Why should you choose our treatment?

We take a multi-faceted approach to your physical therapy.  Why? Because the goal of any muscle or joint care is to improve how your body is moving and how your brain believes your body can move.  For example, you have damaged a disc in your lower back.  Your nervous system quickly kicks into protective mode and restricts movement in the region (stiffness), activates your inflammatory process (inflammation) and turns on the pain.  Now several body systems are working to protect you. These systems will continue to work until your nervous system is not receiving information that there is a problem to fix.  We have found the best way to achieve this is by working on the different systems simultaneously. We treat your musculoskeletal, circulatory and nervous systems together to make sure you have a complete recovery

 Check out the infographic below to see how it works…..

Diagram of treatment in a text flow chart. The types of treatment are in a box with arrows between the boxes.
Depending on which part of your recovery you are at, we use the tools above to progress your recovery.  For example, during an acute phase of care, we will use more massage and adjustments to improve your mobility by decreasing muscle spasms, improving joint movement and reducing inflammation
 
After the acute phase of care, we will progress you to the strength phase of care.  This looks different for every patient and depends on what you are looking to get out of your treatment.  We have options from teaching you simple movement patterns you can do during your daily activities. Helping you to move better and improve your strength.  Right the way to complete training programs designed to achieve long-term movement and life health.  Check out our functional movement page to see the benefits. 
 
With all your care, we work with you.  We appreciate that there will be some parts of care you like and others that you may not.  The door to communication is always open.  If you prefer some aspects of care and not others, let us know, and we will adapt your care so you can relax and get better.

A closer look at the different parts of care

Chiropractic /Osteopathic
adjustments & mobilization

Chiropractic and osteopathic adjustments are performed to affect the body’s nervous system.  By affecting the nervous system, you can build a new nerve pathway or strengthen current nerve pathways. This is called neuroplasticity and, when used in treatment or rehabilitation, can create positive changes in your brain.
 
When a skilled practitioner performs an adjustment, they create a stretch on the joint and muscles in the area. This sends new, positive information via your nerves to your brain.  The new, positive information tells your brain how you can move, causing your brain to start using this pathway. When this new movement is continued with treatment and exercise, you create strong, good habits
neuroplasticity (1)
Many studies have found that patients benefit from adjustments combined with massage and exercise, particularly with subacute and chronic conditionsSimply neural pathways are strengthened with good behaviours.  By learning these pathways (treatment) and repeating them through exercise long-term change is created.  

There is growing evidence supporting the use of chiropractic/osteopathic adjustments for low back pain, neck pain, reduced spine movement, headaches and extremity care

(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716373/).

Massage

There are many health benefits to receiving a massage performed by a person who really understands how the body works.  With our in-depth knowledge of how your body works, the massage you receive will have both relaxing and therapeutic affects.  This will have a positive affect on many areas of your life.  Combining massage with chiropractic or osteopathic adjustments positively affects both treatments, as well.  Massage allows you to relax for adjustments, and our highly experienced adjustments affect your nervous system to improve joint and muscle mobility.  The added bonus for you is through our years of experience we have found the key to treatment massage is applying the correct pressure.  By using the right pressure we can reduce the time you take to recover.

Infographic of the positive effects of massage. There is a central circle with arrows off to the benefits.

Movement Training

What is functional movement training, and why is it important? 

Functional movement refers to your body’s natural, efficient movements which you use in daily activities and athletic pursuits.  Movement training emphasises the use of multiple joints and muscle groups in a coordinated manner to achieve a specific task or goal. The focus is on using movements that are specific to your individual needs and abilities rather than just isolated muscle actions. The goal of functional movement is to improve your overall movement proficiency and reduce the risk of injury.

When recovering from injury or improving your general health, the concept of movement training is simple.  You move your joints through their full range under load(weight).  This stimulate muscle, tendon and ligament strength, which protects you from injury. 

The load you use can be as easy as your body weight through to your classic gym weights.  Movement training is important at all age ranges because it improves your control over your body and significantly decreases the chance of injury. 

Flow chart of the advantages of strength. Boxes are in orange with text in black. There are seven boxes.

Many patients think that building strength means hours of exercise or gym work, which you need to find time for.  This could not be further from the truth.  Simple exercises can be integrated into your day to start building strength without changing your day.  For example, think about how many times you sit each day.   If each time you were to sit down, you practised using your core, in no time, it would be second nature to you, and you have built a strong foundation for moving correctly.

Where are you experiencing pain or stiffness?

We can help

Check out some blogs about how care can help you

Chiropractic
Learn about how chiropractic can help you
Osteopath
Learn about how osteopath can help you
Functional Exercise
Exercise can be fun and easy. One exercise can change alot
Massage
There are both relaxing and therapeutic benefits to massage
Health Span
How looking after yourself along the way pays off
Five Dock Osteo Chiro
A bit about how we can help you

Get in touch today and start your journey to the best you.