What to Expect

Goolwa Chiropractic is located at easy to find 22 Hutchinson Street just near the shopping centre opposite Stracto.

We sincerely hope that you feel welcome the moment you step through our door, we hope that you feel that this is a place with a difference; A Wellness zone, a place of Health. For some of you it may be your first visit to a Chiropractor so here is a little about what to expect:-

On Your First Visit

On your first visit your health history will be taken and spinal examination will be completed. We will want to see how well your spine muscles and nerves function, and so spinal, muscle and nerve function test will be done through your clothes (as will all future treatments) so no changing or undressing is necessary (except for shoes if you would like your feet treated). This all will take 30 minutes but allow 45 minutes.

We will provide you with pain relief today but make no mistake our goal for you is so much more we want to have you well, to be healthy.

On a practical note some of you will be referred for X-Rays should this be necessary.

On Your Second Visit

On the second visit Cameron will explain your results including the spinal x-rays. Based on these findings, your needs and wellness goals a tailored treatment schedule will be recommended. There will be quite a bit of information, we will give this to you in both a written and verbal form. It is really important you understand what is happening and what we aim to achieve and why. Get involved in your care. Help us help you! Please get involved and ask questions and focus on the solutions.

The report of findings visit lasts 20 minutes.

With your consent the treatment programme will begin.

Every step in the treatment will be explained. Usually a gentle combination of techniques ranging from muscle testing, cross friction, activator, light repetitive drop piece adjustments and manual techniques (where necessary), will be used. Every person is different and so our treatment will be tailored to suit you and to maximise your outcomes.

We want you to be happy, so if you have a treatment preference please tell us.

At this visit we will also inform you of the do's and dont's so your body can heal.

Our experience and studies also show that if you are properly informed with clear health goals, You will do much better!

On Subsequent Visits

Remember healing takes time, whether it is a broken bone, cut leg or spinal complaint.

As you progress through the phases of care and as the stability of your spine and health continues to improve, Cameron will discuss and recommend specific exercises to further consolidate and improve upon this new found stability and mobility.

Each visit will improve on the last with the ultimate goal being not only stability but true health.

What Happened?

Many of us associate our current problem with an incident. The truth is more often than not, you had pre -existing joint instability. Some of you have had years of episodic pain that comes and goes, often depending on what you are doing. Others get injured doing something quite innocuous. Think of a person that hurts their back simply gardening or picking up paper. I can do it! The next person can do it! So what happened? Common sense tells us it is not the particular activity that caused this problem.. So what happened? Most often there is an underlying instability. The good news is that unless there is catastrophic damage, joint stability can be restored through chiropractic. Remember stability of a joint has little to do with the size of your muscles, more to do with the fine motor control of the muscles around the joints. In turn muscle control is given by your nerve supply. So we need need optimise your nerve supply.

This is exactly what chiropractic does. Chiropractic improves spinal stability and health by optimising nerve supply (proprioception). Remember again very few joints and muscle problems arise from an incident like gardening washing dishes, etc. After all you have done this same activity before, and other people can do this activity! Spinal joint problems usually result from ongoing and accumulating joint instability. The muscles are not protecting the joint because the nerve supply to them is inadequate! When a load or stress through activity is placed on an instable joint, damage will occur.

Many well intentioned people actually exacerbate and further damage their joints by going to the gym and trying to strengthen their muscles. If your nerve supply is inadequate, your fine motor control (protection) will be absent and the the resultant unstable joints will be damaged by the excess load placed through them.

Conversely stressing or loading muscles, ligaments and joints that are stabilised through chiropractic will respond beneficically. So it is imperative we not only relieve your pain but stabilise your joint by ensuring proper nerve supply to the muscles that protect them.