These case studies have been reproduced with kind permission from the book the essentials of mctimoney chiropractic, courtney & andrews, isdn 0722537476.
For the last almost thirty years McTimoney Chiropractors have treated thousands of people across the UK using the chiropractic treatment developed by John McTimoney. John’s philosophy was based on DD Palmer’s original discoveries and Dr Walker’s teaching, that the main cause of disease and pain is the misalignment of bones, chiefly in the spine, which in turn interrupts the functioning of the nervous system, and affects our general health.
Today, as chiropractic treatment continues to gain ever-growing approval from the medical profession, still more and more people are discovering the many benefits treatment can bring. Back pain, migraines, sciatica and more severe problem These are just some of the symptoms regularly seen by McTimoney chiropractors. The following case histories will demonstrate the success of the treatment and show some of the many varied conditions for which treatment can be beneficial.
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Back Pain- a Case study
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With over 85% of the population likely to experience back pain at some stage in their lives, it is no surprise that the popular notion is that chiropractic is for back problems. The first case history shows the success of the treatment after a fall, which left the patient in great pain.
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An active 76 year-old widow slipped when standing on a chair trying to open a jammed window in the bathroom. She fell backwards across the edge of the bath. When she came for McTimoney treatment, some six months after the accident, she was in continual, very severe pain and almost unable to walk. She was considering using a wheelchair. Chiropractic examination showed a right-hand curve in her thoracic-lumbar junction, which in six months had become fairly immovable with adhesions and muscle spasm. Progress was slow at first, but after two months she was able to move more freely. A month later this delightful elderly lady, who favourite activity was ballroom dancing, came in to say she had done two waltzes and a fox trot. In all over a period of nearly four months and 23 treatments, she had made a full recovery.
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Such simple accidents either in the home or at work can have devastating effects, leaving people not only in pain, but unable to work and unsure as to their future. Whilst it is always best to seek treatment as soon as possible, both these cases show that treatment is still possible even after six months. A 36-year-old mechanic wrenched the middle of his back while lifting an engine out of a car. He was off work for six months with excruciating knife-like pain on the left of his mid-spine.
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When he came for McTimoney treatment he had tried all the conventional treatment routes, and was very distressed that at his fairly young age he might be an invalid for the rest of his life, especially as he had three young children to support. This previously fit man used to work out at a gym three nights a week; now he had lost three stone in weight and was emaciated. The weight loss was consistent with the area of the spine from which the pain came, because the nerves from that area also serve the stomach. Every meal he had eaten for the past six months had passed through his system almost undigested, accounting for the weight loss. The chiropractic findings included two jammed mid-thoracic vertebrae and a lot of local muscle spasm. After the first treatment, he gained 7lbs in weight and the pain was reduced by half. When he came for the second treatment a week later, he had gained a stone in weight and was virtually pain free. After the third treatment he went back to work totally recovered.
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Headaches, Migraines and Facial Problems
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Millions of pounds each year are spent on painkillers for headaches, and whilst these may remove the symptoms, they do not treat the cause. As these case histories show, chiropractic treatment can be very beneficial in the treatment of headaches and migraines, the causes of which range from tension and stress, physical stresses, or visual or dental problems. One study revealed that of 6,000 long-term headaches, neck injury, (whiplash, falls etc.) was the most important factor causing headaches and should be suspected in every non-specific case of headache. The next case history shows that chiropractic treatment is not just for adults:
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A 12-year-old schoolgirl who usually enjoyed good health was taken to her doctor with an extremely severe headache – so bad that her parents feared she had meningitis. Her doctor diagnosed migraine and gave her medication. Forty-eight hours later, and after a good sleep, she felt better and was able to go to school. Three weeks later she became ill again with the same type of headache. The mediation was repeated and again she recovered. This pattern was repeated twice more, so her parents decided to try McTimoney chiropractic. After two treatments she is headache free.
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Facial pain can be excruciating, however, McTimoney chiropractic can help. Because the bones of the face are adjusted as necessary in each treatment, it can be extremely effective in reducing pain as this case study shows.
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A 28 year-old woman suffered excruciating facial pain for three years, after five consecutive nights when she could neither sleep nor lie horizontally she went to her doctor who prescribed Ibuprofen and told her to see a dentist. The dentist diagnosed the problem as trigeminal neuralgia – an extremely painful form of facial neuralgia, which is quite difficult to treat. The dentist prescribed Tergatol, which allowed her to sleep, but produced unwanted serious side effects. She decided to visit a McTimoney chiropractor. Since her first treatment, she has only had three mild attacks in three months – all treatable with over the counter painkillers.
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Children and Chiropractic
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The gentle nature of McTimoney chiropractic means even young children and babies can receive treatment. Many McTimoney chiropractors treat children and believe that treatment should ideally be given as soon after birth as possible, to correct any misalignments at the start and lay the foundations for the development of a healthy spine and nervous system. Although the bones are not properly formed at birth, stresses in the soft tissue, perhaps from a difficult birth process, can develop into spinal problems as the baby grows. For older children chiropractic can be particularly useful when problems arise after falls, bumps, or from incorrect posture, carrying heavy school bags and sitting slumped over desks.
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Chiropractic can relieve a surprisingly wide range of childhood conditions, from colic to rheumatic diseases and even behavioural difficulties and hyperactivity. The following case studies describe a wide variety of conditions and how chiropractic treatment benefited the child.
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A remarkable case is that of a boy of 15 whose bone growth was delayed by two years. He came to the chiropractor with a fractured right hand; on assessment, the chiropractor learned that he had been delivered face up, and deduced that the resulting misalignments of his skull and facial bones could be affecting his pituitary gland. After six treatments he had grown two and a half inches, and his face had noticeably changed shape for the better.
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If a happy child below the age of speech suddenly becomes fractious and difficult, this may be his only way of telling you that he has pain or headache. A spinal examination may well be worthwhile, particularly if the child has had a fall before the change in behaviour. Falls can also lead to altered behaviour and uncharacteristic aggressiveness in older children, especially if the neck has been affected.
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A seven-year-old girl suffered from stomach-aches and headaches on waking most weekdays, together with pins and needles in her hands. She had suffered these symptoms for about a year. Her mother had recently remarried and had a new baby, and thought the cause was emotional. On the point of taking her to the psychiatrist, she decided to see a McTimoney chiropractor first. The history taking revealed that at the age of 18 months the girl had fallen, hitting her head.
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Examination showed subluxations of all the neck vertebrae, and the left jaw-joint was misaligned, as was the right lachrymal bone at the inner corner of her eye. The girl had four treatments, and at the final consultation had experienced only two headaches and one episode of stomach-ache in the previous two months. For the mother, the realization that the problem was physical, not emotional, was a great relief.
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[boxibt style=”success”]Information Courtesy of
McTimoney Chiropractic Association
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