Axis Chiropractic Treatments – Feel better, live better

Chiropractors are the spinal health care experts.  Did you know that in the Western World, 80% of the population will experience disabling lower back pain at some time during their lives? This is a common and painful condition, which is often poorly managed and very expensive, both in terms of treatment and cost.  Chiropractors are the leading specialists for spine related health conditions. Chiropractic care of the spine reduces pain, decreases medication and is extremely cost effective.  In fact, studies have shown that a course of chiropractic care was 250 times safer than a course of anti-inflammatory drugs.  A study on low back pain has shown that compared to those who sought care from medical doctors, chiropractic patients were more likely to be satisfied with their care, and less likely to seek care from another provider for that same episode of pain.  Chiropractic care represents the pinnacle of best practice for lower back pain, is extremely safe and does not use drugs. Causes of back pain include but are not limited to: poor posture, seating issues, ligament injury, incorrect lifting and lack of exercise.

Neck pain can be a very debilitating condition.  It can affect your daily life rendering you unable to perform normal everyday tasks such as looking after your family, working at your computer for any length of time before having to stretch and look for someone to give you a shoulder massage, and it can even decrease your concentration levels when you are driving.

Many medical studies have been done into the effectiveness of Chiropractic treatment for neck pain.  They have found that Chiropractic adjustments were recommended to improve range of motion and reduce pain in whiplash injuries, and Chiropractic adjustments were also effective for people suffering sub-acute and chronic neck pain and was superior to the usual medical care. If you suffer from neck pain it is imperative that you call us today. Neck pain does not have to be part of your daily life.

Put your headache in our hands. We offer relief that’s drug free, effective and cost efficient. Chiropractic is effective in providing safe, natural relief of headaches. We offer a natural approach to health, focusing on the relationship between the spine and the central nervous system. Chiropractic care can be effective in headache management because it corrects impairments that often cause headaches. In a study conducted at Macquarie University, specific chiropractic adjustments to the spine significantly reduced migraines in 71% of the people surveyed. The frequency, duration, severity and amount of medication all decreased markedly. Often headaches are caused or exacerbated by misalignments in the spine or tension in the muscles of the head and neck.

Vertigo is a common symptom presenting in our clinic especially after head and neck trauma. Vertigo and dizziness can be a very disabling complaint. It is a sense of dizziness or spinning, sometimes associated with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and sweating. It can have many causes and in most cases it is a treatable condition.  The treatment used obviously depends on the cause. That is why our chiropractors always perform a thorough examination when you first come in for treatment.

One of the most common causes of vertigo and dizziness is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).   Generally about 20% of all cases of dizziness are due to BPPV and about 50% of all dizziness in older patients is due to BPPV. Our Chiropractors at Axis Chiropractic are trained to perform the Epley Manoeuvre, which is a simple and well-tolerated technique that will cure BPPV in the majority of patients.  This treatment is very effective and within 2 -3 appointments 80% are symptom free.  The symptoms can recur and research shows a relatively low recurrence rate of about 15 percent per year.  Chiropractic treatment might not be the first thing you think of if you have dizziness, but the manoeuvres and treatment used are the same as you would have if you go to medical clinicians who specialise in these conditions.

The sciatic nerve exits your spinal column from 5 different places and it joins together to form one nerve deep in the buttock muscles and runs down the back of the leg.  Sciatica is a painful syndrome caused by compression or irritation of this sciatic nerve. The pain experienced with sciatica can be dull, achy, sharp, toothache-like, pins and needles or even similar to electric shocks.  Other symptoms may include burning, numbness or tingling sensations, difficulty moving the affected leg and weakness in the leg muscles.  There are numerous causes of sciatica. Often if any of the lower vertebrae in the lumbar spine or pelvis are misaligned it can cause irritation to the sciatic nerve and cause the debilitating symptoms of sciatica. Chiropractic is one of the best treatments for this form of sciatica. There are also other causes of sciatica that our Chiropractors are trained specifically to diagnose. You can be confident in the knowledge that our Chiropractors are primary health care practitioners and we will determine the exact cause of your sciatica, which can also include bulging discs, bony growths on the spine, arthritis, or tight muscles in low back and or buttocks.  We can determine if your sciatica requires treatment by another specialist and can refer you directly so that you receive the best, most effective care for your particular condition in the shortest time possible.

There are many reasons for having pain over the hip; one of the most common reasons is referred pain from the back. The referred sensation of pain is felt in an area where the nerve travels or ends, but not necessarily from the point of the back where the nerve is being irritated. One example of referred hip pain is an irritated nerve exiting the lumbar spine, which can be caused by a misaligned vertebra.  This can cause an aching or burning or even sharp pain in the hip although the joint itself doesn’t necessarily have to be overly tender to touch or swollen. Specific location of the irritated nerve and precise correction of the misaligned vertebral complex is essential in removing the cause of your hip pain.

Pain in the hip can also be due to inflammation due to injury, arthritis or infection.  Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the most common disease affecting the hip joint, with 25% of women and 15% of men experiencing symptoms over the age of 60.  There is little evidence that structural changes of osteoarthritis can be changed or reversed. Although Chiropractic treatment will help you avoid unnecessary pain and disability and slow the progression of the disease and delay possible surgery or maybe even avoid the need for it.  Not only will our Chiropractors examine the site of pain but we also understand it is important to examine your back, knee, ankle and foot as all these areas can influence a hip problem. We can reduce the inflammation around the hip joint, improve movement of the joint by relaxing painful muscle spasm, strengthen the weakened muscles around the joint and provide lifestyle, exercise and nutritional advice to decrease pain and prevent further degeneration.  Individualised treatment can involve stretching and massage techniques to tight and tender muscles, gentle adjustments of affected joints and exercises based on your personal need and fitness level.  Nutritional support is essential to allow your body to heal in the quickest time possible.  We can suggest nutritional supplements or specific foods to include in your diet so that you heal from the inside out.

Hip pain whether acute or chronic, referred or true can benefit from supportive care.  Our Chiropractors are trained to diagnose the precise cause of your hip pain with specific orthopaedic, neurologic, chiropractic and x-ray examination. We can correct the cause of the pain with specific and individualized treatment.

Knee pain is very distressing and greatly debilitating.  Despite the high incidence of knee trauma from falls and collisions most knee pain is due to altered joint and muscle mechanics. This altering of the joint mechanics of the knee is a gradual occurrence and this is often why people may experience episodes of swelling after activities such as squatting, walking up and down stairs and running.  Whether a knee condition is acute (injury related) or chronic (wear and tear related) the importance of getting a good diagnosis and receiving the proper treatment can not be understated. Our Chiropractors are specially trained to treat these types of conditions and provide the proper corrective measures to address the underlying cause of your knee pain so that you can move around with confidence and comfort.

Ankle pain can be treated very successfully by Chiropractic treatments.  Ankle injuries can be acute (e.g. ankle sprain) in which prompt assessment and management is crucial within the first 24 to 48 hours. Swelling should be controlled by the application of a firm bandage, ice, rest and elevation of the leg.  When you seek care at Axis Chiropractic we will perform a thorough analysis of your ankle and surrounding tissues. Our Chiropractors have the authority to refer you for further tests to determine if you have sustained a fracture and will do so if clinically indicated.  We can then assist in the rehabilitation of your ankle sprain by:

Soft tissue treatment of the ligament scar tissue to promote optimal stability and range of motion.

Active and passive mobility exercises to restore the normal range of motion to your ankle and foot complex.

Balancing exercises to re-strengthen the ligaments that provide stability and improve position sense so that re-injury is less likely to occur.

Chronic Ankle pain will occur if ankle injuries are not properly treated at the time of injury.  At Axis Chiropractic we often see these types of problems.  Our Chiropractors can correct poor ankle/foot mechanics, correct joint restrictions and muscle tightness in the lower back and pelvis region and/or lower limb and even determine whether a difference in leg lengths may be contributing to your ankle pain.

The shoulder is a common source of referred pain especially from the neck.  People with neck conditions may experience this type of referred pain due to the irritated nerves that travel from the neck to the shoulder. Our chiropractors are experts in corrective techniques for neck misalignments, which can remove this referred pain to the shoulder.  There are other reasons for shoulder pain.  Injury to the shoulder joint can lead to many different shoulder conditions. To minimize complications from your shoulder injury, you should seek an evaluation if you have shoulder pain that lasts longer than a few days. Even though there are many causes of shoulder pain, the treatment for most conditions is similar. It is important to keep the shoulder moving to avoid the complication of frozen shoulder. Another common shoulder complaint is the inability to raise the arms out to the side above the level of the shoulders. In many of these complaints, the problem really isn’t in the shoulder at all. The reason why the arms cannot be raised above the level of the shoulders is because the spine has become kyphotic (bent over forward.) Even a child cannot raise her arms above her shoulders if her back is bent over.
  Our Chiropractors can diagnose the cause of your shoulder pain and can explain to you what shoulder motions to emphasise and which ones to avoid as your injury heal. Therapeutic treatments, such as specific adjustment techniques and ice, can be used to remove the inflammation in the shoulder. Removing the inflammation in the joint usually results in a significant decrease in pain. Specific muscle stretching and at home exercises are used to correct any muscular imbalances between the upper back and chest. We can correct these imbalances helps to ensure smooth and even shoulder motion. Most shoulder problems respond well to restoring motion to the joint and strengthening the muscles that support the shoulder joint to help prevent future re-injury.

One of the most common elbow problems is tendonitis. This condition is due to inflammation. Sometimes called tennis elbow, this painful condition can occur when a tendon that attaches to the elbow joint becomes irritated, either from injury or from overuse. Other common elbow problems include arthritis and problems from the wrist or the shoulder, which cause referred pain to the elbow.  Our Chiropractors will examine your elbow along with your neck, shoulder and wrist to help determine the nature of the condition. Diagnostic tools such as x-rays may reveal early calcification of the tendons around the joint, which may be one reason why the problem keeps recurring. With our proper therapy such as joint adjustments and other therapeutic measures, your condition may be markedly improved.

Many practitioners can often overlook wrist pain after a fall when they have ruled out a fracture.  Have you been told; “Give it time, that pain in your wrist will settle eventually”?  It won’t.  The wrist consists of 8 different bones. They all should move correctly. If these joints do not move correctly then they can not only cause pain in the wrist and numbness in the hand but lead to tendonitis in the wrist and/or elbow, restriction in the shoulder joint and recurrent neck pain. Our Chiropractors understand the importance of these joints and make sure that they are moving optimally so that you remain pain free for the longest time possible and do not experience constant recurrences of pain.

Of all the biomechanical (structural) ailments of the spine, a disc condition can be one of the hardest to treat. It requires the longest amount of healing time, approximately twelve weeks. In contrast, a muscle strain will usually heal in two to four weeks and a ligament strain in four to six weeks. Chiropractic care can dramatically reduce the healing time for a disc bulge.  Our Chiropractors have special training in the care of the spine and intervertebral disc and frequently treat degenerative disc conditions. We will determine if you have a spinal disc condition. If so, a treatment plan that is right for you can then be established to help you recover. This may include adjustments, ice, stretching, massage therapy and proper exercises.  With proper continued care the arthritic process can be slowed or halted and if you have suffered from a disc condition previously, it is wise to take good care of your spine and consult us at Axis Chiropractic so that you do not suffer from degenerative joint disease in the future.

A pinched nerve is a particular type of injury that occurs when a nerve or set of nerves have been compressed, stretched or constricted.  There are three main symptoms that you may feel when you are suffering from a pinched nerve. These include pain, numbness and the feeling of pins and needles or tingling. One or all of these symptoms may be present as well other signs like muscle weakness and changes with your reflexes. Sometimes the effects of the pinched nerve are minor, but more permanent damage can occur if it is not assessed and corrected. If the pain doesn’t lessen with simple rest, it might be time to seek out the help of a chiropractor for pinched nerve treatment. Our Chiropractors can help with the pain associated with pinched nerves.  Sometimes seeing a chiropractor for a pinched nerve is the best option for relief. If you’ve tried resting the affected area but find that the pain won’t go away, then it is time to seek out the expertise of the professionals at Axis Chiropractic Cairns where our Chiropractors can examine your spine to help you determine what is a pinched nerve and what is not by checking specifically for compression or constriction of nerves in between your vertebrae. We can gently realign your spine to ease the pressure on the nerves, resulting in relief from your pain and helping your nerves function more effectively than ever before.

After a long day of work or exercise, we have all encountered feeling tension around our shoulders or found the pain coming from a particular knot in the muscle.  These knots, known as trigger points, are a result of contracted muscle fibres that are unable to relax. Trigger points are formed when muscles are either chronically overworked or injured, and are often experienced as a pinching or burning pain.

Trigger points can develop in three ways:

1. Acute injury or trauma.
2. Overuse or repetitive motion injury. i.e. typing or using the mouse at your desk
3. Constant Pressure/Tension for extended periods of time.  i.e. poor posture

Normally, muscles are able to function best when they are well nourished and have proper blood circulation.  As we get stressed or overworked, certain muscle fibers cluster together and form a knot. While these knots are initially harmless, they can eventually become painful. This pain is referred to as a myofascial trigger point. It often takes up to 3 months before a knot actually develops.  Fortunately, there are ways to get rid of these knots and prevent them from coming back.

Trigger points will commonly cause pain that radiates to other parts of the body, which is also known as referred pain. The successful treatment of trigger points usually requires a combination of chiropractic care, stretching and a form of deep tissue massage called ‘trigger point therapy.’   Our Chiropractors will also perform trigger point therapy on muscles that need it before and/or after performing a Chiropractic adjustment to help the longevity of your pain relief.

Good posture helps your body function better. If you have correct posture for the activity you are doing, your body will need less effort doing it and be less likely to get injured.

 Good posture will give you better mechanical advantage and reduce strain on certain parts of your body that are prone to injury.  This is particularly important in physical activities, such as manual labour, gardening and sports, and that applies to athletes of all abilities.
  So, why is having a bad posture so detrimental to your health? Having the ‘wrong’ posture can put your muscles, ligaments and joints under undue pressure, which can lead to pain and fatigue.

  Bad posture can have a negative affect on your health. The physical side effects can be many. Sitting with poor posture can lead to back and neck pain, sciatica, shoulder and arm pain.  Standing incorrectly can have the same effects including hip, knee ankle and foot pain. 

Having a forward slumped posture with the shoulders rolling forward and the chin jutting forward will reduce your chest expansion and make breathing more difficult. Poor chest expansion is associated with chest infections and general fatigue and tiredness. It will also make you more prone to shoulder pain and injuries.

 If you sit with your lower back in a slumped posture you put significantly more pressure on you spinal discs.  It can also compress your internal organs and have an effect on bowel motility. Bad posture can be due to a number of reasons; habitual, pain, poor endurance and strength of the postural muscles and poor joint and spinal flexibility.

So how can you improve your posture?  The Chiropractors Association of Australia has developed Straighten Up Australia, an ongoing community service initiative which is an easy and enjoyable everyday program to improve your health and the way your body functions.

Consisting of a set of simple exercises and taking just three minutes to complete, Straighten Up Australia will help improve posture, stabilise core muscle groups, enhance health and prevent spinal disability.

This program is divided into three quick sessions:

• Star series warm up
• Flying friends posture pod
• Core balance and wrap-up

The exercises can be undertaken by Australians of all ages with a special program tailored for children.

Studies conducted overseas indicate that 90% of people who adopted the exercises as part of their daily routine reported a postural improvement. Approximately 80% reported that their backs are more comfortable and that they have better core stability after practicing the activities for several weeks.

Call in to Axis Chiropractic and we can give you the Adult and/or Children’s brochure of these simple exercises to start your journey to good health.  Or email us at enquiries@axischiropractic.com.au and we can email you’re the brochure to print out at home.

Arthritis means joint inflammation and there are many different types of arthritis that can affect both young and old people. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a result of repetitive trauma of the joint and is more common as we get older.  Most arthritic conditions benefit greatly from Chiropractic treatment and should be considered as an adjunct to medical care, particularly osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis. The most important thing with arthritis is to maintain as much normal function as possible in the affected areas. This is where chiropractic helps. Specific chiropractic adjustments help to return normal motion to misaligned spinal and extremity joints. These adjustments are effective in reducing pain, improving joint mobility and increasing muscle flexibility for arthritis sufferers. Our Chiropractors can also recommend stretches, exercises, and aids available to help improve mobility and range of motion in people with arthritis. Activities such as yoga, swimming and specific joint mobilisation exercises can be extremely beneficial.  Chiropractic allows sufferers to maintain as much normal function as possible, so that arthritis need not be a crippling disease.

As an elite athlete or weekend warrior, it is important to have your body functioning optimally if you want to achieve the best results. Most athletes consider it important to warm up and down with stretches, however, if joints are not moving correctly, stretching on its own may not be effective in preventing injury. Chiropractic will restore normal movement to joints, so they function properly and reduce the chance of injury due to sprain/strain or overuse.

When you find out you are pregnant your whole world changes.  Lots of thoughts and emotions race through your mind.  The excitement of becoming parents and the elation that you will be this child’s guiding hand throughout their lives.  After the exhilaration subsides your mind can turn to the symptoms that await you for the next 9 months.  The low back pain, sciatica, joint and muscle pain all start to be part and parcel of pregnancy.  Well I am here to tell you ladies this does not have to be the case.

Chiropractic care can be an important part of any woman’s pregnancy, allowing you to stay comfortable, mobile and healthy during this special time in your life. Chiropractic care during pregnancy can control and relieve back, neck and joint pain, without the need for drugs. For such an exciting time in your life wouldn’t you want it to be as pain free as possible?

Our chiropractors undertake a full and detailed assessment of each person prior to treatment and tailor a personalised program of care depending on the needs of the individual.  We also use gentle techniques suited to your condition.

After your bundle of joy arrives, you may assume you are out of the woods when it comes to discomfort and health challenges. Unfortunately when you return home there is no workplace health and safety officer making sure that there are two other people available to help you lift and shift you way through the day, that your “workstation” is set up correctly and RDO’s so you can take a day off to recover if you are in pain.  Many times women who have never experienced back pain develop neck and back pain after childbirth as they care for their newborns. Feeding, changing, bathing, and dressing your baby all day and night can strain your neck and back in ways you never thought possible.

Chiropractic care is safe and effective and can help restore the body back to functioning optimally. Your focus is all about caring for your family but if you are in too much pain what will happen? You need to take time to focus on your wellbeing. This is where Chiropractic care can help.