Chiropractic is defined by the General Chiropractic Council as: “Chiropractic is a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system (bones, joints and muscles), and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health’ Spinal adjustment and other joint and soft-tissue manipulation are the intention of our treatments.
Chiropractic is the name of the profession and not a technique or approach. McTimoney Chiropractic is an approach of chiropractic care. There are many different approaches to Chiropractic care. For example; Diversified, Thompson Technique, Gonstead, Activator Methods, McTimoney and much more.
In order to be a fully qualified McTimoney Chiropractor, you must graduate from the McTimoney College of Chiropractic. Their master’s degree program can take 4 years to complete full-time or 5 years if done on a part-time extended program. A Master’s degree is a Level 7 qualification – which is higher than a Bachelor’s degrees but lower than the highest level of degree qualification; a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
McTimoney College bases its training on a technique of chiropractic developed by a Chiropractor named John McTimoney in1972. He believed in a ‘whole-body’ approach rather than treating only specific areas that may be presenting with symptoms. The approach is based on the view that discomfort and pain in one part of the body may be manifestations of problems elsewhere in the musculo-skeletal system and that, for optimal health, the whole musculo-skeletal system needs to work together.
McTimoney starts with an assessment of the patient’s posture and ranges of movement. Then goes on to balance and realign your body to help relieve discomfort or pain and to help increase mobility. The main adjustment is the ‘toggle’ which may or may not cause the audible clicking and popping sound. The toggle can be applied with force or more gently, making it suitable to everyone; from babies to the elderly and everyone in-between; i.e. office workers and sports people. The adjustments are applied to restricted joints within the spine to help improve misalignments, pain, dysfunction and to increase optimization of the nervous system.
The most common conditions which patients will come and see a McTimoney chiropractor for are neck, back and shoulder pain. This can show up as pain, stiffness, aching and discomfort in joints. This could be related to accidents, such as trips, falls, sports or car collisions. Or general stress and tension accumulated from repetitive daily activities. These may include prolonged sitting at a desk, long periods of driving, carrying young children or other work-related postures.
