Frequently Asked Questions in Te Puke

Many people dismiss chiropractic as being only for back pain, but chiropractic care can be used to help a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues. Some of our favourite things to help our patients with are headaches, ongoing neck and shoulder blade pain and tension, and lower back pain and sciatica.

Chiropractic helps by removing nerve interference within the body allowing significant symptom improvement that lasts. As structural chiropractors, we take an engineering approach to the spine. Not only do we want you to feel better, but we also want to SEE evidence that your spine has changed for the better.

No. Adjustments do not always have to create a sound. It is a common misconception that it is the bones moving back into place that creates the sound some patients hear when they get adjusted. The sound is being produced by a fluid surrounding the joints throughout the body. This fluid contains dissolved gases and during an adjustment, the slight movement causes a release of pressure.

This release of pressure is kind of like the pressure that is released when a bottle of champagne is opened and just like with champagne, a popping sound occurs. It is not important to hear a sound when you get adjusted. It’s important that there was movement and the movement was in the right direction. We check this movement and motion after each adjustment to ensure the proper correction has been made.

In New Zealand, ACC helps cover part of your care if there was an injury or trauma that occurred. Other patients have private insurance that helps cover care but we suggest contacting your insurance company to verify your benefits.

Chiropractic care in New Zealand is recognized as an extremely safe, drug-free, non-invasive form of primary health care. All research and studies are evidence that chiropractic adjustments hold an extremely small risk. This is because chiropractic works using the body’s natural healing process and doesn’t interfere by using drugs or surgery.

Our structural examination and analysis rule out any potential red flags prior to beginning care. The proof lays in the difference a medical doctor pays in malpractice insurance in comparison to a chiropractor.

YES! You are now not only caring for yourself but the life of your child. Pregnancy puts a lot of stress on a woman’s body creating nausea, vomiting, back pain, hip pain, etc. Getting adjusted throughout pregnancy helps alleviate all these symptoms but the benefits don’t stop there. Getting regular chiropractic care during pregnancy has been shown to reduce labor time by up to 50%.

There is also a decreased likelihood of the need for drugs during delivery. Dr. Guest is proficient in Webster Technique which is a pregnancy-specific protocol to remove in utero constraint. This protocol has been researched and proven to ultimately lead to safer outcomes for mom and bubs and less medical intervention.

No. If it was there probably would be a lot more healthy people in the world. It is likely that people just enjoy being free of pain, getting sick less, and unable to remember their last headache. Chiropractic adjustments themselves are not addictive like drugs but being healthy can be.

If you consider how a child grows in a womb and the birthing process, it is a very physically traumatic experience. In Germany, there was a medical study that found that because of all this physical stress 82% of all children are born with misalignments or shifts in their neck. Later, another exam was performed on the same children and it was discovered that 96% of all health conditions in the children were eliminated after the children received chiropractic adjustments.

It has been learned that if given the opportunity, most parents will choose to have their children examined for subluxations. Studies have also found that many health problems that develop in adulthood have the potential to be avoided with early chiropractic care. Removing the body of nerve interference has allows the body to work better from the inside out.

There are many similarities to the medical and chiropractic curriculum but chiropractors are able to focus more on anatomy, physiology, diagnosis, and radiology because they do not prescribe medications or perform surgeries. After receiving a bachelor’s degree and graduate from graduate school as a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), chiropractors must pass four national board examinations in order to be required to practice.

After passing national boards, chiropractors have to apply for a license to practice. After completing this rigorous process, chiropractors are required to have yearly continuing education in order to keep their license as mandated by the New Zealand Chiropractic Board.

Absolutely. There is a growing amount of research that is unfortunately proving that back surgery is not as successful as it is made out to be. We are not against surgery, we simply advocate exhausting all other options prior to going under the knife.

We see many people each year that present post-surgery that we are able to help significantly. With our detailed consultation and examination process, we rule out any potential red flags prior to beginning structural work on the spine.

It is a good rule of thumb that the longer the problem has been there, the longer it is going to take to recover. There are also many other variables to consider such as age, medical history, pre-existing conditions, etc. In our experience children do heal quicker so it is always good to start care as early as possible.

Please keep in mind that lifestyle plays a large role in how quickly your body heals. Our approach is to lay out realistic guidelines and expectations for our patients at the beginning of care. We are very transparent in our approach and endeavor to answer any questions you may have about your care and the results.