Let’s clear a few things up.

Chiropractic may benefit individuals who are suffering symptoms mainly caused through physical trauma. Physical trauma such as whiplash, falls and incorrect lifting techniques can upset the normal biomechanics of your spine, resulting in pain.

Whether chiropractic care is suitable for you is determined by your chiropractor after a thorough history and examination. If your condition needs further investigation or another practitioner, you will be referred.

Chiropractic care takes a conservative approach to health that avoids invasive procedures or addictive drugs. In the words of the New Zealand Government’s Inquiry, chiropractic care is “remarkably safe.”

As with all health care procedures, there are some risks. Your chiropractor will discuss the benefits and risks that apply to you before treatment — see “What are the risks and benefits of chiropractic care?” below.

An adjustment is a quick shallow thrust into the spine or extremity joint which generally does not hurt. It is similar to cracking your own knuckles, except the chiropractic adjustment is directed to a specific joint to help restore its normal movement.

When you crack your knuckles, this is a manipulation. An adjustment is a very specific form of manipulation — our chiropractors analyse which segment needs to be adjusted and which direction it needs to be adjusted in.

The normal response to an adjustment is an improvement in spinal or joint motion. Once the ‘sticky’ joint is working again, there is often an associated reduction in muscle spasm, swelling and associated symptoms.

Initial improvement may only be temporary until the body has had sufficient time to heal. More chronic cases may require several adjustments before improvements are noted. Some patients also report feeling worse before improvements become obvious, particularly when the problem has been long standing.

In most cases, not at all. In fact, most people find having an adjustment very relaxing. With some adjustments you may feel or hear a popping sound from the spinal joints. This is caused by a gas release from the joint as movement is restored, such as when a wet glass is removed from a table.

Some chiropractors use hand-held instruments to assist in an adjustment. Temporary soreness after treatment is common — see the risks below.

No, you do not need a referral from your GP because chiropractors are considered primary health care practitioners.

However, we do accept Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) Program patients who have a referral from their GP for Allied Health Services under Medicare.

More people are consulting chiropractors, especially in their later years. Restoring better spinal function may help improve mobility, and many patients report improvements with arthritic symptoms and other chronic ailments often associated with the ageing process.

Your chiropractor will take your age and health history into account and adapt or select techniques accordingly.

Chiropractic adjustment of the spine is a widely used treatment for neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. However, as with all health care procedures there is a risk of injury or complication. Reported cases of injury have often involved a pre-existing condition — such as bone cancer, osteoporosis or a disc prolapse — that had not been correctly diagnosed before an inappropriate technique was performed.

A thorough examination (and x-rays where clinically indicated) and a very controlled and specific adjustment help reduce these risks. The risks published on our previous website were:

1. Temporary soreness: about 1 in 3 patients experience temporary soreness as the body becomes accustomed to treatment.
2. Strains and sprains to the soft tissues such as ligaments, muscles or tendons are uncommon.
3. Injury to the disc between each vertebra is very uncommon (quoted as 1:62,000 in low back cases and 1:139,000 in neck cases). In some of these cases nerve compression by the disc can occur, resulting in pain, numbness and muscle weakness.
4. Bone fracture is rare and has occurred in cases where the patient had osteoporosis or bone cancer and the adjustive technique was inappropriate.
5. Stroke associated with neck adjustment is very rare (quoted as between 1:2,000,000 and 1:5,850,000). Some people have a connective-tissue disorder that can weaken the arteries and may be at greater risk. Please tell your chiropractor about any relevant history.