Whether you’re currently binging on Christmas movies in bed, guilty of slouching over your laptop as you work from your couch, or usually the last one to leave the office, you’re in dire need of a chiropractor. You just don’t know it. Yes, chiropractic care is often associated with athletes as injury prevention, reduced muscle stiffness, and improved range of motion are just some of its benefits, but turns out, the rest of us average joes are likely experiencing Laptop Syndrome as we speak – a.k.a. all those aches and pains caused by our sedentary lifestyles and long working hours.
But what exactly does chiropractic treatment entail? One of the largest alternative medical professions in the world, it primarily involves safe and specific spinal manipulation to free joints in the spine or other areas of the body that aren’t moving properly. Apart from spinal manipulation, chiropractors may use a variety of techniques including ice, heat, ultrasound, tissue work/massage, taping, and exercise, as well as advice about posture and lifestyle. Not only can they treat sciatica as well as neck and back pain, but they’re also trained to diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent disorders of the musculoskeletal (read: bones, joints, and muscles) system. Here, The Gaggler speaks with chiropractor Dr. Oliver Jones from Nightingale Health Services in Dubai to learn more.
Q
Let’s start with the basics – under what circumstances should one approach the expertise of a chiropractor?
A
Essentially, if you have pain in your spine or your joints, then the chances are a chiropractor can significantly help you. And because of the extensive medical training that we receive, in situations where we can’t help, we will refer you to someone who can.
Q
What type of injuries or disorders do you encounter most often?
A
The most common ailments that chiropractors treat are lower back pain, mid-back pain, and neck pain. We also have great success in treating a lot of patients who come to us with headaches or migraines and most disc herniation patients. Personally, my most common type of patients are office workers or others who spend a significant amount of time during the day on the computer or laptop – they tend to have neck, shoulder, mid-back, or lower-back pain.
Q
For those who are unfamiliar with the differences, how does chiropractic differ from physiotherapy and massages?
A
Chiropractic is focused on the proper functioning of your musculoskeletal system through chiropractic adjustments and manipulation. To simplify the comparison, chiropractors focus more on the spine and joint movement whereas physiotherapists and massage therapists focus more on the muscles themselves.
Q
In your experience, what are some of the biggest causes and triggers of back injury?
A
By far, the biggest cause of back pain is generally speaking what people do every day – their work. Whether it be from improper work posture or working long hours at a desk/computer, mechanical stress builds up and results in back pain. Of course, trauma and genetic predispositions or conditions like scoliosis feature in back injuries, but as I say, work-related pain is by far the biggest cause.
Q
Similarly, what are some of the biggest causes and triggers of shoulder injury?
A
Much like other mechanical back pain problems, shoulder pain is commonly related to poor posture while working long hours using computers or laptops.
Q
What can one do to offset the negative impact of a typical office job?
A
Doing some exercise to avoid the almost completely sedentary lifestyle can mitigate some of these problems, but mechanical stress from doing the same things day in day out builds up and results in mechanical problems – most commonly, back pain.
Q
What are some of the biggest misconceptions about your field?
A
That the treatment is very painful or risky. While it’s true that there can sometimes be soreness or a temporary aggravation of the issue afterward, generally speaking, the treatment is pain-free and almost completely without risk – if done by a trained professional, of course.
Q
What are your thoughts on maintenance care versus reactive care when pain or discomfort strikes?
A
Chiropractic is uniquely effective with reactive care in helping patients with chronic issues like lower back pain, but with most patients, I encourage them – if possible – to go to a chiropractor before their issue has a chance to worsen. This is because chiropractic is also extremely effective at stopping mechanical issues before they get worse. Generally speaking, this is preferable because not only does the patient have to experience much less pain/disruption in their life, but also because it takes much less treatment to deal with the problem early on as opposed to later.
