Affordable Chiropractic
Hengistbury Head, Southbourne, Dorset BH6
£35 per treatment
Call now: 07970 113767
Paul A. E. Harris, D.C. - Clinic Director
Dr of Chiropractic D.C., MRCC
Registered with the General Chiropractic Council
Member of the British Chiropractic Association
Member of the Royal College of Chiropractors
Paul was born in Toronto, Canada while his father was training to be a Chiropractor at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. He followed in his father's footsteps qualifying in 1984 from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Bournemouth and joined his father in practice in Hove.
He now has over 40 years of clinical experience in providing Chiropractic care. Chiropractic techniques used include Diversified, Applied Kinesiology, and Sacro-Occipital technique.
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic treatment is based on the fact that your nervous system controls every function in your body. The nervous system consists of the brain, which is protected by the skull, the spinal cord which is protected by 24 flexible vertebrae and millions of nerves.
Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to diagnose, treat, manage and prevent disorders of the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints, and their associated muscles), as well as the effects these disorders can have on the nervous system and a patient's general health. They specialise in the treatment of neck and back conditions, but when they assess patients, they take their entire physical, emotional and social well-being into account.
Chiropractors use a range of highly specialised techniques (known as 'adjustments') to treat pain and improve mobility. This usually involves hands-on manipulation of the spine to free joints in the spine or other parts of the body that are not moving properly. Apart from manipulation, Chiropractors may also use other methods, including ice and heat treatment, acupuncture, ultrasound, as well as giving advice about posture and lifestyle.
Many studies have concluded that manual therapies commonly used by chiropractors are generally effective for the treatment of lower back pain, as well as for treatment of lumbar herniated disc for radiculopathy and neck pain, among other conditions.
All our Chiropractors are registered with the General Chiropractic Council and the British Chiropractic Association.
We are registered with various private health insurers.
What Conditions Do Chiropractors Treat?
Sciatica is NOT a specific condition itself, but rather the name that describes a set of symptoms which occur when the sciatic nerve is irritated. These symptoms include shooting pain, numbness, and/or weakness that radiates along the sciatic nerve from the lower back (lumbar spine) to the buttocks and leg. The medical term for sciatica is lumbar radiculopathy.
Headaches and Migraine can be attributed to problems arising in the joints and muscles of the neck. Usually it is the upper part of the neck and at the base of the skull that are the areas causing the problems – anatomically this is an important gateway for the nerves and blood vessels to travel in and out of the skull. Problems with the neck are due to an injury, poor posture or working at a PC.
Whiplash occurs when the neck and head are suddenly forced backward and then forward, putting the cervical spine through lightning-quick motions and extreme stresses. Most cases of whiplash are caused by car accidents where the person has been rear-ended. Because each individual case of whiplash is different, it is not possible to generalise about the chiropractic whiplash treatment.The appropriate chiropractic treatment is unique to each whiplash injury and is directed at the primary dysfunctions detected during the chiropractic exam.
Today’s modern living often entails hours of driving and hunching over workstations, which can play havoc with our necks. So it is not surprising that neck pain is the second most common condition that chiropractors treat. Neck pain results from injuries of the soft tissues – muscles, ligaments, and nerves, as well as in the bone and the joints of the spine. Referred pain, numbness or pins and needles to the head or to the shoulder, arm and hand, is the result of a nerve being irritated or trapped as the nerve leaves the spine or the shoulder. Arm pain is a very general term but, underlying many of the conditions of the upper extremity, is an irritated or frankly pinched nerve root in the neck; it's called a brachial neuralgia.
Shoulder and elbow pain can prevent you from living your life and doing the things you love. This type of pain is ongoing and most commonly occurs from overuse. If left untreated shoulder and elbow pain can progress into back and neck pain or other issues like tingling and numbness in your hands. Chiropractic care can be a great way to manage and relieve swelling and discomfort caused by shoulder and elbow pain. Chiropractic care provides patients with shoulder and elbow pain a safe, non-invasive, non-addictive alternative to prescription medications or over-the-counter pain medications (OTCs), which are commonly prescribed to patients to help them manage their discomfort and swelling. The health benefits chiropractic care and chiropractic adjustments can provide patients with shoulder and elbow pain are reduced pain and discomfort, decreased inflammation, improved range of motion, improved flexibility, and increased muscle tone and strength.
Pain in the mid back, between the shoulders and sometimes the chest can arise from the vertebral joints being sprained in the mid back or thoracic spine. A typical symptom of the rib problem is pain on rotation and or taking a deep breath in. Ribs can cause all kinds of back, side, chest, and torso pain. They can get dislodged at their connection in the spine, at their connection at the breastbone, or both. The pain comes from inflammation of the cartilage, and even pinched nerves which lie immediately below the ribs. Chiropractic adjustment aims to rid the body of such nerve irritation allowing for a better functioning, healthy body.
Tennis elbow involves the muscles and tendons of your forearm that extend to your wrist and fingers. Symptoms may develop gradually, with mild pain that slowly worsens over time. Tennis elbow usually doesn’t come from an injury, but rather from overuse of the tendons in your forearm. Symptoms include weak grip strength and a pain or burning sensation on the outer part of the elbow. Usually, they get worse when you use your forearm in activities like holding a racquet (hence “tennis” elbow), turning a wrench, or shaking hands.
Golfer’s Elbow involves the muscles that attach from the wrist and go to the “funny bone” area of the elbow near the inner bump. These muscles are responsible for wrist flexion (or the twisting motion of the wrist), which explains its connection to golf. Symptoms include pain or tenderness near the funny bone, or inner bump of the elbow, as well as reduced strength in your grip. This type of injury can happen outside of sports activities: workers that regularly complete tasks that involve repetitive wrist flexion or “twisting” or forearm pronation (turning the palm downwards) commonly suffer from golfer’s elbow.
Wrist pain can manifest itself in many ways, from simple weakness to searing pain. And the causes of wrist pain are just as vast. The wrist is complex and performs complex movements. Additionally, nerves, muscles, bones, and other tissues not only of the wrist itself but of the fingers, hand, forearm, elbow, upper arm, and spine can also be involved in wrist pain. Whilst Chiropractors focus primarily on the spine, we can and do perform adjustments on the extremities (arms, legs, ribs, and TMJ). Wrist pain in particular can still be a symptom that has its source from the neck. How the problem began will be a huge factor in determining if the wrist problem is, in fact, a wrist problem or if the source of the pain is coming from the neck.
Your low back is perfectly engineered to provide strength, support and flexibility to your upper body. It’s no wonder that your lower back is so sensitive to pain and injury from everyday life. Low back pain can source from a number of causes, as well as range in severity. Chiropractic care can be a great way to manage and relieve swelling and pain caused by low back pain. Routine chiropractic care provides patients with low back pain treatment that's a safe, non-invasive, non-addictive alternative to prescription medications or over-the-counter pain medications (OTCs), which are commonly prescribed to patients to help them manage their pain and swelling. Chiropractic adjustments reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body in an effort to reduce inflammation and improve function of both the affected joint and nervous system. By increasing joint mobility and improving your nervous system function and spinal health, your body has the ability to better manage symptoms caused by low back pain.
Hip pain can derive from the structures within the hip joint or from the structures and ligaments surrounding the joint. Within the joint itself, there is limited space for the femoral head to move in the socket of the acetabulum. If an injury or illness triggers inflammation, this space can become easily filled with fluid or blood, causing pain. Inflammation of the sac outside of the hip, the bursitis, can also be the source of pain. Bursitis is often the result of minor trauma or overuse. It is a common condition that we see here at Affordable Chiropractic but the good news is that Chiropractic can be effective in its treatment.
Knee pain is increasingly becoming a common ailment these days. This is because the pain can be triggered by several factors, but most of the complaints are generally related to osteoarthritis and ‘wear and tear’. The condition can, however, be effectively treated by a chiropractor. During the chiropractic treatment for knee pain, knee alignment can be corrected through therapeutic measures. Some of the therapeutic measures include stretching, joint manipulation and the strengthening of all the muscles that are supporting the knee. Whether the knee joint problem is chronic or acute, a proper diagnosis and treatment should not be understated. Even though analgesics may help to relieve the pain as well as reduce the swelling, getting a proper chiropractic treatment to treat the condition from the root cause should be highly prioritised.
The ankle is made up of three bone surfaces: tibia, fibula of the leg and the talus of the ankle. They are bound together for stability by the ankle ligaments which are tough fibrous structures. After a an ankle sprain, the ligaments are overstretched or torn which results in bleeding, swelling and inflammation. Without treatment to rehabilitate the ankle, you may experience ongoing weakness and repeated ankle rolling. Commonly, ankle dysfunction leads to changes and pain in the legs, knees, hips, and back. The chiropractic adjustment is the most effective and gentle care when it comes to treating ankle and foot pain. Chiropractic care restores the normal ankle function, leading to better overall biomechanical stability and function.
Most people who come to see us at Affordable Chiropractic have a form of ‘trapped nerve’ causing their pain. Many Chiropractors will also call this ‘trapped nerve’ a ‘subluxation’. A trapped nerve is mainly caused by one of two things: big traumas, like a car crash or falling down the stairs, or, most commonly, small repetitive traumas, like poor posture and stress which causes the vertebrae, that are designed to move freely, to stiffen up. There are many things you can do to help a trapped nerve but Chiropractic Adjustment is probably the best, combined with using an ice pack, stretching, massage, and changing your work set up or stressful situation.
If you suffer from muscle spasms, you know that they can be at the very least annoying and severe ones can be downright painful. Muscle spasms are involuntary muscle contractions that cause your muscle to shorten. When you are experiencing a muscle spasm you will feel tightness or a cramping sensation. Muscle spasms can occur all over your body but are most common in the neck, legs (hamstrings, quadriceps), arms and back. Joint manipulation and soft tissue manipulation are the most common treatment that chiropractors use. Most often they manipulate your spine, but they can also manipulate joints in other areas. Manipulation allows your spine and joints to restore normal motion, which in turn leads to reduced pain and a decrease in muscle spasms.
The following issues can result from sports injuries: Restricted range of motion, Reduced strength, Slower reflexes, Shortened endurance, and Decreased performance. Chiropractic care for these types of injuries has become increasingly popular. Professional sports teams, Olympic trainers, and competitive athletes are employing chiropractic doctors – because they demand results - so it is something you should consider too.
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