Discovering Chiropractic

I discovered chiropractic in a fairly normal way.

I hurt my back doing CrossFit.

One minute I was training, throwing myself with wild, youthful abandon into a workout. The next, my back had decided it didn’t like me anymore. Suddenly, easy things like getting out of a chair, putting my socks on and just existing became more difficult than they should have been.

I went to see a chiropractor and found the treatment really helpful. It didn’t produce an overnight transformation, and nobody waved a crystal over me while chanting at my spine. It simply helped me understand what was happening, reduced my pain and got me moving properly again.

The experience stayed with me. So much so that, when the time came for a change in direction, I decided to retrain as a chiropractor.

But what is chiropractic?

Often, people think chiropractic is simply about clicking backs. You walk in, somebody folds you in half, there is a loud crack and off you go.

But there is a little more to it than that.

Chiropractic is a healthcare profession focused on problems involving the muscles, joints and nervous system. Chiropractors usually see people with back pain, neck pain, headaches, joint stiffness and various injuries caused by work, sport and everyday life.

These are the things that start hurting when we spend too long sitting down, suddenly decide to run a marathon or attempt to move a wardrobe without asking for help.

A chiropractic appointment normally begins with a conversation about the issue at hand. This tends to be me asking lots of questions about what hurts, how it feels and is it stopping you from doing things that you want to be doing?

You then have an examination. This includes me looking at how you move, testing your joints and muscles, checking reflexes, and carrying out relevant orthopaedic and neurological tests.

My aim is not just to find somewhere that feels a bit tight and start clicking away. It is to understand what is causing the problem, rule out anything that requires medical investigation and decide if chiropractic care is appropriate.

Treatment can include joint manipulation, called an adjustment, but will probably involve mobilisation, soft tissue techniques, stretching, exercise rehabilitation and advice about movement.

And about that clicking noise.

It is not your bones grinding together, and it doesn’t mean your spine has been pushed “back into place”. The sound is caused by a rapid change of pressure within the joint. It can be satisfying, but the noise itself is not the treatment.

For me, chiropractic is about helping people understand their bodies, reduce pain and get back to doing the things that matter to them. Sometimes that means returning to sport. Sometimes it means being able to pick up a grandchild, sleep comfortably or put on a pair of socks without sitting on the edge of your bed in tears.

Chiropractic helped me when I injured my back and introduced me to a profession that combined my interests in health, movement and helping people.

That is why I became a chiropractor myself.

Although I am slightly more cautious during workouts these days.