Please visit our clinic in London if you require treatment, as we cannot recommend other practitioners in Orthopaedic Medicine. If you have been advised to have spinal surgery for your condition please contact us for an examination, because the only occasion when a spinal operation is necessary is if you have broken your back - otherwise such operations are invariably crippling, and are never successful in treating spinal disorders.

GENERAL INFORMATION

We are not a chiropractic or osteopathic practice, but an out-patient clinic specialising in serious spinal disorders. Our treatment methods are based on the Maitland -Cyriax field of Orthopaedic Medicine which deals exclusively with the vertebral column and related musculo-skeletal trauma. These procedures are quite specialised and are related to the pathology (causes) of each condition, whereas chiropractic or osteopathic procedures are more general and are invariably applied to each patient regardless of the pathology. General procedures can bring results in simple cases of back pain, but a specialised approach is needed for complicated conditions.

Please refer to the links below for further information as they may answer some of your concerns, otherwise please telephone us to arrange an appointment for a physical examination.

INFORMATION AND USEFUL LINKS

1) The success of any physical therapy treatment depends on the qualifications and experience of the practitioner. At least 10 years clinical experience and an MSc in Medical Rehabilitation or a comparative degree is usually required to successfully treat difficult cases such as prolapsed discs or chronic sciatica. Note: doctors, chiropractors, osteopaths, orthopaedic surgeons, and rheumatologists are not in our opinion 'spinal specialists' unless they have made the study of spinal disorders and treatment their main field of study, and are suitably qualified in the field of Orthopaedic Medicine (usually this area of study does not fall within their field of practice). According to published surveys, the physical therapy practitioners in the USA who obtain the best results are qualified and experienced physiatrists. Links to such practitioners can be found on our website in the links section, and they may be worth trying from among the health professionals in your area. If you cannot find a spinal specialist or physiatrist to help you, and your condition continues to trouble you, please make the effort to travel to London to our clinic for treatment and we will do our best to make your spine "as good as new" (or at least better than it was before your condition started!).

2) Nerve blocks and the taking of pain killers will not treat the cause of your condition - only proper treatment will permanently eradicate pain by treating the cause and not just the symptoms of a condition. Epidurals and anti-inflammatory injections such as Cortisone (which is toxic) only treat symptoms, and their effects (if any) are consequently merely temporary.

3) The best clinical procedure for treating most chronic spinal conditions is based upon mobilisation (not chiropractic manipulation, and definitely not surgery). Manipulation can be very effective in a minority of cases, for example for breaking up adhesions to bring instant relief, but mobilisation is generally the most effective and safest procedure for treating chronic spinal conditions. Information on this essential procedure in Orthopaedic Medicine can be found from the following link on our website: Mobilisation

To see how the procedure of mobilisation is used as a basis for treating specific conditions which may apply to you, please see these links:

Tingling or numbness in arms, hand or fingers:
Nerve root impingement

Herniated (bulging) or prolapsed discs:
HerniatedDisc

Pain and other symptoms (such as burning, tingling or stabbing pain etc ) in the hip, groin, buttocks, leg, foot, or toe:
Sciatica

Other Conditions:
Scoliosis
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolysis
Stenosis
Degenerative disc disease

The treatment of herniated ('bulging') discs for example normally lasts for 2-3 weeks. When the nucleus pulposus is returned to its proper place in the disc applying the standard procedure of mobilisation, the outer rim of the disc usually takes up to three months to heal. Exercises - which are performed while lying down on the floor - are prescribed, depending on the patient's condition, weight, height, and age, to prevent a recurrence of the problem. There is no mystery about treating herniated discs in order to revert them to their normal state. Surgery is never needed unless the herniation is anterior (frontal) which happens rarely and only occurs as a result of serious impact as experienced in automobile accidents.

This link explains our treatment costs:
Cost of treatment

We hope you will contact us for an examination and treatment even if this means having to travel to London. If you do not live in London you would need to stay in a hotel which we can arrange if required. Intensive treatment sessions can be conducted twice daily if needed.

SURGERY - TO READ ABOUT THE DANGERS AND INEFFECTIVENESS OF SPINAL SURGERY PLEASE SEE THE TWO LINKS BELOW; THEY MAY BE THE TWO MOST VALUABLE LINKS ON THE INTERNET:

See also this link on our site regarding surgical procedures.

Other links to various health sites in different countries can be found in our links section on our website.

The importance of Orthopaedic Medicine in treating spinal problems is frequently overlooked and is often disregarded by surgeons who are geared up for performing surgery whether it is really needed or not.

If for financial or practical reasons you cannot visit our clinic for treatment, then please consider purchasing the Back-Rack for use in your home. This device is not a substitute for treatment but it can help very much to reduce back pain for most conditions. It is is an essential aid for any back or neck pain sufferer. We recommend this patented orthopaedic device to our patients.

Information for this product is available:here.

Note: the cause of your condition can only be conclusively determined through a physical examination.