Am I too old to see a chiropractor?

Nobody is too old to see a chiropractor says Leeds chiropractor Alison Eaves at Revive Chiropractic in north Leeds.

I think my oldest patient currently is 88 years old! As a general rule I will use slightly gentler techniques with older patients but chiropractic treatment techniques can vary a great deal and as a skilled professional I will decide which techniques best suit each individual. Which technique you use is not only dictated by age of the patient : it will depend on a number of factors including overall flexibility of a patient, the history of the condition, type of medication being taken and the general activity and mobility levels of an individual.

The ability to get on and off the treatment bench is the main factor that prevents patients from undergoing chiropractic treatment, much more so than any factors directly related to chiropractic treatment. I have a downstairs treatment room and so there are no difficult stairs to negotiate and I will always try to help as much as possible to help patients on and off the treatment bench. I’m well practised in helping people with severe back pain on and off the bench and it’s usually the younger patients who pose the biggest challenges as they tend to experience the most severe back pain!

Will chiropractic treatment be too aggressive or too painful?

Treatment itself should not be overly painful. You may experience some mild discomfort during treatment as I work to free restricted and stiff joints and loosen the surrounding soft tissues (muscles and ligaments). However this should not be unduly distressing and most people comment that it feels like a “nice pain and that it “feels like it is doing some good. Some patients may experience short term discomfort for a period of 24-48 hours following treatment but this is short-lived and often improves after the first session once your body gets used to the treatment.

Spinal manipulation is always viewed as one of the more aggressive chiropractic techniques. Manipulation involves freeing stiff or restricted spinal joints with a quick, specific movement directed through the natural joint planes. But even spinal manipulation can be modified so that more force can be used on younger, athletic individuals than would be used on older or more sedentary patients.

If you would like to book an appointment at Revive Chiropractic please call 07828 686026. The clinic is conveniently located in north Leeds in the suburb of Adel, just over a mile from the ring road and there is parking directly outside.