FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I make an appointment?

Call the clinic on 01970 611190 and we can go through the easy steps to arrange your first consultation if you've not been before or to book your appointment if you are already registered with us. You can also request a callback to arrange either a first consultation, appointment or massage by emailing mail@ccy.org.uk



How many sessions do I need?

Research (and years of experience) tells us that some response to your visit should be seen following the first treatment and that 2 to 4 appointments is probably necessary for the level of pain you are in to decrease enough to know that we are on the right track. This is why we have the 'new patient package' in place. It is highly unlikely that a painful problem can really be helped satisfactorily in just one visit. A trial run of three sessions will give us a decent idea of how your pain is responding and what can be done for a good outcome in the mid and long term. Once the level of pain or discomfort has reduced, the best use of our time will be to go through some advice, exercises and recommendations so that your improvement can be self driven. This may require a few follow-ups over a few weeks to monitor your improvement and to cover a few things that you will need to know. In cases of persistent, recurrent pain it is reasonable to expect up to 8 sessions of pain coaching before you are placed on either open ended appointments, or given occasional ‘booster’ sessions’. In either instance a lot depends on how well you can manage the problem and follow the advice and recommendations you will be given.



Will it definitely work?

We make no grand claims and offer no quick fixes. No treatment can ever claim to definitely work and all we can do at this clinic is do our best to help you as much as possible.



Do I need an X-ray or scan to find out what’s wrong with me?

X-rays are not usually needed to help diagnose the vast majority of cases of spinal pain. An MRI may be ordered in cases where it is suspected that there is an underlying cause of you pain that would need medical attention. Hedd can contact your GP to discuss this if needed and can refer you privately for MRI if needed. Blood tests are vital in cases where your pain may be caused by an inflammatory problem (such as Axial Spondyloarthritis). A thorough assessment of your case should identify cases that should be referred for blood tests or for a rheumatological consultation.



I've seen chiropractors before and know what I want.  Can't I just get adjusted on the first visit?

We appreciate that your priority is to get better and we share this priority, but there are procedures in place that we must follow as set out by the General Chiropractic Council.

These procedures include undertaking a thorough assessment and physical examination and coming up with as accurate a diagnosis as possible. Following this we must report to you what has been found during the examination and ask you to provide consent to continue.

No chiropractor can by-pass these rules as they are in place to protect you.

Your treatment options will be made clear to you during your follow up appointment so that you can feel confident that you are given the correct and most effective recommendations to overcome the problem as efficiently as possible.

Please feel free to discuss anything about your treatment plan with Hedd.



I’ve seen YouTube clips where someone in pain is manipulated in a way that makes me scared – you wouldn’t do that to me would you?

No. Many of these clips (especially the ones showing the most violent types of manipulation) are not at all representative of what the vast majority of chiropractors do.

If you are put off coming to us because of your concern surrounding uncomfortable and forceful treatment please let us know - Hedd will be delighted to try and help you without the need to use manipulations. That being said, Hedd is not at all a rough 'adjustor'!



Can I just book for a massage?

Yes of course. If you find you need more help with your problems you can always circle back and go through the process of becoming a new patient with Hedd if you feel you'd benefit from getting to the bottom of the issue, especially if the problem persists.



What happens on my first appointment?

So that Hedd can get as full an understanding as possible about what's going on with your problem we have two parts to your initial consultation. Firstly we will arrange a 30 minute Zoom call so that you can describe in detail about the problem and Hedd can ask about certain aspects of the issue that may be important. After this we can arrange for you to come in to the clinic for the physical examination, which again is scheduled for 30 miinutes. This is where Hedd will use: - Medical - Orthopaedic - Neurological - Movement tests so that he can diagnose the most likely cause of your pain and be able to select the most appropriate treatment. After this appointment you will receive a written report, detailing why the problems seems to have appeared and how it can be helped.



When do I get some treatment - and what is the treatment?

The type of treatment you receive will vary entirely on the diagnosis. As a chiropractor Hedd has extensive training and experience using manual therapy and added to this can draw upon various methods and approaches from what the evidence tells us is most likely to be beneficial. There are certain types of pain that do not respond well to manual therapy. In rare cases manual therapy would be contrainidicated.