Our range of services are designed to help you feel better

When you contact us, our reception team begin by taking the demographic details necessary to create your individual patient account, which allows you to access your appointment details and personal information. Chiropractors are bound by the same rules of confidentiality that apply to all medical records.

You will then meet your Chiropractor who will take a full history of your condition and details of your and your immediate family's medical background.
This case history is then augmented by a comprehensive orthopaedic and neurological examination. Although this is usually sufficient to establish an accurate and specific diagnosis of the nature and cause of your problem, some patients do require additional tests: our main Yeovil clinic has a digital x-ray suite and are also able to make fast-track referral for magnetic resonance imaging and blood tests if and when required.

If the Chiropractor decides that yours is a condition amenable to Chiropractic management, we will check to that you understand the risks and benefits of chiropractic care and treatment can start on your first visit; if we can't help you, we will do our best to find the person who can.

The first visit usually takes about 30-45 minutes. Subsequent visits average 10-15 minutes though your chiropractor will always spend as long as is necessary with each and every patient.

The risks associated with chiropractic treatment are extremely small and complications are rare; however, we take patient safety very seriously and now have a new section on our website dedicated to making our treatment as effective and problem-free as possible.

The frequency and duration of treatment programmes vary according to the amount of damage done; how long the problem has been present; your age, general health, occupation and ability to heal. Your Chiropractor will devise and discuss a treatment plan that is designed specifically for you.
Treatment is typically divided into three phases:
Symptomatic relief
We want to get you out of pain as quickly as possible; typically this takes between five and eight treatments - if you aren't showing the expected improvement after a handful of sessions, we will review your orthopaedic and neurological status and modify the approach or arrange for additional testing to be done. Most patients report substantial improvement from about the third or fourth treatment.
Rehabilitation
Once you are comfortable, we usually begin a programme to maximize healing and restore normal function; this typically involves stretching exercises to remove any residual stiffness; strengthening and stabilisation; posture and ergonomic assessment and nutritional support. Most of this work is home-based and involves small changes over a period of months when you will typically only see the chiropractor two or three times. Where a patient's needs are more complicated, we will include other healthcare professionals in your recovery.
Prevention
Some problems can be recurrent owing to the levels of damage sustained or the daily stresses and strains put on certain areas of your body; if this is likely to be the case, we are highly experienced at gauging the likely rate of return and arranging a programme of occasional, preventional care, typically every 3-12 months. If you have made what we feel to be a full recovery, we will retain your records for a minimum of eight years ... just in case anything else goes wrong.
You always have the right to cancel or suspend treatment at any time - though we do require 24 hours notice for any cancelled appointment.

We are as interested in preventing recurrence as getting rid of your presenting symptoms. Your Chiropractor will discuss with you the strategy to manage your complaint to minimise the incidence of recurrence.

There is a difference in rationale, techniques and the general approach to a problem. Chiropractic training includes a greater emphasis on neurology and diagnostic imaging; osteopathic training places greater emphasis on soft tissues and blood flows. Chiropractors also have a far greater presence internationally. In the UK, the common ground between the two professions has increased greatly in the last 20 years and both professions are now regulated and practitioners must be registered with either the General Chiropractic Council or the General Osteopathic Council. It is illegal to call yourself a chiropractor or an osteopath unless you are properly registered.

Many musculoskeletal 'conditions' are not diseases but rather symptoms; as such, it is inappropriate to be able to claim to 'cure' back pain or neck pain, which can be caused by many dozens of different - and sometimes overlapping - things.
There is also a difference between conditions that have been robustly researched (such as low back pain) and shown to effective respond to chiropractic care, and those that have not yet been researched but which our own clinical experience tells us often respond very well with our clinical protocols.
All of our chiropractors hold the firm belief that effective treatment starts with an accurate diagnosis and that any good healthcare professional should know when they can help a patient and when that patient needs referring … which is why we spend so much time on your first visit achieving precisely that.
If you are interested in learning more about the evidence base for chiropractic, you can search for information on any topic here.

Some Private Health Insurance policies require a general practitioner referral (this can usually be arranged by phone as most surgeries have an automated standard letter they use); otherwise you do not need to involve your general practitioner and can simply self-refer by picking up the phone. We provide you with a synopsis of our findings, diagnosis and plan of management, which can forwarded to your general practitioner for inclusion in your central medical records.

Most health insurance companies now cover the cost of Chiropractic care and various of our practitioners are listed with almost all the major providers; the exception is BUPA from whom we de-registered in 2013 owing to their decision to enforce a new contract on all chiropractors and osteopaths, which was, for us, unviable.

It could be, it should be but, generally, it isn't, despite much campaigning on the issue.

We always encourage continuity of care but during annual leave and in emergency situations, we are all used to covering each other's patients and all have a common set of core techniques and skills.

We are always happy to reschedule your appointments and you have the right to cancel or suspend treatment at any time, although we do not recommend discontinuing any prescribed course of care without first discussing the consequences with your treating healthcare professional. If you do wish to cancel an appointment, please give us 24 hours notice so that we can contact other patients, waiting for treatment - if the cancellation is short notice, we still appreciate knowing: even 15 minutes notice is sometimes enough to reschedule another patient, who will be grateful for being able to receive emergency care. If we can fill the cancellation, then we will always waive our late cancellation fee - missed appointments may be charged in full.

Some chiropractic techniques use high velocity, low amplitude manipulation, which is often associated with a clicking or popping sound from the joint being adjusted. The sound is called 'cavitation' and results from bubbles of atmospheric gas dissolved in the lubricating fluid of the joint popping when the pressure inside the joint capsule is suddenly changed.

Treating an area that is inflamed and tender can sometimes involve some discomfort but we will always attempt to work within a patient's individual pain tolerance. All our chiropractors are trained in a variety of techniques that are suitable for a wide range of patients, from 20 stone rugby players to premature babies. We do not use "No pain, No gain" as our treatment approach nor does something usually have to "Get worse before it gets better". If there's a particular approach you like or dislike, your chiropractor will be happy to discuss this with you and modify their approach accordingly.

Children are not just small versions of adults, they require a very different skill set and technique range. Some of our chiropractors have undertaken additional specialist paediatric training that enable them to manage a wide variety of childhood complaints.

No. We regularly treat patients in their eighties and nineties, modifying the techniques that we use as appropriate. The one phrase you will never hear us use is "It's your age, learn to live with it"... the right to good health and optimal neurological and biomechanical dysfunction doesn't end with retirement!

Chiropractors receive training in pharmacology and nutrition and can advise you on the best over the counter medication for your health needs or liaise with your general practitioner to modify your prescribed medication if this is required. We can also advise on any metabolic or dietary support required.

One of the differences in the chiropractic approach is the point at which exercises are introduced. Although we will often encourage mobility at the earliest opportunity, chiropractors will not generally prescribe exercises until they are confident that the neurological control and ligamentous stability of the affected area has been restored and biomechanical integrity re-established; exercise is then used to rehabilitate the area and help prevent recurrence. We now can prescribe individually tailored video exercise programmes through your own on-line patient account.