What is McTimoney Chiropractic?

Most of us have probably heard of the word chiropractic. Some of us might even know what it represents and a minority of us would have visited a chiropractor. Since 1994, by Act of Parliament, chiropractic has become a recognised and regulated profession in the UK. It provides the public the confidence that all those calling themselves chiropractors are educated, trained and qualified in the business of providing healthcare for musculoskeletal disorders at the highest standards. Currently, individuals qualifying in the UK can become chiropractors through three colleges; Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, University of Glamorgan and McTimoney College of Chiropractic. Each college course is recognised by the governing body, the General Chiropractic Council, as a valid means to qualify and work as a chiropractor in the UK. 

What is McTimoney? 

It gets it name from its founder, John McTimoney, who in the 1950’s, developed the philosophy and form of treatment that is still practised by chiropractors today. Based on the underlying principles of chiropractic taught by D. D. Palmer (the first chiropractor), health depends on the healthy nerve messages that subluxations of the vertebrae and other joints interfere with. These subluxations can affect not only joints and muscle but every cell and organ in the body. He also placed huge emphasis on the fact that the treatment should be based on the whole body; concentrating not only on structural misalignments and subluxations but also on the general wellbeing and quality of life of the patient. 

So what does this mean for the patient and why does it matter? 

In short, it doesn’t. All chiropractic treatment has its origins in tried and tested techniques that have been developed and used in thousands of patient clinical hours. What distinguishes McTimoney is that the approach is different from most chiropractic treatments.  Firstly it differs in the actual adjustment techniques used. Most techniques involve some form of cavitation, that’s the click you here when an adjustment is made. 

What is the Click in Chiropractic? 

Chiropractors use many techniques to stimulate the nervous system in such a way as to correct those all important misalignments and blockages. By stimulating your nervous system in a precise way, your body will self correct. What we expect as chiropractors is that those adjustments will hold after a short number of treatments. Some patients may have heard a “click” after they have been adjusted. This is quite simply a release of gas from a specific joint within your spine; called the facet joint, when breached releases a gas. Straight after the adjustment the facet joint reseals.

So why do chiropractor use this form of treatment?   

The cavitation of the facet joint is a very powerful mechanism to make changes to your spine. It helps redress the balance of pain dominating that part of your body that is stressing, by encouraging positive stimulation to your brain, which inhibits and overwhelms those pain receptors. Our bodies do this naturally, until we have a joint that is misaligned and that balance is lost temporarily.  However, it is not the only adjustment available to chiropractors, in fact chiropractors can get exactly the same impact using an implement know as the activator. Increasing chiropractors are using this tool to treat patients.  

What is an Activator? 

The activator is a hand held implement that is the size of a bottle opener! It has been developed over twenty years and each time a new model is produced the results get better. It has been designed to release a mechanical trigger that replicates the effect on your body of a traditional chiropractic adjustment. It has four settings, so one can apply just enough force to those delicate structures like the neck!  Because it is a measured force it offers a greater consistency in the treatment, and is not dependent on that combination of patient relaxing, and the practitioner judging the appropriate force necessary every time. No wonder that over 30,000 chiropractors, world wide, use them. The McTimoney approach has traditionally used a lighter, less invasive form of adjustment relying on the speed of hand rather than a forceful adjustment. The development of the activator now complements this approach and enhances the skills of a McTimoney chiropractor 

Whole body approach 

Secondly, another feature of the McTimoney approach is that it tends to be more whole body based, the practitioner actual assessing and correcting all areas of misalignment at each treatment. This will often mean treatment sessions will be as long as 30 minutes. This less rushed approach means patients will be given time to discuss other issues associated with their health that can be supported by the practitioner. In summary then, McTimoney offers a more holistically form of chiropractic, treating the body as a whole, the adjustments are gentle and require the minimum of physical effort from the patient and practitioner alike.

For many people these differences are important.