Common Problems
Lower Back Pain
Pain or discomfort in the lower spine (Lumbar) region is often caused by restriction of the 5 individual bony segments of that part of the spine that should be continually moving. Often, due to how we use our bodies in modern life: repetitive movements, trauma and poor posture for prolonged periods of time, these joints move less and less. Joints that are not moving as they were designed to often cause the surrounding muscles to become weak and tight, which can eventually cause inflammation which irritates the nerves and leads to pain. The pain can be experienced as either a dull ache or a sharper, shooting pain, or a combination of both. The aim of Chiropractic adjustments when this occurs, is to restore motion back into the segments, realigning the joints and reducing nerve irritation. The surrounding muscles should also begin to function more correctly, allowing for better flexibility and eventually, better stability.
Sacroiliac Joint Pain
There are two sacroiliac joints at the back of your pelvis, just below the base of your lower back. The function of these joints can be interfered with as a result of prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, trauma, childbirth, repetitive movements from work or hobbies, sleeping awkwardly for many years. We commonly see this issue alongside lower back problems. Chiropractic adjustments can help by restoring proper movement back into these joints, reducing inflammation and nerve irritation, helping you to move freely again and, in time, feel better.
Sciatica
Sciatica is pain experienced in your thigh, buttock, calf or foot or all of these areas at once. Some patients present with Lower Back Pain as well as Sciatica. The sciatic nerve is a large nerve which originates from the nerves in the lower back and pelvis. It travels down through the buttocks, back of the thighs and splits into two sections at the knee. These sections send messages to the back and side of the calf and foot. Sciatica is nerve compression anywhere on the path of this nerve, from a disc, joint or muscle issue. Some patients experience tingling, numbness or weakness. At The Cotswold Chiropractor we will assess you thoroughly to find the cause of your symptoms and we will create a sensible plan to help your body to function and repair itself so that you can feel better again. If we feel that you require further investigation, we can refer you out for this.
Disc
Intervertebral discs are the pieces of tissue that sit between each vertebra in your spine. They act as spacers for the vertebra and when healthy should be robust, turgid and plump, allowing lots of space between the vertebrae to allow the nerve roots to exit the cord, and to encourage lots of movement in the spinal joints. Disc problems can develop either through physical trauma, or slowly over time due to small repetitive movements which cause micro-trauma to the outside of the disc- this build up is usually pain-free, so we do not know that a problem is developing. One small incident can cause a less than healthy disc to bulge which can cause severe pain, which usually shows up in either the lower back and leg, or in the neck and an arm. We can assess you thoroughly to see if we think a disc is causing you problem. We may then either refer you to GP for MRI referral if your symptoms appear complicated, or we can create a plan for you to encourage your body to repair and heal the disc.
Neck Pain
The cervical spine (neck) consists of seven vertebrae, which are designed to consistently move, allowing you to turn your head freely. Physical trauma, accidents, postural weaknesses, repetitive movements, the effects of mental stress can all build up and lead to restricted motion and pain in the neck.
At The Cotswold Chiropractor we regularly see patients who report:
- Pain when moving the head and neck
- Pain/ pulling/ headaches at the base of the skull
- Pain and aching across the shoulders
- Stiffness and limited range of movement
- Pins and needles/ tingling or numbness down the arms and hands
Chiropractic adjustments help to encourage correct motion back into the joints, loosening up the tight muscles and reducing the surrounding inflammation which has been irritating the nerves.
Joint Pain
Let us help your stiff, aching, painful joints so you can live the life you love.
Joint pain can occur as a result of injury, overuse, ageing, lack of use or may be related to osteoarthritis, muscle weakness, ligament problems, or faulty movement patterns.
We regularly assess and look after the following joints:
- Knees
- Hips
- Ankles
- Toes
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Wrists
- Fingers
We can assess any joint in your body. Our Chiropractors and Sports Therapists will take a thorough case history and will test joint movement (orthopaedic tests), muscle and ligament tests and also nervous system tests. Chiropractors will test the entire spine too, as often joint issues in the body can be connected to problems with the vertebrae and nerves from the neck or lower back and pelvis. We can devise a bespoke plan to help you. If we cannot help, we will let you know what would be the most appropriate next step for you.
Muscle Problems
Muscles are attached to our bones, and rely on the ability for the bony joints to move to allow good muscle elasticity. When joints are restricted and nerves are irritated, muscles tighten and become weak. This can feel like a tight, aching sensation. Many patients present to us saying “It just feels like muscle”, when in fact, there is usually a combination of nerve, joint AND muscle involved.
Muscle Spasm
This can be a very painful and frightening experience. It happens when your brain tries to stop you from moving further to prevent further nerve irritation. Muscle spasm can be a sign of nerve or disc problem. We will carry out a thorough nerve, joint and muscle exam to detect the underlying cause(s). Chiropractic adjustments aim to gently restore motion back into the restricted joints, so that the nerve irritation can be reduced, and gradually the brain will allow the muscles to relax, so the spasms should become less severe and less frequent. Once our Chiropractors have got you to this stage, our Sports Therapists can help you build some stability to prevent the likelihood of further episodes.
Headaches
Cervicogenic headaches mean headaches that are caused from an issue in the neck(cervical spine) joints, muscles and nerves, which causes referred pain to the head. These types of headaches can be helped with Chiropractic.
We will thoroughly assess you to see if we find joint restrictions, muscle problems and nerve irritations in the neck and spine. If the nerves in the neck are irritated by joints that have become ‘stuck’ or restricted, this can lead to pain in the head. We often find muscles at the base of the skull can become tightened up so that pain is referred to the head.
We will use Chiropractic adjustments to enable the neck joints to move freely again, which will help remove nerve irritation and inflammation and soften the muscles which usually leads to a lessening of symptoms.
Headaches usually reduce in frequency and severity, and often eventually disappear completely.
At The Cotswold Chiropractor we use a whole body approach. The entire body works together, so it’s important that we assess it thoroughly and completely, and also adjust where we discover issues, not only at the site of pain. Symptoms can show up in areas remote from the actual problem areas too.
We will also remind you that you are continually adapting to the stresses of life. We cannot stop what you have to adapt to, but our aim is to help your body to adapt better.
Posture
Chiropractic and Sports Therapy in the Cotswolds, Winchcombe and Cheltenham to get you standing tall!
Modern life- long hours at a desk, daily driving, the effects of stress- takes a toll on your spine. We often see this showing up as rounded shoulders, forward head carriage and nagging aches and pain in the neck, upper back and shoulder regions. Left unaddressed poor posture can contribute to joint stiffness in the entire spine, reduced mobility, shoulder problems, headaches, muscle weakness and degenerative changes in the spinal joints.
At The Cotswold Chiropractor we assess your posture as part of your thorough initial examination, which helps us to see areas of weakness and compensatory patterns that have developed over time. Our digital posture analysis software will give you a visual so you can clearly see the issues.
In our experience, posture usually significantly improves with Chiropractic care we once we help the joints to move better and the muscles to become more flexible and more stable.
Pregnancy- Related Back and Pelvic Pain
Pregnancy brings incredible changes to your body – and with them, often comes back pain, pelvic discomfort, pubic joint pain or sciatica as your posture, ligaments and centre of gravity adapt to support your growing baby. At The Cotswold Chiropractor, we help our pregnant patients with gentle safe Chiropractic care through each trimester, helping to ease discomfort, improve mobility, promoting proper spinal alignment and pelvic balance- which can lead to a more comfortable pregnancy and more straightforward, easier delivery.
We have a special ‘topper’ for our benches, meaning that our lovely pregnant patients can still lie on their fronts for spinal adjusting.
Sports Injuries
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or competitive athlete, injuries can sideline you from doing what you love. Our Sports Therapy team specialise in assessing your issue and taking you through a step-by-step plan to support your body to heal the injury.
Typical Sports Therapy work may include:
- Soft tissue work (massage, deep tissue release, Sports massage)
- Tape
- Clinical cupping therapy
- Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Release
- Shockwave therapy (separate charges apply)
- Joint mobilisations
- Exercise assessment, prescription and guidance