FAQs

About Muscle Testing

Muscle testing is an incredibly useful diagnostic tool and used by only a handful of health professionals.

When you find a weak muscle you have uncovered a real or potential injury.

Find a person with no strong muscles and you often have someone who is really sick. Muscle tone is a real key to indestructible health and a robust body. Weak muscles can't support alignment and it is only a matter of time before those ligaments become sprained, strained, inflamed or arthritic.

Proprioceptive muscle testing that is the fastest and easiest way to determine if you have muscle weakness and is the only way to find why you suffer from recurrent spraining, strains, pains and weakness.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the world’s largest non-surgical non-drug prescribing primary health care profession. Chiropractic focuses on optimising the relationship between joints and nervous system. Chiropractic is based on the scientific fact that the human body is a self regulating and self healing organism. We aim to optimise the bodies in borne ability to regulate and heal.

So what does Chiropractic do?

Chiropractic aims to optimise the function of your nervous system and most often your joint position sense ( proprioception) Cameron locates the areas of instability, abnormal movement, muscle weakness and nerve interference.He then sets about stabilising and optimising these deficiencies.

So why does the pain come and go?

Pain Messages are transmitted by nerves. When tissues are damaged nerve receptors transfer this information to the brain using nerves. Tissues are damaged when there is an inability to withstand the load/stresses placed on them. Rarely is the activity or load the problem. Invariably there is pre-existing but silent muscle weakness leading to joint instability that predisposes the joint or person to injury.

After all why can one person do gardening, washing and dishes or pick up the baby and another person gets the injury. Why has that same person been able to do it before with no problem? It clearly wasn't the activity that caused the injury, it was a pre-existing underlying joint instability. By improving joint nerve supply and stability tissues are less likely to cause pain.

When a region is unstable or not functioning properly pain comes and goes. it will often depend on the activity you are doing but the underlying dysfunction is still there. This is one of the reasons that when you show up for your adjustment feeling fine, the chiropractor finds muscle weakness and sore joints.

Being well is for better than simply not having pain.

Why don't I always feel good after an adjustment?

Restoring movement to previously static joints and removing nerve interference may include breaking adhesions, stretching muscles and causing slight inflammation in some instances. When stability muscle tone and joint stability is restored, you will feel well but more importantly the area will function well.

What is an adjustment?

A Chiropractic Adjustment is a quick thrust applied to a joint for the purpose of correcting joint movement and nervous system function.

At Goolwa Chiropractic the spine is adjusted using combination of techniques ranging from light repetitive drop piece adjustments and activator techniques to more manual adjustments. We will adapt to your preferences.

How old do you need to be to have Chiropractic care?

ANY AGE!! Chiropractic is safe for infants the elderly and everybody in between. Of course we modify our techniques to suit each individual, tailoring each technique to suit the person’s needs.

Book your child today for a no charge no obligation spinal check and find out how your child’s spine and nervous system is functioning. The kids love it, we love seeing them and it could be the best thing you ever do for your child.

Do you have HiCaps or Private Health?

Yes we are preferred provider and you are able to bring in private health cover cards, we will swipe it through the Hicaps machine and you only pay the gap for your treatment. Each gap is differing depending on the cover you have with your private insurance.

How many treatments will I need?

Every person that visits Goolwa Chiropractic comes in for a different reason and so will need a different care plan.

Generally speaking the longer a problem has taken to arise, the longer it will take to stabilise. Similarly if the affected area is continuously stressed and aggravated through work or lifestyle factors then again it will take longer to stabilise.

The vast majority of you will feel significantly better after even the first visit. Many of you will hobble in and walk out comfortably. This does not mean you are fixed! You don't fix, you heal. As a guide soft tissue injuries take about 6 weeks to heal but ligament joint and nerve injuries take longer. Often much longer, especially if this is a long standing injury. So be realistic about this and give your body and chiropractor a chance.

Your body FEELS better once the pain and inflammation has subsided, but it is important that proper nerve and muscle function is restored; to stabilise the area. It is important that function strength and mobility are restored to prevent this acute phase happening again.

You only have to continue treatment as long as you wish to maintain the health of nerve muscle system. Going to a Chiropractor is much like exercise and eating healthily. And so many people continue to enjoy the benefits of Chiropractic care through periodic maintenance check-ups In the same way that a vehicle runs better with maintenance many people maintain their health and chiropractic is an important part of their regimen. They report moving better, increased strength and vitality, increased performance! It really is up to you!

When in acute pain should I use ice or heat?

Ice is used when there is inflammation in the area concerned on when there has been a recent injury/episode. The cooling effect of the ice needs to [penetrate the skin to reduce inflammation, but not so long as to cause an ice burn. We recommend an ice pack rapped in damp towel and placed on the affected area for 15 minute, then left off for 15 minutes, repeat this for 4 or 5 times. Do not use ice packs at the very top of the neck.

Heat packs are used when there is a general ache or stiffness. Again a heat pack should be placed on the affected area for 15 minutes and then left of for 30 minutes.

Is there anything I can do to assist at Goolwa Chiropractic

We want the best results! Remember, you have injury and it needs time to heal. This is a process that takes time and does not happen overnight, even if it FEELS great! Imagine you had an ankle injury or broken bone, you would not stress that area immediately you would rest it. So try if possible to avoid placing the area under stress. Give the area support. Look at your posture, bedding, work station footwear and seating. Sloppy couches are not supportive. Nor is a soft mattress.

Many of you, with good intentions will try to strengthen the area. Avoid this initially as it puts load/stress on the injured area. Rest it!! When and not until Cameron has re-established proper nerve and muscle function then you can start strengthening.

Once you have the all clear get involved! Be active, start exercising and strengthening or using the area, make your spine or injured area stronger than ever! Whilst you are at it perhaps look at your eating and thinking habits, move towards true health.

There is so much you can do. We advocate a focus on the solutions, on health care not sick care! Think of and implement all the things you can do to be healthier. It really is fun. Life is so much better when we are at our best. Again and again we see clients reaping health benefits because of simple lifestyle changes they make. Together, lets do our best!

I feel better, am I fixed?

We all know that the human body doesn't "quick fix". We know that cuts and broken bones take time to heal and then rehabilitate, like any process in the body. We also know of people that have continued to work or play sport whilst masking their pain and the devastating consequences. as a rough guide soft tissues take about 6 weeks to heal and rehabilitation will be longer depending on the severity of the injury. Injury to bones ligaments and nerves takes considerably longer, often many months

Yes many of you will experience miracle results, instant relief from our work, but healing, stability and true wellness take time. Indeed a wellness life style is just that a lifestyle and is on going for as long as you breathe. How healthy do you want to be? Like anything the more you put in the more you get out. So do your best, we will!