Frequently Asked Questions

Some GPs are able to purchase chiropractic treatment for their patients on the NHS. Many health insurance companies will now pay for chiropractic treatment.

The first consultation can take up to an hour. A treatment session lasts about 15 minutes, but this will vary according to your condition and your needs.

Your recovery is dependent on many factors - the problem, the length of time you have had it and your own commitment to any rehabilitative exercises and maintenance visits which your chiropractor may recommend.

An average course of treatment may entail five or six visits over two or three months, but every case is assessed individually. It is important to keep your appointments and make regular visits. Discuss this with your chiropractor, who will explain your treatment programme to you.

Chiropractic treatment is suitable for everyone: the elderly, pregnant women and sports enthusiasts. Once you are better, your chiropractor will help you to maintain your own health, and keep your body working as it should, by offering exercise and lifestyle advice for you to follow in the future.

When the two surfaces of a joint are moved apart rapidly, as happens in a chiropractic adjustment, there is a change of pressure within the joint space. This may sometimes cause a bubble of gas to 'pop' - but this sound is not significant, and does not hurt.

These are common, general terms used to describe a multitude of conditions. Your chiropractor will make a more specific diagnosis and explain your condition to you.

Manipulation, when carried out correctly by a qualified practitioner, is not painful. If you have acute muscle spasm, when even the lightest touch hurts, there may be some discomfort. Sometimes, if you have had a problem for some time, you may feel sore whilst your body starts to adjust. Your chiropractor will tell you if this is likely to happen.

No. Your treatment programme will be tailored to your specific needs.

Yes. The strength of chiropractic is that it may help prevent discomfort, pain and even disease, and is suitable for everyone. It is entirely appropriate to visit a chiropractor even if you have no pain, as restrictions in movement can often be detected before symptoms appear.

Chiropractic is remarkably safe when treatment is carried out by a properly qualified practitioner. Your chiropractor is trained to recognise conditions which require referral elsewhere, and can treat you even after surgery.

Your chiropractor has treated you, so allowing your body to heal, but if you continue the lifestyle which caused the original condition, regular treatment should also continue.

The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) is the largest and longest-established association for chiropractors in the UK, representing 70% of internationally accredited UK chiropractors. We aim to promote, encourage and maintain high standards of conduct, practice, education and training within the profession in this country.

All our members have undergone a minimum of a four-year full-time internationally-accredited degree course and are registered with the General Chiropractic Council, the UK's statutory regulator for the profession. For more information visit the BCA Website - Click Here to Visit

Particularly for low back pain, yes. The Clinical Standards Advisory Group recommended in 1994 that there should be earlier access to the manipulative therapies and a redistribution of resources within the NHS to make this happen. In September 1996 the Royal College of General Practitioners issued guidelines for GPs which recommend manipulative treatment within the first six weeks for patients with low back pain. They also state that the risks of manipulation are very low in skilled hands.

Now research is beginning to concentrate on how chiropractic affects other areas of the musculoskeletal system, including a trial at the University of Odense in Denmark 1 on the effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of neck-related headache and a Canadian patient satisfaction study 2 which shows chiropractic as an effective means of resolving or improving back and/or neck pain.

Many chiropractors regularly report success in treating other conditions which are not directly related to the spine and joints. As a result, researchers all over the world, including the Anglo European College of Chiropractic and the British College of Chiropractic are also investigating the effect chiropractic has on pain and disease in the organs of the body.