Frequently Asked Questions About Chiropractic
How do you pronounce CHIR/GO?
How do you pronounce Chiro and Chiropractor?
kai-ro and kai-ro-prak-ta
CHIR/GO: ‘Chiro Go’
/ˈkʌɪrəʊ/ /ɡəʊ/
Originally a mobile chiropractor, CHIR/GO started off meaning ‘Chiropractor on the Go’.
Now, the ‘Go’ refers to keeping you on the go. We all live busy lives - we don’t have time to stop for pain or function. At CHIR/GO we have appointments tailored to you. Short appointments for the very busy, long appointments when you can stop and finally take a breather.
What is Chiropractic and what do Chiropractors do?
What does this mean?
* neuromusculoskeletal : a fancy term to say nerves, muscles and bones of the skeleton. It also refers to the relationship between each of those components.
Chiropractors are health care professionals who assess the function of the spine through movement quality and joint position. We look at the body as a whole and perform spinal ‘adjustments’ to help facilitate the body’s ability to heal naturally.
Chiropractors treat a whole range of neuromusculoskeletal* conditions. Often it is hard to treat just one component due to the connection between all.
Muscles depend on the skeleton, bones and joints for stability;
Bones cannot move without the muscles;
Muscles require good communication from the brain via the nervous system to function properly.
It is important to get properly assessed before receiving treatment.
Examples of what a Chiropractor can help with include, but are not limited to:
Neck pain
Mid and Lower Back pain
Foot pain
Shoulder pain
Jaw pain
Scoliosis
Posture
What is an Adjustment and what is that sound?
An Adjustment is an applied force into a joint often used by Chiropractors and Osteopaths to help alleviate stiffness and/or pain. The force is very specific and targets a direction of movement to a joint that has lost its ability to function optimally. These restrictions contribute to various movement issues which may or may not be causing pain. It is important to clear any restrictions you may have as leaving them long term will cause excess pressure onto surrounding joints, resulting in a change of posture and early degeneration.
Adjustments can sometimes be associated with a popping or clicking sound. The sound comes from the rapid formation and collapse of a gas bubble inside the joint when the force is applied. The sound may occasionally be loud but is painless and has no correlation to the effectiveness of the adjustment.
Often, a sense of relief will come after a restricted joint has been adjusted, as blood flow and neural sensation floods back into the area.
You can see this in action via the link below.
MRI of a joint cavitation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSz4hxW73bU
I don’t have pain, should I still see a Chiropractor?
Injuries occur in many different ways and sometimes it’s not obvious. When an injury does occur, muscles and joints will compensate to keep you going. Often what results is another, more memorable injury further down the line. The time frame for this to occur can range from a couple months to a couple years and varies depending on the person and which movement biases you have.
Pain is usually the last sign of muscle and joint compensation and usually the first to leave in the healing process. It is important to keep a maintenance schedule after the pain subsides to keep your body functioning optimally.
Prevention is better than treatment.
Maintenance appointments are available and can be tailored to your needs.
Should I be seeing a Chiropractor or a Physiotherapist?
Unfortunately there is no easy way to answer this. Chiropractors and Physiotherapists are able to work on the same issues you may be facing. We treat the same areas, use similar techniques and occasionally work together to get you back to full functional capacity. Furthermore, each Chiropractor and Physiotherapist will have their own area of interest as well.
The most important thing is for you to resolve your injury or area of complaint as quickly as possible by visiting any one of us. Make sure you follow the advice of your practitioner and stick to the recommended schedule before judging which therapy or therapist is right for you.
If you’re still confused, just ask !
Every clinic will be different so make sure you call, text or email for further information.
For our contact information Click Here.
What types of treatment techniques are available?
What does this mean?
** Diversified is the most common set of adjustments for chiropractors. The other stream of adjustments are Gonstead adjustments.
*** Soft tissue is a term for everything except for the bone. This normally refers to everything between the skin and the muscles/ligaments.
All consultations will include full body Diversified ** adjustments unless you have an underlying condition preventing this. We recommend starting off with standard consultations with adjustments unless you have discussed this previously with the chiropractor.
For long consultations, treatment will also involve one area of focus for soft tissue techniques***.
Available techniques:
Dry needling
Exercise Rehabilitation Coaching
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation (IASTM)
Trigger Point Therapy
Thompson/TPT - Drop Piece Technique
Ultrasound Therapy
For more information about our different consultation options, head to Book an Appointment.
Do you accept Private Health Insurance or Medicare?
Yes, we accept all health funds and claim immediately through HICAPS. For information about your cover, it is best to contact your private health insurance.
We also accept Medicare referrals for complex conditions and chronic pain from your General Practitioner (GP) which allow for five (5) visits in the calendar year. Medicare appointments will generally go for 15 minutes but can be extended for an additional fee.
From January 2025 we will be introducing a $30 gap fee for all Medicare consultations.
For your first Medicare appointment, make sure you submit your EPC form at least 3 days before your appointment for approval. You can email it to us and include your contact details.
For more information Contact Us.
What if I don’t have Private Health Insurance?
Appointments can be paid for in full by EFTPOS or Direct Debit.
We now accept AMEX.
