Frequently Asked Questions

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Q. Is Chiropractic treatment safe?

A. Yes, all the evidence is that chiropractic is a safe and effective form of care for all ages from infants to 100+ years old.  This is why it features in relevant European and National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines, as well as the Department of Health’s Musculoskeletal Services Framework.  Any side effects of treatment are normally minor and don’t last very long. For example, some patients may temporarily feel more uncomfortable, stiff or tired for a day or so.  On the other hand many patients feel more energetic.

Q. Will Treatment Hurt?

A. Chiropractic treatment is generally painless, and many patients experience instantaneous relief immediately afterwards.  Patients who come for treatment suffering with moderate to severe pain may experience some minor temporary discomfort for obvious reasons.   Don’t worry if you hear a clicking or popping noise when one of your joints is being adjusted - this is perfectly normal with some forms of treatment.  Your chiropractor or physiotherapist will discuss effects of your recommended treatment plan and gain your consent before starting. Feel free to ask any questions to alleviate your concerns.

Q. How Many Visits Will I Need?

A. This will depend on:

Your chiropractor will explain this to you and design a treatment programme which best suits your needs.  All current research states that chiropractic is exceptionally effective if the condition is treated within the first six weeks of the injury.

Q. Do I need a referral from a GP?

A. No, you do not need to contact your GP unless you wish to.  However some insurance companies require a GP referral letter if you are seeking to claim the cost of your chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment from your insurance company.

Q. Will My Private Health Insurance Pay For Treatment?

A. Most private health insurance policies will cover chiropractic and physiotherapy treatment.  Check with your provider. Active Health's chiropractors and physiotherapists are registered with all Major Health Insurance companies.

Q. Is Chiropractic Suitable For Babies/Children And Senior Citizens?

A. Yes.  Treatment is specifically tailored to the patient, we adjust a baby entirely differently to how we adjust a healthy adult. Likewise the very old suffer from very different problems, often complicated by weakening of the bones and arthritic conditions, these require different treatments to restore function. No matter what your age, we all suffer from proprioceptive complaints. Many childhood health complaints that are brushed off as “growing pains” can often be traced to the spine.  Regular chiropractic checkups can identify these problems and avoid health complaints in adulthood.  Older patients, through chiropractic care, have reported improvement with arthritic symptoms and other chronic ailments often associated with the aging process.

Q. Why do you test muscles?

Two reasons:

1. Normal muscle tone protects bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and the muscles themselves from excessive strain and damage. With poor muscle tone, even normal activity can lead to injury, pain and inflammation. Although the pain may subside with rest and treatment, such injuries tend to become chronic or recurrent, and may lead to arthritis if the cause of the weakness is not corrected.
2. Muscle weakness indicates a failure of normal proprioception. For normal proprioception to fail, there must be either too much input into the brain or too little. Too much input might come from foreign bodies like a gold crown on a tooth or a piercing through the navel; too little could come from a joint fixation or a lack of exercise. For optimal function and great health, it is essential that proprioception works without interference.

Muscles hold the key to great health. Poor muscle tone causes poor posture, most musculoskeletal injury and many types of pain. It also has possible implications for chronic fatigue, tiredness, weight gain, osteoporosis, arthritis, allergies, headaches and high blood pressure.

Q. Are you registered and insured?

Chiropractors at Active Health are registered by the General Chiropractic Council, and insured through membership of the British Chiropractic Association. Physiotherapists here are insured through the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and are registered with the Health Profession Council. Personal trainers are registered with the Register of Exercise Professionals, and have individual indemnity insurance.

Q. What is your success rate?

That depends on what you mean by success. Our mission is to help everyone be totally pain-free, full of energy and immune from injury forever. What is your mission? If you are committed to reaching this goal and are willing to do whatever it takes, our success rate is virtually 100%. With difficult conditions, most people will be 80% better in 6 to 12 visits, but it takes effort and time to get the extra 20%. You must be willing to look at every aspect of your body and your lifestyle, keep your appointments and commit to a healthy way of life. Giving up or being unwilling to change will definitely limit your chances of success.