FAQ’s

  2. The Initial consultation is 1 hour and follow up appointments 20 minutes. These are longer than the average Chiropractic Practitioner gives in the UK. The reason this is the case is that at New Forest Clinics we want to be thorough with your care and true to our Ethos and provide the best care we can.

  3. During the examination and treatment generally patients are required to get unchanged down to their underwear so that the area requiring inspection can be properly seen. Female patients will be offered a gown to wear during the examination and will be given a private area to change.

  4. Yes of course you can but you are unlikely to get an appointment immediately as the clinic works on appointment basis. In saying that our reception staff members are very helpful and they can arrange for a clinician to call you to discuss any concerns once the clinician has finished in clinic.

  5. Appointments are based on the diary availability of our clinicians – obviously when you are in pain we will do our utmost to see you as quickly as possible. If we can’t see you that day a clinician can certainly call you to advise you prior to your initial appointment.

  7. This is gas releasing from the synovial fluid of the joint (and is nothing to be concerned about). The noise does not come from the bones. By manipulating a seized (hypomobile) joint your chiropractor is able to improve the joint’s function.

  8. This is not how manipulation works. If a joint is seized manipulation will help to “free” the joint not “put it back in place”. Manipulation may only be needed on a single occasion but it is dependent on how damaged the joint is. For example a grade 2 joint sprain is usually managed over a 6 week period (2 weeks either way) with treatments initially close together then spaced further apart as the joint injury improves.

  9. As a New Patient you have a choice of sites to be seen at:

    1. Highcliffe – in the Private Clinic at Highcliffe Medical Centre (01425 277505)
    2. Lymington Office – on New Street (01590 688834)

    Our reception staff will always be as friendly and accommodating as they can but sometimes you may not be able to be seen instantly as the clinic is busy. If this is the case you can request a call from a clinician for advice and support prior to your initial appointment as we do not wish you to feel isolated when you are in pain.

    On your initial consultation you will be required to sign in with reception. You will then be provided with some paperwork to read and complete. This includes details of your presenting complaint; general health; and current medication (so please remember to bring details of all medication you are currently taking). All documentation held by the clinic will be held in accordance to current GDPR regulations.

    Once the necessary paperwork is completed you will be introduced to your Chiropractor who will take you to a consultation room (you may request a chaperone or can be accompanied at this time if this makes you more comfortable). Your Chiropractor will then proceed to discuss the reason you are seeking treatment. You will be asked for a great deal of information – not just about the pain or complaint but also about your general and past health history. This is your Case History and after it has been obtained you will be examined in order to make a diagnosis for your complaint. Female patients will be offered a gown to wear during the examination and will be given a private area to change. The examination will concentrate on your spine, arms and legs but it may also be necessary to examine your heart, lungs and abdomen. If at any time you are uncomfortable or unclear about any part the examination or any methods used please tell the Chiropractor so that he/she can stop and it can then be explained.

    After this information is collected and before treatment starts your Chiropractor will discuss the results with you; explaining in clear, simple language (sometimes using models and pictures) what he/she has found and what can be done about it. If you are not clear with regards what you have been told please ask questions as it is very important that you understand your problem. At this point you may be advised:

    1. Of the diagnosis and a tailored treatment program which may involve, manipulation, mobilisation, soft tissue techniques, dry needling, muscle balancing work, modalities and/or exercises.
    2. That further information is required (for example blood tests, x-rays, ultrasound, MRI, OSMIR (“quantitative fluoroscopy” (QF) takes motion X-rays of the vertebrae of the lower back and measures their movement to find out, for example, if they are slack, tight or un-coordinated when a person bends) scans – all of which we can organise.
    3. Of some lifestyle changes and possibly some dietary changes that may be beneficial for you in order to get better.
    4. That you require referral to another professional (which with your consent the clinician will do).

    If treatment is appropriate you will then be talked through the type of treatment/manipulation that you will require and you will be offered your initial treatment. Sometimes a patient might like to think about what they have been informed and start treatment at a later date. Once more if you are not clear with regards what you have been told or have any questions please indicate this to the Chiropractor as we want you to be clear and happy to proceed with any intervention.

    Tailored individual treatment programs will often require a number of consultations over a stipulated period of time – we want every patient to be appropriately supported during this period and will advise them individually to meet this requirement.

  10. This is dependent on:

    1. Your condition
    2. How severe it is
    3. How you respond to treatment
    4. How much of your Chiropractor’s advice you follow

    At your initial consultation and when diagnosis is made you will be given a structured management plan taking into consideration points 1&2. This Initial management plan is not in stone and patients will continually be reassessed as they progress. A management plan may need to be altered taking into consideration points 3&4.

  11. This is a commonly asked question. At New Forest Clinics we incorporate the techniques used by both professions as and when appropriate.

    If you have a passion for detail, a more comprehensive answer is below:

    First of all both are professionals that have tools and training to treat musculoskeletal conditions.

    But which should you pick for your back pain? First of all let’s define each profession and look at the training they have:

    Physiotherapists treat patients with muscle and skeletal injuries, neurological problems and breathing problems. They help people rehabilitate and regain movement after an illness or injury. Most work in hospitals or in private clinics, while some may work for sports clubs or the armed forces. Physiotherapists use evidence-based kinesiology, electrotherapy, shockwave modality, exercise prescription, joint mobilization and health education when treating patients. Undergraduate training in the UK is generally on a fulltime basis over 3 years.

    Chiropractors are a health care professional concerned with the diagnosis and treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system and effects of these disorders on the functions of the nervous system and general health. There is an emphasis on manual treatments including spinal adjustment (manipulation) and other joint and soft tissue manipulation. (WFC Dictionary Definition 2001) they also use exercise prescriptions, modalities including electrotherapy. Undergraduate training at the AECC from which the Chiropractors at New Forest Clinics were trained is a 4 year full time undergraduate program which specialises in treatment directed at the spine.

    As you can see undergraduate training for the New Forest Clinics Chiropractors was 1 year longer than most undergraduate physiotherapists and specialises in treatment of the spine with emphasis on specific manipulative techniques. Undergraduate physiotherapists generally are not taught these techniques.

    What does the research say?

    1995 – Medical Research Council trial in which there were 1334 participants that manipulative care was significantly superior to NHS outpatient care at both 3 and 12 months.
    1996 – Royal College of General Practitioners NHS guidelines for treating back pain suggest manipulation if the patient is struggling to return to work.
    1999 – Royal College of General Practitioners/ NHS guidelines for treating lower back pain are: remain active, manipulative care and assess for yellow flags.
    Manipulative care was shown to have:
    A strong evidence base (19 RCT trials)
    Provides improvement in pain and function
    Has a high patient satisfaction

    2000 NICE Report on the management of patients with chronic (longer than 6 weeks) non-specific lower back pain.

    These guidelines state that GPs should promote patient choice and early intervention should include either

    A course of manual therapy to include manipulation 9 sessions over 12 weeks
    A course of structured exercises
    A course of acupuncture 10 sessions over 12 weeks

    2002 European Guidelines for the management of acute non-specific lower back pain manipulation is the only form of active manual intervention that is recommended.

    2009 National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of non specific lower back pain published in May 2009 states in its principles of patient management that on presentation patients should be offered one of the following:
    1. An exercise program.
    2. A 12 week course of manipulation/mobilisation
    3. A 12 week course of needling (acupuncture)

    It is evident from the research over the last 25 years that early treatment of the spine for pain / dysfunction should include manipulative care.

    As undergraduate physiotherapists are not trained in manipulation the research suggests that they are not as strongly positioned to treat back pain as a Chiropractor but this does not mean that what physiotherapists do cannot be effective.

    At New Forest Clinics Our Chiropractors are qualified to provide all of the treatments recommended by 2009 NICE Guidelines not only manipulation.

    Conclusion

    Both Physiotherapists and Chiropractors are trained to treat back pain but the Chiropractors at New Forest Clinics have more undergraduate training and skills to treat your back pain than the average non specialist Physiotherapist

  12. Yes we do – plenty:

    Evidence-based care for the effectiveness of manual therapies

    The Bronfort Report (commissioned by the General Chiropractic Council and published on 25 Feb 2010). Professor Gert Bronfort independently looked into the research supporting the effectiveness of Chiropractic Treatment. To do this he performed systematic reviews of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), and UK and USA Clinical Guidelines, focussing on both musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal conditions.

    The results of his review concluded that there is evidence-based research that Chiropractic Care is effective for the treatment of the following conditions:

    • Cervicogenic dizziness, headaches, and migraine
    • Acute /subacute, and chronic neck pain
    • Shoulder girdle pain/ dysfunction
    • Adhesive capsulitis
    • Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
    • Acute and chronic lower back pain
    • Hip osteoarthritis
    • Knee osteoarthritis
    • Patellofemoral pain syndrome
    • Plantar fasciitis

    UK research specific to Lower Back Pain

    1978 – The first UK government report
    1994 – Clinical Standards Advisory Group report which advised to shift resources into primary care; early active treatment; manipulation and not to refer simple back pain to orthopaedics/rheumatology.
    1995 – Medical Research Council trial in which there were 1334 participants that manipulative care was significantly superior to NHS outpatient care at both 3 and 12 months.
    1996 – Royal College of General Practitioners NHS guidelines for treating back pain suggest manipulation if the patient is struggling to return to work.
    1999 – Royal College of General Practitioners/ NHS guidelines for treating lower back pain are: remain active, manipulative care and assess for yellow flags.

    Manipulative care was shown to have:

    • A strong evidence base (19 RCT trials)
    • Provides improvement in pain and function
    • Has a high patient satisfaction

    2000 NICE Report on the management of patients with chronic (longer than 6 weeks) non-specific lower back pain.

    These guidelines state that GPs should promote patient choice and early intervention should include either

    A course of manual therapy to include manipulation 9 sessions over 12 weeks
    A course of structured exercises
    A course of acupuncture 10 sessions over 12 weeks

    2002 European Guidelines for the management of acute non-specific lower back pain manipulation is the only form of active manual intervention that is recommended.

    2009 National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of non-specific lower back pain published in May 2009 states in its principles of patient management that on presentation patients should be offered one of the following:

    1. An exercise program.
    2. A 12-week course of manipulation/mobilisation
    3. A 12-week course of needling (acupuncture)

    It is evident from the research over the last 25 years that early treatment of the spine for pain/dysfunction should include manipulative care.

    The Chiropractic Team at New Forest Clinics not only specialises in manipulation as they are also trained in:

    • Massage
    • Mobilisation
    • Exercise programs
    • Stretching
    • Advice and patient education
    • Dry needling
    • SOT (Sacro-occipital Technique)
    • Modalities

    Exciting New Research: Suggesting that Uneven Motion Sharing in the Lumbar Spine is a Biomarker for non-specific lower back pain.

    Co-author Alan Breen, Ph.D., professor of Musculoskeletal Research at Bournemouth University in Poole, UK, commented to OTW, “We were investigating the possibility of there being personalized biomechanical markers for nonspecific back pain, which is the world’s largest cause of lifetime disability.”

    “Uneven intervertebral motion sharing is related to disc degeneration and is greater in patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain: an in vivo, cross-sectional cohort comparison of intervertebral dynamics using quantitative fluoroscopy,” appears in the January 2018 edition of the European Spine Journal.

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