be due to:
- Sports injuries
- Road traffic accidents
- Whiplash associated neck pain
- Trapped nerves
- Sleeping awkwardly
- Poor posture (or “text neck”)
Neck pain can often be accompanied by headaches and / or shoulder problems as the surrounding muscles are all in close proximity. Often, patients report a dull, achy, persistent pain with stiffness in the neck. Sometimes, pain can be of a sharper nature or cause tingling into the arm and hand. Whatever, the symptoms, it is not until you experience a pain in the neck that you realise how debilitating it can be.
Chiropractic care may involve spinal manipulation (adjustments), mobilisation and a range of soft tissue techniques to alleviate the pain. By visiting one of our Chiropractors, the most appropriate course of action can be determined for your own unique presentation. Once again, lifestyle recommendations can help to prevent relapses.
Headaches
Headaches are awful! Ranging from migraine, tension-type or cluster headaches to more serious causes (luckily the latter is not common), headaches can have a serious effect on normal day-to-day life, making them one of the most common health complaints in the UK, accounting for over 25 million work or school days lost due to migraine alone. Headaches are symptoms of pain in the head or neck and can affect mood, energy levels, concentration and daily living.
Causes of headaches:
- Tension
- Stress
- Medication side-effects
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Eye strain
- Cervicogenic (arising from the neck)
- Dental issues
- Viral / sinus infections
- Bad posture
Headaches may be common, but they are not normal! Headaches arising from misaligned joints are often due to increased muscle tension around those joints and increased tension on the cranial membranes, producing a headache. Realignment of these joints may help to reduce the tension causing the headaches. By reaching out to your Chiropractor for help, we can work with spinal misalignments, neck, shoulder and jaw tension that are triggering your headaches. Your chiropractor will also provide you with muscle relaxation techniques and stress reducing techniques to help avoid further headaches.
Muscle and Joint Pain
Like all other joints in the body, Chiropractors can help to diagnose and help to alleviate painful joints and muscles. Whether the pain is in the foot, ankle or knee, or in the elbow, wrist or hand, joints and muscles that are functioning inadequately can cause pain. Painful joints are often as a result of surrounding joints and muscles not doing their duty. Chiropractic care aims to restore normal joint movement so that the surrounding supporting structures start to function properly again, reducing the stress and workload on the joints that are painful. Chiropractic care also includes advice on exercises and methods of improving joint function.
Hip Pain
Just like the shoulder, we put a lot of demand on our hips. As weight-bearing ball and socket joints, our hips withstand a lot of stress – they keep us upright, allow us to walk, run, jump and play.
As Chiropractors, we are trained to identify whether the pain associated with the hip is truly coming from the hip joint or if it is due to pelvic, knee or muscle imbalances.
Common causes of hip pain include:
Commonly caused by injury or illness, inflammation around the hip capsule limits the ability of the femoral head to move freely, causing pain.
or otherwise known as wear and tear, osteoarthritis is the process of joint degeneration and loss of cartilage leading to increased friction and inflammation in the joint. As we adapt our posture and movements to lessen the pain, other surrounding musculoskeletal structures begin to tighten and work less efficiently, aggravating the hip condition. Although osteoarthritis is a natural occurrence and cannot be stopped, it can be slowed down. Correcting surrounding misalignments and improving muscle strength and function can help to reduce pain and maintain hip function for longer.
The pelvic girdle supports everything that sits above and below it. It is the base of the spine and the structure from which the hips hang. It needs to be stable enough when we sit, but also allow free movement of both the hips and the lower back. It also protects our lower internal organs and is the main support structure when growing / carrying a baby during pregnancy. It is therefore understandable how prone the pelvis is to stresses and strains. Often, pelvic pain is referred to the hips as the hips overcompensate for a potential lack of movement in the pelvis.
“the foot’s connected to the…leg bone; the leg bone’s connected to the …knee bone; the knee bone’s connected to the …thigh bone; That’s how we do the skeleton dance! …The thigh bone’s connected to the…hip bone…..etc”
Every joint is connected and can have a positive or negative effect on the joints around it. When the knee is painful, we adapt our movements and posture to reduce the amount of pain we feel. However, this adaptation increases the strains and stresses on other areas of the body and negatively affects how we function. Hip pain often originates as a change in biomechanics related to knee problems.
Chiropractors assess the whole body and how it functions, not just where the pain is felt. If you are struggling with hip pain, why not call our highly skilled team at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic to see if we can help.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a term used to describe irritation or trapping of the sciatic nerve in the leg that causes pain, numbness or tingling often to the toes. The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in the body and actually encompasses several spinal nerves. It runs from the lower back, through the pelvis and into the legs and feet. It commonly affects only one side of the body as the sciatic nerve is pinched by either joint inflammation, bulging discs or very tight muscles. This condition is often described as “toothache” in the leg and can vary from feeling like a persistent tight muscle in the back of the leg, to excruciating sharp pain shooting down the leg with numbness in the toes. The term sciatica describes the symptoms but does not explain what is causing the pain. As Chiropractors, we are trained to evaluate the whole body, but specifically the lower back, pelvis and lower limbs when sciatica is present.
At Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic, we aim to find the root cause of the pain and not merely treat the symptoms. Appropriate adjusting techniques, combined with soft tissue techniques, flexion-distraction therapy and recommended home exercises work well with alleviating the pain and restoring normal spinal movement. Our care plans cover many different techniques and will almost always include strengthening / stretching exercises and posture adjustments. Contact us today to book your appointment to see if we can help you with your pain.
Shoulder Pain
The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body and is often not appreciated until something goes wrong. Daily activities such as putting a t-shirt on or reaching to a high shelf become increasingly more difficult with shoulder pain. The shoulder is also one of the most vulnerable joints in the body to injury, largely due to the type of joint, but also due to the high demands put on the muscles that support and control the shoulder movements, making it susceptible to repetitive strain injuries.
There are many causes to shoulder pain. Here are some commonly seen at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic:
A group of muscles and tendons that control the movement of the ball and socket joint of the shoulder. The design of the shoulder means that it works best if swinging from trees, but our modern day living sees us sitting for prolonged periods of time. The slumped forward posture weakens the muscles at the back of the shoulder whilst tightening those at the front, leading to an imbalance in the rotator cuff muscles that eventually leads to pain.
A pinching of a tendon that usually arises in conjunction with or following a rotator cuff injury. When the muscles are tight, extra stress is placed upon the tendons that attach the muscle to the bone, resulting in weakening of the tendons or inflammation. This is often called tendonitis or tendinopathy. It is often seen in repetitive overhead movements such as plastering, painting and swimming.
The bursa is a fluid filled sack that protects the bone from the tendon and vice versa. However, muscle and tendon imbalances can lead to irritation and inflammation of the bursa causing pain during most movements, especially when lying on it.
This condition hurts! And often arises for no obvious reason. However, previous injury to the shoulder and diabetes can lead to increased occurrence of this condition. The increasing pain and deterioration in movement is due to thickening of the shoulder capsule called the FREEZING PHASE and may last up to 6 months. The FROZEN PHASE (another 6 months) sees the shoulder stuck with significant pain on any attempted movement. The THAWING PHASE is when the shoulder naturally begins to move more. Although the condition usually runs its course over 18 months, the lack of movement of the shoulder muscles can significantly impact how well the muscles function afterwards. The term “use it or lose it” is unfortunately true. Early identification and treatment of a Frozen shoulder can reduce the amount of ‘freezing’ that occurs, reducing the stiffening and often the pain. This in turn can improve the amount of movement in the joint and reduce the degree of muscle wastage that occurs from lack of use, helping to reduce the time it takes to ‘thaw’. In severe cases, a steroid injection may be required by a medical clinician and Fishguard Chiropractors can help with your referral.
Often due to trauma, overexertion or heavy lifting, a strained muscle can cause pain. This type of injury initially responds well to the immediate application of an ice pack. It is important to check the joint and spinal alignment following a muscle strain as the increased tension and muscle imbalances can have a negative impact on normal movement.
Chiropractors are skilled in assessing the shoulder, neck and upper back to identify the cause of your pain before choosing the right technique to help alleviate the pain and begin to restore normal movement. Shoulder treatment often works in collaboration with other musculoskeletal specialists at Wintern House, combining massage and physio rehabilitation for the best route to recovery.
SPORTS RELATED INJURIES AND PERFORMANCE
Chiropractic aims to not only speed recovery from sports related injuries, but also to prevent injuries occurring in the first place, as well as improve performance.
With first hand experience, our Chiropractors truly understand the importance of looking after the body when pushing it to its limits. An athlete’s body becomes highly tuned and responds effortlessly and quickly to most demands asked of it. However, even with all the training and fitness, athletes can still experience pain and discomfort from musculoskeletal problems. Overlooked minor injuries often develop into chronic, long-term issues that subsequently lead to longer recovery times and further complications. Luckily, an athlete is usually more attuned to his / her body, noticing when a little tweak or pull can have an effect on their ability to perform optimally. Chiropractic adjustments help to restore normal joint and muscle function whilst also detecting little weaknesses that may be minor to most, but could have a profound effect on performance.
Here at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic, Dr Bethan Ouseley knows how frustrating it can be to train with a minor niggle. As a keen sports-woman herself, she is passionate about regularly fine-tuning her own body through Chiropractic adjustments, even when everything “feels” fine. “Feeling” well does not mean that you are “functioning” well, as what you feel is often the last warning sign for a problem that has been building up for a while. Dr Bethan cycles TT races competitively and has experienced the performance related benefits of chiropractic care:
There are many causes to shoulder pain. Here are some commonly seen at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic:
- Increased energy as the muscles work more efficiently
- Better power output on the bike as muscles and joints are aligned correctly
- Fewer aches, pains and sores when spinal misalignments are corrected
- Improved adaptation to training as the whole musculoskeletal system is functioning more efficiently
- Improved flexibility allowing for better aerodynamic positioning on the bike
Needless to say, with these improvements experienced by Dr Bethan herself, she never misses a pre-race adjustment!
POSTURE
Nature works best when everything is in balance. The same applies to your posture. The body is designed to be self-supporting, self-regulating and self-healing but postural imbalances can have a detrimental effect on the body’s own natural ability to adapt to its surrounding stresses. Upper X syndrome and lower X syndrome are terms used to describe postural imbalances affecting the muscles – postures commonly seen at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic due to the lifestyle habits of modern day living. Sitting for hours on a computer, looking down at mobile devices, slumping on soft sofas – all lead to muscle imbalances, tightening some whilst overstretching others. These in turn pull on the spine and can contribute to misalignments (subluxations), negatively affecting your posture and affecting how the nervous system functions – your brain and your spinal cord.
Have you noticed that you carry your head far forwards?
Or perhaps you feel that your shoulders have rounded and your tummy sticks out?
Correcting your posture by stretching and strengthening the correct muscles can have an astonishing effect on how you look, feel and function.
Good posture can:
- Reduce abnormal joint wear and tear
- Improve breathing
- Conserve energy as muscles are used more efficiently
- Boost confidence
- Reduce the risk of neck pain and back pain from developing
- Reduce stress on joints and ligaments and prevent muscle strain and pain
- Reduce the risks of developing painful conditions such as spinal curvatures, herniated discs and pinched nerves.
As part of your care plan at Fishguard Chiropractic Clinic, you will have digital posture assessments to analyse your posture and develop a programme to help improve any weaknesses.
STIFFNESS AND ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects joints, causing pain and immobililty. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that usually affects one or two joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that commonly affects several joints on both sides of the body.
Chiropractic care includes advice on nutrition, lifestyle and exercise alongside chiropractic adjustments and massage. These approaches are shown to reduce swelling and stiffness and help slow the condition form progressing.
- Osteoarthritis (also known as wear and tear)
OA commonly affects the hands, spine, knees and hips and is often found on one side of the body. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling and reduced mobility.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA is an autoimmune disease in which your body attacks healthy joint tissue resulting in painful, swollen and often disfigured joints on both sides of the body. Commonly affected areas include the hands and spine and it can lead to other health related problems with the internal organs.
With arthritis affecting approximately 10 million people in the UK, Fishguard Chiropractors are well versed in identifying the condition and supporting people with arthritis.
STIFFNESS AND ARTHRITIS
Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects joints, causing pain and immobililty. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that usually affects one or two joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that commonly affects several joints on both sides of the body.
Chiropractic care includes advice on nutrition, lifestyle and exercise alongside chiropractic adjustments and massage. These approaches are shown to reduce swelling and stiffness and help slow the condition form progressing.
- Osteoarthritis (also known as wear and tear)
OA commonly affects the hands, spine, knees and hips and is often found on one side of the body. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling and reduced mobility.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA is an autoimmune disease in which your body attacks healthy joint tissue resulting in painful, swollen and often disfigured joints on both sides of the body. Commonly affected areas include the hands and spine and it can lead to other health related problems with the internal organs.
With arthritis affecting approximately 10 million people in the UK, Fishguard Chiropractors are well versed in identifying the condition and supporting people with arthritis.
PREGNANCY-RELATED PAINS
Pregnancy is normally a healthy, exciting and cherished time. However, the increased stresses on the female body can cause pain and discomfort and Chiropractic care can help to reduce these symptoms.
- Increased demands are placed on the body through:
- Changes in hormone levels causing ligaments to relax to allow for growth
- Increased weight from the growing baby
- Changes in posture
- Changes in normal pre-pregnancy activity levels
- Abnormal foetal positioning
- Labour and post-pregnancy stresses
Symptoms can include back pain, sciatica, headaches, pubic symphysis pain and many more. Gentle Chiropractic care aims to restore misaligned joints. This can significantly benefit the mother’s experience of being pregnant, reducing discomfort and contributing to a healthier and happier mother and child.