Rehabilitation

Chiropractors have always set exercises to help their patients make a full recovery. However, one of the many ways in which Chiropractors differ from Physiotherapists is in the way they use exercise therapy.

Chiropractors ensure that the patient has sufficiently recovered to be able to undertake exercise without further harming already damaged ligaments and soft tissue holding elements and that the exercise is specific to both the patient's needs and capabilities. There are no such thing as 'low back pain exercises' only exercises for people with low back pain.

Recent research from Scandinavia has shown that patients who underwent a specific, prescribed course of supervised, graduated, in-house rehabilitation made a better recovery than those patients who undertook home-based exercises.

With this in mind, the Yeovil Chiropractic Clinic established its own specialised spinal rehabilitation unit in 2000. An individual, prescriptive course of rehabilitation is aimed at those patients with chronic spinal damage from long-term injuries, sporting injuries, or those patients recovering from post-traumatic muscular adaptation in conditions such as whiplash or discal injures.

Patients work with Elizabeth Underwood, a fully qualified rehabilitation specialist, to redevelop correct spinal strength, muscular balance, ligament stability, control and posture. Exercise sessions are usually bi-weekly and last an hour with a full course of treatment taking from 6 to 13 weeks.