How many treatment sessions will I require?

The number of treatment sessions and the form of treatment required is individually tailored but will depend on many key elements such as how long you have had the problem, how quickly you respond to treatment and whether you perform the exercises requested. An initial intense program is often necessary for pain relief, followed by a corrective phase were the tissues are allowed to re-adapt.

I don’t feel much better after the first treatment, is this normal?

Some people mention that after the first treatment they feel sore and achy, this feeling may last for 24-48 hours. If your symptoms do increase or you are concerned about any changes to your symptoms please phone us.

I no longer have the pain so why do I need to return for treatment?

Pain relief is normally only the initial phase of the overall treatment plan. In order to restore function to your muscles and joints and reduce the risk of injury recurrence, further treatment will be necessary after the pain has gone. The cause of the problem will be addressed, both with strengthening exercises and retraining of the muscles involved.

Is there anything that I can do to ease the pain?

The best way to ease acute (recent onset) soft tissue pain and/or swelling is to apply an ice pack (or a packet of frozen peas!) to the affected area for 10-20 minutes, keep reapplying the ice pack every hour or so – remember not to place ice directly on the skin as it can cause an ice burn. This is very useful self-treatment if you experience post treatment soreness. More chronic pain may benefit from gentle massage with a healing gel such as Biofreeze and some people find relief from a hot bath followed by the application of an icepack. You may benefit from antiinflammatory medication such as paracetamol or ibuprofen please talk to your pharmacist for advice. Never take other peoples prescription painkilling medication as it may not be suitable for you.

What if I cannot make my appointment?

If for any reason you cannot make your appointment please let us know as soon as possible so that the appointment can be offered to someone else. A small fee may be charged to those who repeatedly provide late notice.

Why am I given exercises to do at home, and what if I forget how to do them?

The exercises given will be offered as part of your rehabilitation programme, initially these exercises will be aimed at stretching out tight muscles. Once the muscles are relaxed you will be given strengthening exercises that will significantly reduce the chance of re-occurrence of your injury. If you have forgotten how to do the exercises or are having doubts about their effectiveness please contact us and we can answer any questions.

Why do I have to fill in forms before, during and after my course of chiropractic care?

When you book your first appointment at Cathedral Chiropractic the receptionist will ask for your contact details including an email address. We will then input your details onto our digital system and also onto a completely secure site called Care Response. You will then receive an email from Care Response asking you to click on a link, input your date of birth and answer some questions about your medical history and current pain of complaint. This is so that we can save time when you arrive and so that we have a good idea of who you are and what your problem is. It is also very good practice to monitor your progress throughout your course of treatment and also after you have finished the course of care so that we are able to assess the quality and effectiveness of the care that we provide. Filling in these questionnaires takes no more than five minutes; it helps to focus our care specifically to your needs and enables us to continually audit our service thus making sure we are always improving. On a larger scale the answers that you give may be anonymised and used in large scale studies to assess the effectiveness of chiropractic care.   If you do not have an email address or would rather not do it online we do have an iPad that you can use in clinic, please arrive 10 mins before your first appointment to give you time to answer the questions.