I consider myself extremely fortunate in that I love my job! The challenges and positive outcomes associated with working as a Professional Health Care practitioner tick all the boxes for me!
In my previous career as a quality engineer within the aircraft engine industry, a large part of my job was ensuring that each component of the engine was working to its required specification in order that the engine as a whole ran smoothly and efficiently. In many ways, my job today as Practice Director of Creative Chiropractic in Holt is very similar but has the added benefit of working with the human body and the personalities that go with them!
Having been involved within the health care profession for nearly 17 years, the opportunity arose for me to open my own Practice in 2007 in Lees Yard, Holt. I have had the privilege of working with a huge variety of patients who come to the Practice with pains and conditions caused from their occupational background, their hobbies and sports, habitual practices, all forms of accidents (the list goes on!) and with ages ranging from 9 days to 100 years. Every patient’s body produces its own music. It’s a matter of tuning in and listening to what it’s saying. The most important part of putting things right is to get to the root cause of the problem.
Besides myself as the Senior Chiropractor, we also have two excellent female Chiropractors at the Practice, one who specialises in paediatrics and focuses not only on the babies and young children but also on expectant and post-natal mothers. The majority of our patients are aged between 51 and 69 years of age who present with a multitude of conditions ranging from a straight forward low back problem or neck pain through to frozen shoulder, house-maids knee, repetitive ankle instability problems and many, many more. For instance, pain running from the shoulder to the arm can often be caused by a neck or shoulder blade problem or hip and pelvic pain can be generated by a dysfunction within the spine. However, not all low back pain is caused by the low back.
Case Study: – Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA’s) can also produce symptoms that mimic spinal problems, as I have encountered on several occasions. Although, AAA’s are generally monitored by the hospital, over a certain size, the risk of rupture increases and surgical repair is a necessary option. This is exactly what happened to my father when he initially came to the Practice in what seemed to be a simple case of low back pain when, in fact, it was a AAA measuring 5.1cms in diameter. When I examined the vascular system in my father’s legs, worrying signs began to appear such as loss of arterial pulses to the legs and feet, calf cramping (which worsened with activity, eased with rest), tightening of the calf’s (similar to DVT), groin pains and, along with his previous history of angina and heart surgery, my suspicions were raised even further. After taking an x-ray, I saw a shadow was evident in front of the lower spine which warranted referral to his GP for an on-going referral for an abdominal ultrasound scan. This confirmed a AAA and after a further 12 months of monitoring, it had grown to over 5.3cms (AAA grow approximately 10% per year) which had crossed the 5.2cms threshold meaning surgery was required. A three hour key-hole grafting operation corrected the problem and with the consultant being pleased the operation went well and after checking all was satisfactory via a CT scan, I took him home the following day. Amazing! 4-weeks of rest and taking it easy, together with being given the ‘all-clear’ after a follow-up appointment with the consultant, means he is back to doing his normal activities though my mother still tells him off for over-doing it!
This is a classic example that by assessing the initiating root cause of a condition rather than simply treating the area of pain, an appropriate diagnosis can be achieved. However, the example above is not a common presentation as the vast majority of patients have treatable conditions which, through treatment, will have the double benefit of easing, and in many cases, removing the pain as well as preventing it from recurring. Indeed, the body plays its own individual music and it really is a matter of tuning in and listening to what it’s saying! However, Chiropractors are more than just about ‘adjusting the spine’! Training for 5-years full-time means being a chiropractor also involves tuning in to a patient’s level of exercise, nutritional and dietary factors, allergies, prescription drugs, posture, weight and dealing with any underlying issues such as osteoarthritis. Often the body is trying to tell us what is wrong but sometimes with our busy lives, are we always listening? As Chiropractors, a large part of our job is to listen so if you need someone to help fine-tune yourself, call Creative Chiropractic in Holt on (01263)715522 or email on info@creativechiropractic.co.uk and taken advantage of our Free 30-minute Pain Assessment Voucher.
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