Tom's Chiropractic Talks

What to Do Instead This Christmas For many people, Christmas is the first time all year they finally stop. No early alarms, no commute, no strict schedule, and more time on the sofa than usual. And yet, this is often when pain appears or flares up. The back or neck might stiffen up or old injuries make themselves known again. So what exactly is going on with this? If rest is meant to heal us, then why do so many people feel worse during the holidays? Recover Smarter this Ch

Our Personalised Approach to Lasting Healing

In my previous post, I wrote about the three phases of healing. Protection Inflammatory Proliferation/Repair Remodeling So with this post, we will discuss what that looks like practically . Basically, what will it feel like as we help guide you through recovery and restore your function. From pain relief, to building strength and function, and finally to long-term self-management. So I want to unpack the "how" - the science and the personalised strategies that our clinic e

The 4 Stages of Healing: Understanding Your Injury Recovery Timeline When you injure yourself, whether it be a muscle strain, ligament sprain, or even a cut on your skin, your body doesn't just sit and wait. It runs through a carefully orchestrated healing process in stages. Understanding these stages can help you set realistic expectations, avoid setbacks, and manage your injury recovery timeline more effectively. Your specific injury recovery timeline will vary depending on

In nearly a decade of clinical practice, I’ve never seen someone in physical discomfort standing upright with ease or enthusiasm. Pain isn't just annoying, it’s a neurological signal. It’s the body’s alarm system telling us to either stop doing  something harmful or start doing  something restorative. Most often, that something involves movement. Chronic discomfort, however, does more than just affect how you move. It affects how you think and feel. Research has shown that on

Welcome to part three of our Whiplash Recovery Series. In this section, we’re exploring a complex but crucial topic: sensory disturbances and the often-overlooked neurological whiplash symptoms. Many people associate whiplash with neck pain or headaches, but what’s often missed are the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) changes in our sensory system that occur when the brain and nervous system are shaken by trauma. As a practitioner focused on neurological recovery, I see t

Whiplash, the Gut, and the Brain: A Hidden Connection As stated in the last post, whiplash happens when the head is suddenly and forcefully thrown backward and then forward—like the cracking of a whip. This motion can strain muscles, ligaments, and vertebrae in the neck. But it's not just the neck that's affected; this violent movement can also cause mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI), which often manifest as a specific cluster of neurological whiplash symptoms. The Brain T

The head just feels messy after a whiplash To kick off our whiplash mini-series, let’s start with one of the more frustrating, yet often misunderstood consequences of these injuries: cognitive impairment, commonly known as brain fog after whiplash. This cognitive dysfunction can manifest as memory lapses, reduced concentration, and impaired problem-solving abilities. These aren’t just clinical symptoms—they can dramatically affect day-to-day functioning. For example, someone

The brain is the most important part of our body, yet very susceptible to injury. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be diving into what you really need to know about whiplash and concussion, including the brain-related issues that often come with neck trauma. But let’s start with the fundamentals. Whiplash is a neck injury caused by a rapid back-and-forth motion of the head—similar to the cracking of a whip. The Mayo Clinic defines it as "a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back

Have you ever felt like just as one ache fades, another one flares up—almost like your body is playing whack-a-mole with pain? It can be overwhelming when new physical issues seem to pop up one after another, or even simultaneously. Why does it feel like everything is going wrong all at once? When you are stuck in this cycle, it’s easy to feel like you're simply destined to live with chronic body aches, but there are often very specific reasons for this frustrating experience

When it comes to pain, what you feel isn’t always the full story. One of the most common questions I hear in the clinic is: “Why are you treating my back when my pain is in my leg (or shoulder, or neck)?”  It’s a great question—and the answer lies in how your body and brain work together to identify the root cause of chronic pain. Pain is felt in the body, but interpreted by the brain Pain Is Real, but the Root Cause of Chronic Pain can be Misinterpreted Pain is experienced i

Fatigue after treatment is commonly reported This is something I hear pretty often in the clinic: “Why am I so tired after my appointment?” While you might expect to feel an immediate burst of energy, feeling tired after a chiropractic adjustment is actually a very common response. The answer can vary from person to person, but let’s break down some of the most common reasons why your body might be asking for a nap. 1. Breaking Old Patterns Our brains are great at memorising

Injury Prevention is about more than stretching You’ve put in the work to recover from pain—now let’s make sure it doesn’t come back. Whether you're a competitive athlete or a weekend warrior, injury prevention should be part of your training strategy—not an afterthought. A 2015 systematic review of 25 randomized controlled trials looked at what really works when it comes to reducing sports-related injuries. The findings are clear—and they’re game-changing. Here’s what the re

Chronic Pain is manageable Understanding Your Experience Chronic pain can feel like a mystery when you’re living with it—but you're not alone. According to NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), chronic pain is: “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage […] that persists or recurs for more than 3 months.” Surprised it only takes three months to be considered “ch

Chiropractors treat a host of mechanical issues   Your First Visit Might Surprise You If you're like most people, you probably know that chiropractors treat a lot of lower back and neck pain. But what I hear time and time again in the clinic is something like this: “I don’t know if you can help with this, but…” What usually follows that statement? A condition that’s actually quite manageable—or even very treatable—with chiropractic care. So in this first blog post, I wanted t