Chiropractic
Dr Adam Gavine has over 16 years of clinical experience. He grew up in a highly sports oriented family and represented Canada as a junior in the decathlon. Having been in competitive sports, he knows how debilitating injuries can be. During his time as an athlete he experienced a hamstring injury that threatened to end his career. After seeking the help of multiple doctors and sports practitioners, he finally saw a chiropractor that was recommended to him. After only two visits he was back training and after two months the injury was completely resolved. This experience impressed him so much that he decided to pursue a career in chiropractic himself.
He is incredibly passionate about his profession and helping clients achieve optimal function and overall health.
His special interest is back pain and in 2014 he co-authored the book ‘Back Pain: How to Build Core Stability for long-lasting Relief’.
Adam also specialises in Active Release Techniques® (ART) and is one of only a handful of full body certified ART providers in Australia. ART is a soft tissue treatment that is highly effective in restoring movement to stiff muscles, joints and nerves (read more about ART® here).
He is also a certified member and specialist shock wave instructor of the Swiss DolorClast® Academy. Shock wave therapy is a non-invasive therapy that accelerates healing in various acute and/or chronic pain conditions. The main benefit is its ability to reduce pain rapidly and promote healing (read more about shock wave here).
So what is Chiropractic?
Chiropractors are health practitioners who use manual therapy to adjust your spine as well as other joints of the body to treat various muscle and skeletal conditions. Muscles, tendons and ligaments are connected to bones which make up joints, if either of them aren’t working properly, the body loses the ability to function properly and pain can present.
Examination
During your initial consult, Adam will conduct the following:
A thorough medical history
Visually inspection for spinal curves or other visible health indicators
Manually palpate (feel) your spine, muscles and other soft tissues that support it
Functional movement tests – such as squat, lunge, push-up, jumping, running, throwing
Orthopaedic examinations – to detect health conditions relating to the spine, bones, joints, muscles and soft tissues, including ligaments and tendons.
Neurological examinations – to assess the function of your motor, sensory and cranial nerves (i.e. testing your reflexes and testing for numbness).
Where required, he can also refer you directly for other diagnostic tests such as an MRI or an x-ray.
Based on his examination, Adam will give you a diagnosis, which is the most likely cause of your primary complaint. He will explain this diagnosis, provide a prognosis (estimated timeline for the condition to resolve), and discuss the treatment options available to you and any risks or benefits associated with those treatments.
If chiropractic care is deemed not appropriate for your condition, or if your health condition needs to be co-managed with other health care professionals, we will refer you to the appropriate health care provider.
Chiropractic Treatment
We use a range of common chiropractic treatments, such as:
Spinal manipulation, sometimes called an adjustment – using the hands to apply controlled force to a joint of the spine
Mobilisation – gentle movement of the joint to increase its range of motion
Exercises
Reassurance
Application of heat or ice
Stretching
Soft tissue techniques – such as myofascial release
Activity modification – suggestions how to make changes to your day-to-day activities to alleviate discomfort and enable recovery
Lifestyle advice – such as healthy eating and physical activity advice
Physiologic therapeutics – such as use of shockwave therapy, laser or TENS
Orthotics – shoe inserts that help support the feet and improve your posture and alignment
Drop piece table technique – the use of a specially designed table to help mobilise a joint in a controlled way
Treatment of other joints, including feet, ankles, shoulders, wrists, elbows.
We will discuss these with you as part of a shared decision-making process.
Report of findings
At Back to Function your second visit will be a long consultation (40 mins), most of which will be dedicated to going through your report of findings (ROF), which is specifically written for you. It is a summary of what Adam discovered during your initial assessment and contains your diagnosis (medical description of your condition), contributing factors (things that lead to the development of the condition), solutions (things to do and avoid in order to increase your chances of recovery and decrease the risk of recurrence), appointment schedule (estimate of how many visits will be required to resolve the condition), dietary and supplement recommendations, and a tailor made rehabilitation program (including a free downloadable app). Adam will go through each aspect of your ROF with you so that you have a clear understanding of your condition, and what is required to resolve it. It also gives you the opportunity to seek clarification on any details that you would like to understand better. Finally, we will demonstrate how to properly perform each of your prescribed rehabilitation exercises and observe and correct you while you perform each exercise to make sure they are done correctly.
For more information regarding chiropractic including indications and contraindications please refer to our FAQ section of the website.