Our bodies work through allot of stress throughout the day and therefor we will tight and tender when things start to crumble. We may find when this happens, changes to our posture and poor habits begin to show causing a decline in our musculoskeletal health. One of the biggest causes can be desk work or poor sleeping habits which may irritate both the neck and lower back areas.
About Cupping
Cupping can be used for various musculoskeletal injuries or issues that may arise. This treatment modality works best on large areas meaning its great for people suffering with upper back pain or low back pain. Its also great for joint inflammation, areas of overuse and of course tight muscles. These can include conditions such as pelvic pain, buttock pain, leg pain (hamstrings or quadraceps), neck pain and shoulder pain.
What is Myofascial Cupping?
Myofascial Cupping is a remedial massage technique that gently lifts the muscle tissue using suction cups to help the fascia return to an ideal position whilst increasing blood circulation and the bodies’ ability to absorb nutrients within the area the cups are applied to, thus speeding up repair of the area and its surrounding tissues.
The TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) can become one those areas that makes an annoying clicking sounds to one that brings on excruciating headaches and face pain. It is the main joint that connect your jaw to your skull and has many ligaments, muscles and nerves associated with the region. Most common causes of Jaw pain are due to stress, trauma, arthritis, grinding your teeth, clenching or joint dysfunction.
Our Chiropractors may use adjustments on your jaw if we see there is a need to. Most of the times only 5 to 10% of cases need to be adjusted as muscles in the area are usually the main problem.
Exercises or Stretches
We recommend certain exercises or stretches to help alleviate tension within the region. Usually due to the extreme tightness within the jaw gentle stretches and exercises can help out allot, especially with preventing flareups of the region.
Chiropractors may use soft tissue release techniques especially trigger points in the area as muscle bundles tend to form. Surrounding musculature may also be involved and will be treated accordingly based on the examination findings.
Our Chiropractors will also look at your posture and check for any related issues to the problem. Sleeping habits and lifestyle changes such as standing desks or better sitting ergonomics can go a long way especially with upper body tension and tightness.
Tips To Help Reduce TMJ pain
Using Heat or Ice packs help to relax the facial muscles surrounding the TMJ area.
Gentle Stretches to the area can help improve joint mobility (Open, close and side to side movements)
Note* If you are currently suffering from any problematic concerns such as jaw pain, neck or back pain, are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings available 7 days a week Saturdays and Sundays @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
Chiropractic care is recognized as being a way to help decrease pain and increase overall functional well-being. Chiropractor’s may help you achieve a healthier lifestyle by giving you strategies to overcome stress, injuries, pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. This can all be done with various methods and not one person is treated the same to the other hence why many modalities are used to make the changes needed to make a difference!
Remedial Massage is the oldest form of physical therapy, this specific form is more than just a relaxation technique. What Remedial Massage aims to do is find the “knots” also known as trigger points and apply pressure to them. What this does is release the knots where the pressure is applied allowing the muscles to free up. Our select team of practitioners are qualified to practice remedial therapy meaning that you are in good hands when choosing our services at The Melbourne Chiropractor.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissues
Return of correct biomechanics
Provide instant muscle release
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups
Who can be treated?
Massage and Myotherapy can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic muscles, muscular tension, overuse injury, painful tendons, tender ligaments and more.
Symptoms Treated
Muscle Pain
Joint Pain
Bone Pain
Neck Pain
Back Pain
Arm Pain
Leg Pain
Frozen Shoulder
Golfer’s Elbow
Carpal Tunnel
Tennis Elbow
Sciatica
Headaches
Migraines
Sinus Symptoms
TMJ & Jaw Pain
Tension-type Headaches
Dry Needling
Dry needling can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic and tender muscles, overuse injury, painful tendons, tender ligaments and more.
Many muscular related conditions are thought to be a primary contributing factor to pain and other related symptoms. These conditions include, but are not limited to neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, golfer’s elbow, headaches, migraines and tension-type headaches, jaw pain, buttock pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, sciatica, hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissue
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups (muscle strain, tendon injuries, TMJ)
Cupping
Cupping is a technique that can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic and tender muscles, overuse injury and more.
Many muscular related conditions are thought to be a primary contributing factor to pain and other related symptoms. These conditions include, but are not limited to headaches, migraines, tension-type headaches, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, tennis elbow, buttock pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, sciatica, hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms.
Increased strength and functionality of muscle tissue
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas and groups (muscle strain, hip/glute/hamstring/quadricep injuries)
Note* If you are currently suffering from any problematic concerns such as neck or back pain, are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings available 7 days a week Saturdays and Sundays @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
How long you have had poor posture is not a reason to think it cannot be changed, the biggest issue, is how it was caused and what other underlying factors such as trauma or medical problems the patient is dealing with. Most times we find that posture can be improved within the first 8-12 weeks if it is a functional cause, although depending on the severity it may take up to 6 months to see changes in areas that are severely degenerated and affected by poor posture. Lifestyle factors and habits will also come in to play as forward posture at the desk from long hours can limit the amount of change from therapy.
Note* If you are currently suffering from postural issues the early you start the better off you will be. If you are wondering what we do on your first chiropractic session or would like to make a booking, you can always contact us to find out more! Online bookings also available 7 days a week @ https://themelbournechiropractor.com.au/book-now
Back pain is known as the most common cause of bodily pain in Australia. It affects up to 90% of the population at least once throughout their life. There are many different forms of back pain ranging from acute to chronic with various symptoms associated with it. They may include radiating pain down the legs or pins and needles in lower body regions.
Our Chiropractor will assess the areas that are restricted within the spine in both the upper and lower sections to ensure they correct the dysfunctions identified. This will help improve function in the area by reducing tension and alleviating the pain causing the issue. Surrounding areas will also be assessed to ensure that they are not pulling or twisting the area in an unnatural position causing what we think to be the “main” cause of back pain.
Low Back Stretches and Exercises
Low Back exercises and Low Back Stretches may be implemented to help assist with building strength and maintaining flexibility throughout the area of concern. The exercises will be tailored towards what areas of the body need exercise and stretches although general exercises will be given aswell to ensure that the patient has a variety to choose from to suit their needs.
If needed our chiropractors may refer you to our remedial massage therapists or even implement other modalities such as Dry Needling or Cupping to help decrease muscle tightness, especially for people suffering with low back pain.
Our Chiropractors at The Melbourne Chiropractor understand that different modalities should be used to help alleviate pain and discomfort. there is not one recipe that works for every patient hence why our clinic has various practitioners performing different types of chiropractic care. Posture for low back pain can be a big problem and this is why our chiropractors will check for instability within the hips, changes to toe in and toe out of the foot and changes to upper back and lower back curvature. It is common to find underlying postural related issues that can have an impact long term on recovering from back pain hence why our team take a holistic approach to chiropractic care to ensure everything gets done the right way from the beginning.
Our Broadmeadows Chiropractor especially has worked with patients of surgeons who have had spinal fusions or surgeries related to previous low back pain. What we find is patients who have had surgery before have a limitation in low back movement hence why we try to alleviate the tension associated with the area that has been fused. At times we also may refer patients out to surgeons to get a second set of eyes to look at the situation although most of the time we will refer to a doctor to get the right information to proceed. Most times our team of chiropractors will refer for an X-ray and create a report before sending a patient of to a GP for further testing.
You have just visited an allied health professional and your feeling allot better now! But, question is…. Will you be doing anything different to what you were doing before? If your answer is No then it may be ideal to keep an appointment for later on in the month to combat these pain episodes that have been bringing you down!
Pain is a signal coming from the body that alerts us that we are doing something wrong. Hence why we should aim to make changes to combat pain by altering our lifestyle (especially those bad habits!)
Our team of practitioners offer wellness care for those who are willing to take their wellbeing to the next level. This incorporates a plan that helps to reduce reoccurrences of episodes from pain and increase overall mobility and function of the body. Advice on daily living activities such as work posture, lifting biomechanics and sleeping are all things our team look into to improve your wellbeing for many years to come.
Chiropractic Care involves the movement of joints back to a normal position where the body is then able to move effectively. Tension is also decreased from the area as tight muscles are relieved and an increase in mobility and flexibility can be seen almost instantly. There are many different techniques that a chiropractor may use including manual adjustments, low force techniques, trigger point therapy, dry needling, prescribe exercises, prescribe stretching or mobilisations in the area of complaint.
Our team of practitioners at The Melbourne Chiropractor strive to get functioning to the best of your abilities. By getting to the bottom of the problem early on it will be easier to tackle the complaint in a shorter period of time.
Our daily routines effect the way our bodies adapt to stresses, at times these adaptations can turn into episodes of pain and create unwanted postural changes or even irritations of certain areas under stress. The 3 key factors that usually cause a decline in musculoskeletal health include a difficult/stressful working environment, bad sleeping routine and limited physical activity.
The body can only keep up for so long before it crashes. When it does you may begin to feel sore and tight, maybe even get headaches or unwanted low back tension. Therefore it is ideal to keep yourself in check to help maintain areas that are not able to keep up with the demands needed daily.
Dry Needling comes into play here as it helps to relieve pain and soreness in the affected muscles. Usually they are placed in areas where there are trigger points and they can be reduced to give relief!
About Dry Needling
Dry needling can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, neuromuscular dysfunction, muscle imbalances and pain syndromes. Therapy is specifically aimed to help with muscular pain, myofascial pain syndrome, hypertonic and tender muscles, overuse injury, painful tendons, tender ligaments and more.
Many muscular related conditions are thought to be a primary contributing factor to pain and other related symptoms. These conditions include, but are not limited to neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, golfer’s elbow, headaches, migraines and tension-type headaches, jaw pain, buttock pain, pelvic pain, leg pain, sciatica, hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms.
Increased strength and overall function of the area
Can be used on hard to release muscle areas (muscle strain, tendon injuries, TMJ)
Able To Enjoy Daily Activities (Decreased Tension)
What Is Trigger Point Dry Needling?
Dry needling is the use of either solid filiform needles or hollow-core hypodermic needles, to be inserted directly into the trigger points and muscle bundles to act as a stimulant from underneath the skin.
The process of dry needling, either with or without Myotherapy Massage will help to increase circulation and blood flow, thus speeding up repair of the area and its surrounding tissues.
What Does Trigger Point Dry Needling Do?
Dry needling of a trigger point will elicit an involuntary reflex in the muscle fibres which forces blood, oxygen and inflammation into the muscle. In turn, the nerve endings in the muscle will be stimulated, resulting in a reduction in pain and release of tension in the muscle.
It elicits the same response as with non-invasive trigger point therapy and deep tissue massage. Please ask one of our friendly staff for more information or book online today!
This is when you are sitting with your head forward, away from its ‘neutral’ position. When our head is sitting in a forward position, it increases the load and compression on the neck. As a general rule, every 2.5cm that the head is in a forward posture, an additional 4-5kg of weight is felt on the neck!
Forward head posture
Rounding shoulders is exactly what it sounds like. You may often hear people refer to this as being in a slouched position. We can begin to develop rounding or rolled forward shoulders after being in this sustained, hunched position and adapting it as a postural habit.
Slouching in upper back
When the spine of the upper back curves at an increased angle. This can also be known as an increased kyphosis. This position is often adapted after continuously maintaining a slouched position, rounding shoulders and forward head carriage.
Increased curve in lower back
This is also known as increased lordosis or hyper lordosis. In this position, your pelvis tilts forward and creates an exaggerated curve in your mid to lower back region.
Good vs Poor Posture
What’s the cause of posture problems?
Desk Work
Long periods of driving
Incorrect sleeping positions or pillow
Weak stabilising muscles
Hypertonic muscles
Structural or functional changes such as scoliosis
Sedentary activity
Progression of the ageing process (degeneration)
What can be done to help prevent posture issues from occurring?
Awareness of your posture
Stretching and using things such as a posture pole
Keeping active!
Ergonomic working environments
Using the correct pillow
Correct Seating Posture vs Incorrect
Benefits of Having a Good Posture:
Reduction of muscle tension
Decreased stress on joints and ligaments
Increase in energy and mood
Decreases the risk of injury
Helps decrease episodes of pain and tension throughout the body
How Can Our Team Help?
Depending on the severity of the injury or area of concern our practitioners in our Broadmeadows, Westmeadows and Fawkner Clinics will treat accordingly to your complaint. Treatments that may be provided but are not limited to include:
Spinal manipulation, Activator Methods, Drop Piece, SOT and other adjustive techniques can help alleviate joints that have restriction such as spinal segments and joints (LeFebvre, Peterson & Haas, 2012)
PNF/PIR/prescribed stretching – Stretching has shown to reduce pain, improve functionality of the wrist and hand also maintains strength and improves patients in both long and short-term outcomes.
Remedial Massage, Trigger point therapy or use of handheld massager – Have shown to decrease pain/tenderness, enhance both range of motion and quality of life and influence flexibility (Shah et al., 2015) (Imtiyaz, Veqar & Shareef, 2014)
Advice on daily living activities/diet – This enables advice on how to change to make healthy actions into habits and may offer a valuable alternative with potential for long-term impact. (Gardner, Lally & Wardle, 2012)
Prescribed exercises – produce more beneficial outcomes in terms of increased strength, improved function and reduced pain scores. (Fernandes, Pedrinelli & Hernandez, 2015)
Dry Needling or Cupping to the surrounding musculature to help decrease tension and inflammation around the area of the hand and forearm.
Chiropractic care is recognized as being a way to help decrease pain and increase overall functional well-being. Chiropractor’s may help you achieve a healthier lifestyle by giving you strategies to overcome stress, injuries, pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions. This can all be done with various methods and not one person is treated the same to the other hence why many modalities are used to make the changes needed to make a difference!
At The Melbourne Chiropractor we bring out the best from our patients by striving to achieving health and wellbeing. Our aim is to reach patient goals and from there do our best to continue to exceed our patients expectations. We always try to offer various treatment modalities and our clinic offers that. Some of the things we bring to the table include both Manual adjustive techniques and low force techniques such as drop piece and activator methods. We also offer dry needling and cupping therapy including remedial massage, soft tissue and trigger point therapies. Our clinic not only offers passive care but we also involve the patient into their own care by creating thorough plans to get them back on their feet long term. We do this by supplying the patient with exercises and stretches and we give various options depending on the situation. Usually to get to such a stage we do a thorough examination which enables us to make an accurate judgment of how to guide you through your healthcare journey.
The Melbourne Chiropractor Treatment Room (Broadmeadows Clinic)
The Chiropractic team at the The Melbourne Chiropractor understand that pain is best managed by creating long term changes! Firstly, the pain needs to be alleviated with adjustive techniques or low force techniques to the spine, soft tissue massage to the surrounding musculature and then be accompanied with an exercise regime to help make the changes needed to influence bad habits and behaviours! Many of our patients seek.
By creating a change to your musculoskeletal system, it will help decrease muscle tension and restrictions through the spinal segments which in turn allow you to use your spine to further strengthen it! If you are seeking treatment which will help restore your structural and functional health our chiropractors at the The Melbourne Chiropractor are here to help get you back on track! BOOK NOW
A Chiropractic Adjustment is a force that is placed through a joint in a specific direction to help alleviate pain within the area and restore movement back to the restricted joint. Usually after a joint does get adjusted it may feel like there is more mobility in the area, increased flexibility and overall just feeling allot better in the area of previous concern.
There are a number of people who try to “self-adjust” themselves to try and get the same effects from what they receive from the chiropractor. Most times people find that the ease of tension only last for short periods as they are not moving joints that are restricted, in fact, they are moving joints above and below the restriction hence why the pain continues to come back and progress. It is common also for people who crack their joints to overstrain themselves from forceful cracking. This can also lead to hypermobility of the joints and cause issues with muscles and ligaments moving further than they naturally should causing risks of harm.
How Does A Chiropractor Know What To Adjust?
Chiropractors are trained professionals with over 5 years of university experience at university completing a double degree in Health Sciences and Applied Sciences (Chiropractic). The degree gives our qualified and experienced health professionals the ability to use various treatment modalities and an understanding of how the musculoskeletal system and neurological areas work within the body.
Manual adjusting is just one of the tools that chiropractors use. When applying this technique usually chiropractors will check for areas of restriction and tenderness by using a physical examination. Things such as posture, walking stance and joint mobility are some factors that come into play when considering where to adjust. Once the patient is on the table relaxed our chiropractors will use use their hands across the spine to check for any inconsistencies throughout the spine and to see where tension and restriction is present.
