The number of treatment sessions and the form of treatment required is individually tailored but will depend on many key elements such as how long you have had the problem, how quickly you respond to treatment and whether you perform the exercises requested. An initial intense program is often necessary for pain relief, followed by a corrective phase were the tissues are allowed to re-adapt.
Some people mention that after the first treatment they feel sore and achy, this feeling may last for 24-48 hours. If your symptoms do increase or you are concerned about any changes to your symptoms please phone us.
Pain relief is normally only the initial phase of the overall treatment plan. In order to restore function to your muscles and joints and reduce the risk of injury recurrence, further treatment will be necessary after the pain has gone. The cause of the problem will be addressed, both with strengthening exercises and retraining of the muscles involved.
The best way to ease acute (recent onset) soft tissue pain and/or swelling is to apply an ice pack (or a packet of frozen peas!) to the affected area for 10-20 minutes, keep reapplying the ice pack every hour or so – remember not to place ice directly on the skin as it can cause an ice burn. This is very useful self-treatment if you experience post treatment soreness. More chronic pain may benefit from gentle massage with a healing gel such as Fisiocrem (sold in clinic) and some people find relief from a hot bath followed by the application of an icepack. You may benefit from anti-inflammatory medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen please talk to your pharmacist for advice. Never take other peoples prescription painkilling medication as it may not be suitable for you.
If for any reason you cannot make your appointment please let us know as soon as possible (ideally more than 24 hours before the time of your appointment) so that the appointment can be offered to someone else. We do have a strict late cancellation policy as outlined on the appointment reminder emails and on the consent form that you signed when you filled out our online forms prior to your first appointment.
Exercises will be offered as part of your rehabilitation program. The type of exercises given will depend on your specific treatment plan. If you have forgotten how to do the exercises or are having doubts about their effectiveness please contact us and we can answer any questions.
When you book your first appointment at Cathedral Chiropractic the receptionist will ask for your contact details including an email address. We will then input your details onto our digital system and send you an email with a link so that you can fill out our medical questionnaire prior to your appointment. This is so that we can save time when you arrive and so that we have a good idea of who you are and what your problem is. It is good practice to monitor your progress throughout your course of treatment and also after you have finished the course of care so that we are able to assess the quality and effectiveness of the care that we provide. Filling in these questionnaires takes no more than five minutes; it helps to focus our care specifically to your needs and enables us to continually audit our service thus making sure we are always improving. If you do not have an email address or would rather not do it online we do have an iPad that you can use in clinic, please arrive 10 mins before your first appointment to give you time to answer the questions.
If you have a question that isn't answered here, feel free to drop us an email enquiries@cathedralchiropractic.com or call us on 01872 262988 and we will endeavour to answer your query. We may even add it to the FAQ's.
