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How McTimoney Chiropractic Helped Me Return To My Winning Ways
By Cate Jackson
One snowy night back in January 2013 I had my first McTimoney Chiropractic treatment and I have never looked back.
As a former international swimmer, British No 1, Commonwealth Games finalist and holder of 11 British titles, I was approaching my 50th birthday and starting to feel that the years of hard training in the pool, on the hockey pitch and on the athletics field, were catching up with me.
In the mornings my body ached from head to toe. My shoulders were heavy and sore. I had stopped swimming training and competing at Masters level as I had stopped enjoying it. I was getting slower in the water and my body was telling me it was time to hang up my swimsuit.
I had made an appointment with Kate Hutton from Aspire Chiropractic (in Welwyn, Hertfordshire) on the recommendation of a friend, and, as the treatment progressed, I was not really sure what to make of it. Having been to chiropractors and osteopaths before, a light touch here and a slap of the hands there all seemed a bit odd. I started to think it was a waste of time. Such a gentle treatment couldn’t possibly be effective. How wrong I was! (more…)
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Sciatica in Peterborough
Sciatica is an inflammation of the Sciatic nerve that runs down the leg from the spine. It is a symptom rather than a condition and may have a number of different causes.
Sciatica signs. You may have all or some of these:
- Pain in the leg
- Burning or tingling in the leg
- Pins and needles
- Pains or tingling in the foot
- Pain in the bottom
- Weakness or numbness in the leg
- Feeling that leg may buckle under you
- The feeling of water flowing down your leg, or ants crawling on the skin
The pain of sciatica can be a constant ache or you may get shooting pains in the leg. (more…)
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McTimoney Chiropractic in Peterborough
What is McTimoney Chiropractic?
McTimoney chiropractic is a gentle style of chiropractic that uses light, fast movements to adjust the bones of the body. It aims to improve the alignment of the skeleton.
Can McTimoney help me?
The gentle nature of McTimoney makes it suitable for people of all ages. Studies have shown that chiropractic can be helpful for a range of conditions including ankle sprain, cramp, elbow pain and tennis elbow arising from conditions of the back and neck, headache arising from the neck, inability to relax, joint pains, general, acute and chronic backache, generalised aches and pains, lumbago, mechanical neck pain, migraine prevention, minor sports injuries and tensions, muscle spasms, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries, sciatica, shoulder complaints and soft tissue disorders of the shoulder. (more…)
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Chiropractic and Weight Lifting
A great ‘before and after’ photo set:
Wassim is a serious weight lifter who recently took part in his first competition. He had been suffering for over a year with pain and tension in his left arm and shoulder that was affecting his ability to train and to keep the bar level when squatting.
Before treatment:
Two days later, after a single McTimoney chiropractic treatment at the Peterborough clinic:
Wassim noticed an immediate reduction in pain and an improvement in the range of motion of his left shoulder after the treatment. After his second appointment he took part in a 24 hour charity rowing challenge and was able to complete it without any pain from his left arm. After 4 visits his arm and shoulder movement were normal and he was ready to resume his full training programme.
I was particularly pleased with the results here as I deliberately didn’t do any heavy duty soft tissue work on Wassim’s arm and shoulder. Other therapists had already worked on the tight muscles there but had failed to loosen them. The gentle adjustments of McTimoney Chiropractic alone were sufficient to correct Wassim’s structural alignment and the brain-body connections that were keeping his arm muscles in a state of tension.
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The Man With His Head In An Invisible Vice
A great column by Dr Phil Whitaker in the New Statesman magazine (22-28 August 2014) (just to be clear, the David in the article is not me):
David was a patient during my earliest years in general practice: an otherwise fit man in his early sixties who needed an operation on his ear. The procedure went without a hitch but afterwards David noticed that he was markedly off-balance and developed dreadful headaches. His description stuck in my mind: he said it was if one side of his skull was being “squeezed and crushed in a vice”. He illustrated this with his hands, clamping and pressing them against his scalp as he tried to explain.
Initially, I hoped it was something that would settle spontaneously: side effects of the general anaesthetic or the painkillers, perhaps, or some deep bruising that would take a while to resolve. After a few weeks without improvement, I organised blood tests and examined everything my training suggested might be relevant. I drew a blank.
My ear, nose and throat (ENT) colleagues were similarly perplexed when he attended his six-week follow-up appointment. The surgery had been successful, they confirmed, and everything was well healed. They were at a loss to explain his new symptoms. (more…)
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Peterborough Frozen Shoulder Clinic
Frozen Shoulder Syndrome (sometimes known as “adhesive capsulitis”) is remarkably common. As soon as you start talking about stiff and painful shoulders you quickly meet a lot of people who suffer with them.
It can come on without warning. A small pain in the arm or shoulder develops into a sharp pain or a burning sensation and, before long, simple daily tasks like reaching for things on shelves, gardening or just getting dressed become painful and difficult.
The movement of reaching behind your back is often greatly restricted.
The pain may come on following an injury or without any clear cause. The non-dominant arm is often affected. If you have a history of frozen shoulder on one side then you are at increased risk of getting it on the other side as well.
Pain down the outside of the arm is common, particularly at night. The pain stops people lying on the affected side. This disrupts sleep and adds to the misery of the condition. (more…)
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Back Pain and Gardening
Working in the garden can be great exercise and has all the benefits of getting out into the fresh air and sunshine.For many people, gardening is the only real form of exercise they get. (more…)
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Rugby Players and Texting
I was in London yesterday for the first General Meeting of the Royal College of Chiropractors (have I mentioned that we have a Royal College now?). This was a chance to catch up with chiropractic friends and to hear about developments in the Profession.
There were speakers from the USA, Sweden, Canada and Australia, reporting on some of the great research being done by chiropractors around the world.
There was the brilliantly named “OUCH” study from Australia comparing the effects of real and sham chiropractic treatment.
A Swedish study uses mobile phones and texting to stay in touch with chiropractic patients and monitor their progress over time. Response rates using this contact method are remarkably high.
Another study showed that neck movement in the typical male rugby player is seriously restricted (and is usually worse after a game than before). By comparison, the neck movement of American football players is relatively normal – apparently that body armour they wear really does work.
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Look after your back – choose the right bed
Every year up to 40% of the population – over 16 million of us – will suffer a bout of back pain and if you’re one of the unlucky ones, you will find that the state of your bed will quickly become a priority. A good bed, providing correct support and comfort, has an important role to play in relieving and preventing back pain. Here are some tips:
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Another week, another badge
The General Chiropractic Council (the regulatory body for Chiropractic in the UK) has issued the above logo to make it easy for Chiropractors like me to show that they are properly registered.
It is actually a criminal offence to call yourself a ‘Chiropractor’ in the UK unless you are on the GCC register. Registration shows that somebody has completed the appropriate training and has complied with the requirements for keeping their skills and knowledge up to date.
You can check whether somebody is registered by visiting the website in the logo.
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