Is my problem a "physio" thing? or a "chiro" thing?. We get asked that a lot. Historically, there has always been a perceivable difference - going to the Chiro if "you're out of whack" and heading to the physio to recover from a “pulled ligament” or “strain”.
Thankfully, we've come a long way, and we thought that rather than just share what the differences are, why don't we look at the similarities of what Chiros and Physios do here at Balance; and what we hope will also shape the future of this wonderful industry that helps Make a Difference to People's Lives.
Here is what a Chiro or Physio will do at Balance Health and Performance.
1. Get to Know You - we want to spend the time it takes to understand you and how the problem is affecting you. Sometimes, the pain is more than just 'pain' - it can enter your conversations, can leave you feeling like you're whining all the time and can even leave you feeling unmotivated and frustrated. The better we get to know how the problem is affecting you, the better we will be able to guide you through the process towards being back at your best.
2. Find the Cause - regardless of whether you're a Chiro or a Physio, an important component of identifying where to start, begins with answering the question..."Is the problem due to behaviour or trauma?"... If the problem is due to trauma, a clear diagnosis and a management plan would need to be in order (like an ankle sprain or repair from surgery - yep Chiros do that stuff too)... and if the problem is due to behaviour, then it's less about what is 'injured' and more about what habits are 'injuring' it, or as we prefer to refer to it these days - makes the area "sensitised". Once we unpack the cause and get clear on whether the problem is a diagnosis like a sprain or strain; or something to do with your lifestyle, the next step is to...
3. Make A Plan - it comes down to your goals. Your goal might be to just get out of pain, and return when you're back in pain again; or your goal could be athletic performance; or you need to feel good to be able to work; or to be able to look after a newborn; or you just want to feel young again...the list goes on. Whatever the goal may be, we want to work with you to set a target and work towards it.
4. Follow Up - we want to ensure that we are with you along the way. We really do care about helping our patients, but just generally, we love helping people. We are keen to keep the conversation going, whether you’re in clinic or at home or work - as long as that's ok with you.
5. Helping Family and Friends - it's common that your pain creeps into your daily conversations, and if it's been going on for a while, your partner knows about it, maybe even your boss and probably your friends too. We really do understand the impact of pain and it's why we take our roles so seriously. It means the world to us that if we can ‘Make A Difference’ to your life, then we can help you be better for all those around you - and better yet, we can help them feel their best too....
Now, knowing all this... Do you still want to know the difference between a Chiro and a Physio? Most people are ok with it... but if we want to look at some finer details...
a) Physios are trained to rehabilitate post-surgically within hospitals, and Chiros aren’t.
b) Chiros are trained to manipulate joints and only some Physios are trained to do that.
c) Chiros are trained to look at how they can impact the nervous system and physios are trained to look at how they can impact the musculoskeletal system.
d) They have a different certificate.
e) That’s about it.
The result, is always that you are cared for and are progressing towards achieving better health and optimising performance.
Across our 4 locations in Sydney: Norwest, Bondi Junction, Brookvale and Penrith; we ensure that all our teams are trained and professionally ready to build a relationship with you.
We're also opening in Virginia, North of Brisbane, Queensland, where we will be building a team there too.
So if you know anyone, we'd love to help them up there.
