When it comes to pain, most people choose pain relief medications first. They are cheap and easily accessible. In fact, you can order pain pills online!
The only problem is that their results are short term and we all know the side effects of prolonged medication. You are considering chiropractic care because you want natural pain relief. Today we want to discuss who is the best chiropractor in Singapore to do just that.
Who is a chiropractor?
A chiropractor, known also as doctor of chiropractic, is an allied health care professional concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of muscle and joint related disorders. While traditional chiropractors have an emphasis on manual adjustment of the spine to correct spinal misalignment, evidence-based chiropractors around the world offer more than just that.
Evidence-based chiropractors focus on delivering the best chiropractic treatment by keeping themselves up to date with the latest research. This means we no longer limit ourselves to just chiropractic adjustments but also other therapies that may work better for you.
As of now, the first-choice treatments for most muscle and joint disorder are exercise, advice, and education.
Good chiropractors work with the human body to give you pain relief without the use of pain killers or surgery. Some chiropractors only use spinal adjustment while others use multiple modalities to help you find pain free living.
There is also a group of chiropractors who specialise in working with athletes. These chiropractors, including myself, often treat more than just neck pain or back pain. We are able to help with your shoulder aches, knee pain, or even athletic injuries. If you are currently suffering from a sport injury and can’t seem to get the results you are after, a sports chiropractor is definitely some one you should consider working with. To read more about this, check out chiropractic treatment for sports injuries.
Why is a chiropractor important in Singapore?
To understand the importance of the work of a chiropractor in Singapore, you will have to understand the pain problem we have here. Multiple research showed that most Singaporeans live in pain. This is something we are looking to change.
Most of you would probably have aches, soreness, or even pain from spending too much time at the computer or maybe standing too long at your work. We consider such conditions work-related musculoskeletal disorders. They can range from back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain or even foot pain. A study conducted by Singapore General Hospital found 73% of Singaporeans experienced pain in at least one region. The most common reported areas were neck (46%), shoulder (42%) and low back (42%). This is no good. We know living with pain decreases your quality of life, increases your risk of having more pain at other parts of your body, and your risk of depression and anxiety. It is no good.
Pain in Singapore doesn’t only affect working adults. Seniors such as your parents are just as likely to have a pain problem. In the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study published in 2016, one in five seniors aged 60 and above suffer from chronic pain. If you think your pain problem will go away once you retire or stop work, these numbers are challenging. Pain is a big problem in Singapore and it affects people in all life stages. We do not take this lightly. It is something we want to help you with.
In fact, the pain situation in Singapore is so severe that the 2017 GSK Global Pain Index ranks Singapore first when it comes to body and head pain. The survey looked at adults across 32 countries and found 85% of Singaporeans live in pain with as many as 40% of Singaporeans reported suffering from pain at least once a week. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you know some one in your workplace who is battling chronic pain?
Pain is a big problem in Singapore and this is where chiropractic care can step in. Many pain patients around the world choose chiropractic first because we can help you find long term pain relief. Evidence-based chiropractors work alongside with medical doctors in many parts of the world to provide pain solution without the use of pain killers or surgeries. We are experts at natural healing treatments.
What are the most common chiropractic procedures?
Traditionally, chiropractors only utilise spinal manipulation or also known as chiropractic adjustments to correct “spinal misalignment” in your nervous system. However, this has changed in recent years. Current research doesn’t support the “spinal misalignment” approach to health care. Maybe you have seen a Singapore chiropractor before and you have been told that you are suffering from vertebral subluxation problems. If you are wondering why we don’t talk about it at Square One, it is because the vertebral subluxation approach is not supported by science. Evidence-based chiropractors have moved away and past that.
Good chiropractors in Singapore offers more than just cracking your back. We look at both your pain experience and you yourself as an individual. From there, we develop your best chiropractic treatment plan to get you good long term results. The best chiropractor always offer more than just adjustments.
Square One us to operate as a multiple-modality clinic. We offered chiropractic adjustments, dry needling, IASTM, electrotherapy – pretty much everything under the sun. However, studies from the past couple of years have very strongly recommended for exercise to be the top choice treatment. We took that to heart and incorporated that into our practice. Since we transitioned into being a virtually exercise-only practice, over 80% of our clients will leave our care within four to seven visits. This are outstanding results that most of our competitors can’t match.
Unfortunately, the most common chiropractic treatment in Singapore is still the chiropractic adjustment. Most chiropractic clinics in Singapore will upsell manual adjustments and also probably convince you to come back for anything from 12 sessions to even 100 sessions. Believe it or not, we don’t even offer treatment packages at our practice because people were getting better too quickly.
When it comes to long term pain relief, Square One is probably the best chiropractor in Singapore.
What is the theory and science behind chiropractic adjustment?
Believe it or not, Singapore General Hospital had a manual therapy clinic that offered only spinal manipulative therapy. This is exactly what a chiropractor does!
Traditional chiropractors upsell chiropractic adjustments by saying they correct spinal misalignment or subluxation. In doing so, they optimise your nervous system and allow your body to heal itself. This is absolutely not supported by science. If you are thinking chiropractors are quacks, you are probably thinking of
them. The vertebral subluxation dogma has been well researched and it is at best pseudoscience or quackery. It is unlikely to change with further research. You can check out this paper Subluxation: Dogma or Science if you want go into the details.
Chiropractic adjustments actually do help with improving function and pain in the short term, depending on the study. Chiropractic adjustments fall under the broad category of manual therapy. While they do work, their effect is small compared to exercise. Soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy, IASTM, and the likes are all on the same standing as chiropractic adjustments.
Most people are familiar with the popping sound associated with chiropractic adjustments. This phenomenon is refer to as a cavitation. When a chiropractor adjusts you, there’s an increase in volume in your joints. This increase in volume causes dissolved gas in the joint fluid to form a gas bubble. The formation of the gas bubble gives you a popping sound.
The cavitation process creates a general neurophysiological response in your body. We do not understand the exact mechanism but it does result in a transient improvement in pain, function, and even range of motion.
It definitely doesn’t put your bones back into place!
Chiropractors cannot help with fertility, cancer, ADHD, ear infection, etc. This is the quackary, pseudoscience part of the industry that is unfortunately prevalent in Singapore.
What criteria should someone look for in a chiropractor?
The best chiropractor in Singapore is some one who offers professional service that is based on the latest scientific studies. Through the scientific process, we are able to know which treatments are the ones that are better for you. Evidence-based chiropractors follow the latest research because we want you to good results as fast as you can.
Just over a hundred years ago, bloodletting was a common procedure and was deemed helpful for virtually all conditions. Most of us today would not even consider bloodletting as first choice treatment. The only reason this could occur is because of the scientific process. Through series of testing and studying of different therapies, we are able to know what truly works and what doesn’t. This applies to chiropractic and to your pain as well.
A good chiropractor is some one who is able to:
- Support his or her clinical decisions with the latest research
- Utilise the latest research to deliver treatments that actually provide pain relief
- Propose a pain solution that is sustainable and affordable (100 sessions for $10,000 is a no go)
- Educate you on your pain or injury so you know how to self-manage (5-10 minute consultations is a no go)
- Not rely on packages to lock you in – if they do offer packages, refund terms and conditions should be fair for you
- Answer any question you have regarding your condition
- Empower you to help yourself so you can stop coming back soon
Square One: Best chiropractor in Singapore?
Yep, we definitely think we are one of the best chiropractors in Singapore. We provide high value service and our clients leave our care fast. We are about honest, transparent relationships. We truly want to help you achieve long term pain-free living. If you are looking for a chiropractor in Singapore, drop us a message to find out more about us. We promise to help.
Read more:
- Why We Choose Exercise: A Chiropractor’s Approach to Pain
- Four Things Your Chiropractor Doesn’t Want You To Know
- How Often Do I Need to See a Chiropractor? Singapore Edition
