Dubai Chiropractor Oliver Jones’s interview in Dubai eye 103.8

Here’s the transcript from the Interview from one of the top Chiropractor in Dubai

On “afternoons with Helen Farmer” the topic was “sorting out your body your bones” and how chiropractors use different techniques to treat the problems with muscles and joints including spinal manipulation.

Transcript of Dubai Chiropractor Oliver’s Dubai eye talk show :

Helen: We know that the everyday aches and pains are becoming increasingly common. The World Health Organization says that approximately 1.71 billion people worldwide suffer from skeleton conditions; the culprits are often adjusting the shoulders, putting the chin up, shoulders back, poor posture and misalignment.

We are joined this afternoon by Oliver Jones for your free clinic.  He’s a chiropractor at Nightingale Health Services here in Dubai.

Oliver, how are you?

Oliver: Good afternoon Helen. I’m very good. Thank you.

Helen: You’re sitting up nice and straight. I can see you on Microsoft teams. I’ll be keeping an eye on that over the course of the next hour. I think there’s a lot of confusion to be honest about who to go to for what conditions so maybe you can help address this from the outset and perhaps explain the difference between a chiropractor and osteopath and a physio. Are those quite distinct roles to your mind?

Oliver:  I think that the difference between, well I know rather the difference is quite distinct between Physios  and Osteos and Chiros. Chiros are a little bit more similar to Osteos certainly. But I can go through the differences between one of them now if you’d like me to.

Helen: Yeah, honestly, I think that’d be really, really useful in terms of people directing questions specific to you as a chiropractor this afternoon.

Oliver:  Okay, Physios tend to work more on the muscular side of things so we’re talking Rehab  and functional, prescribing exercise and working specifically with the muscles, whereas chiropractors and osteopaths tend to work more with the joints in the spine. The difference between chiros and osteopaths are bit more nuance. They’re more similar because they both tend to do adjustments.

And I can only really speak from my experience working as a chiropractor in the UK the last six years. The overlap is going to be slightly different from case to case, but chiropractors tend to have a slightly wider range and Osteopaths stick to the straight forward adjustments of the spine.

Helen: There are already lots and lots of questions coming in for you.  So, can you quickly explain some of the conditions and issues that you are treating in clinic just to give people an idea of what you can help with on the free clinic this afternoon?

Oliver: So I suppose I should say what the most common things that I treat now. By far the most common is mechanical back pain, mechanical mid back pain and mechanical neck pain. Often with Sciatica (like radicular pain going down the leg) and headaches as well.

Helen: Can I ask if this has changed over the course of the last year as the pandemic impacted the things?

Oliver: Yes, it has actually. It’s been very interesting that there’s been a lot more patients so in the past I would say that there was maybe a 60:40 or maybe a 70:30 split between a patient’s having a lot more low back pain in relation to mid back and neck pain. But recently because of the working conditions at home as opposed to the office, changing the posture, people aren’t having the correct equipment or not just simply just not used to working at home there seems to be a lot more patients with mid back pain and neck pain as a result I believe poor posture and the working conditions are contributing to this.

Helen:  Well we’ve had questions everything from disc degeneration, a lower left back pain etc. but before we get the text line, we’ve actually got a question from our very own Nadia from our news center. We want her to stay healthy performing a very important job at keeping the nation informed so let’s listen to Nadia.

Nadia: I’ve spent a lot of time sitting at a desk for the last eighteen months and what’s happened is L4 and L5 in my lower back seem to be giving me a lot of problem and there’s just pain radiating through my hip and down into my leg and then up the right side of my spine, so I’ve tried stretching I’ve tried some very light yoga and swimming, I’m going to the gym just doing some rowing, nothing very much or nothing to excessive but nothing’s really making it better. I saw a chiropractor and he manipulated me a little bit, but I was in a lot of pain for two three days, so I’m not sure about going back again and trying that but I don’t know whether to see an osteopath and what’s the best course of treatment would be so I’d really like to know how to get rid of the pain.

Helen:  L4 L5 they’re Oliver. What advice would you give to Nadia when it comes to; hopefully he’s getting rid of that pain altogether.

Oliver: Okay, so the problem you’ve described is one that I treat very regularly. So I can definitely advise that chiropractor is the correct place to go to treat that problem. It’s unfortunately you had quite a bit of pain after the first treatment and the first adjustment.  Typically that does tend to happen if the problem is been coming on for quite a long time it can be quite sore and painful after the first treatment. Though, I believe that you’ve been quite unlucky with that. Typically with my patients,  its really quite rare for that to happen. So, typically the treatment plans for a problem such as mechanical low back like that with some radicular pain would be twice a week for maybe two to three weeks or so. That would be the treatment plan for that kind of problem. I would advise you to give chiropractic another go because in my experience that helps a lot of the time, so it’s quite rare for a patient to not be helped.

Helen: So it could be a case of right practise but wrong individual, so we need to match making Nadia with someone who can hopefully put a smile back on her face.

Helen: Well, I can tell you, Dubai’s most popular man is on Microsoft teams right now. It’s not surprising; Chiropractic clinic is very very popular, given the number of us that had that dreaded face nonspecific lower back pain. We have got Oliver Jones during this afternoon from Nightingale Health Service to help us out and take your questions.

Lisa’s been in touch with a great question saying – I’ve bought one of those osteopathic pillows; do they work or are they just a gimmick. They are not cheap, they are not cheap. But Oliver, when it comes to pillows, sleeping positions, have you got any advice for good spine health please Sir.

Oliver:  Okay. Yes I do. So, they are not a gimmick and getting that out of the way. They do help quite a bit, although it does depend very much as you might imagine on what your problem is with the neck. And typically with my patients, I suppose it’s a bit of selection bias but typically what I prescribe various types of pillows for sleeping positions for them as they get better. So it’s usually a tool that I employ as they getting better to keep them better rather than a tool to help get them out of the pit of the pain that they start. So it’s a tool that is good for the long term to keep them well rather than a kind of treatment type.

Helen: So it’s more to do with wellness rather than treating the sickness.

Oliver: Yes

Helen: And when it comes to sleeping position, what would be your dream in order to tell everyone this afternoon tonight you must be on your back, your side, your front?

Oliver: The best one is typically lying on your side; well of course if you’ve got some problems that inhibit you from doing that I recommend you don’t do anything that aggravates it, but typically the best is on your side and the middle would be on your back and then the worst would be on your front. Typically, quite a lot of neck patients are lying on their front.

Helen: I think unfortunately a lot of us just kind of shift around without even thinking about it. Next thing you know, you’ve woken up sprawled out and we’re not as consciously positioned as we should be, so to speak. I write going to the text line for a quick fire round, at least has been in touch saying I’ve got disc degeneration across different parts of my spine. My mum has it too. Is it true genetics are important for back health? Please say no, because my dad’s been a lot of time just not able to put his socks on… please say no..

Oliver: Yeah. Okay. I think it can be genetically predisposed, but I think that it’s a lot more to do with your lifestyle choices. No, I think that would be a good answer to that one. Livable.

Helen: Now, let’s go into lifestyle choices. Because, are there any things that we should I mean, I’m thinking about the experience that you have, you know, parapro, things you’re seeing coming into clinic. Is there anything that we the general public, and I’m talking about staying healthy rather than treating pain. Exercises, stretching, even things around supplementation, diet, but you think if you could wave a magic wand would keep all of us and I don’t want to take away from your salary or indeed health insurance. I don’t want anyone to lose any money. But I also don’t want people ending up, you know, on the on the bed when they shouldn’t be. What should we all be doing to stay away from you while there?

Oliver: So if there was one thing that I could advise, everyone to do, that would help a lot with a lot of people’s problems help a lot to be healthy and fit. It would be to… it’s funny, because you mentioned earlier actually was Nadia’s case, with her low back pain, and the ways that she tried to avoid it. Going swimming is a very good way, especially for low back pain, because it actually a non-weight bearing exercise. So it doesn’t aggravate a lot of the problems that you may have or may be building up. So typically, especially in the UK, I ended up having to bully a lot of patients to go swimming after it had gotten better, because it helps a lot. And it gets them fit, lose weight, and that feel a lot healthier in themselves and helps a lot with the problems. But here in Dubai, there’s actually a lot more swimming pools absolutely everywhere. So it’s been a lot easier so far.

Helen: You could prescribe a gym membership. I like it. I think that’s a very sensible advice. Indeed.

And I love this question, no name on this one. And you can of course, when we’re talking now; be completely anonymous; it makes no odds to us at all. And none of us are saying is it worth going to a chiropractor for a general checkup, mild pain, but probably just from sitting a little bit too much. You’re talking a lot about kind of prevention of pain really. If someone comes in and they’re a little bit a few twinges, maybe their alignments a little bit off? Can it be too early to come and see an expert?

Oliver: No, it can’t be too early, very, very simple answer to that one. It’s actually a lot more preferable. So the patient and for myself as well. Because  it takes a lot less treatment, it takes a lot less pain to nip the problem in the bud so to speak, rather than let it develop and get worse and create other satellite problems elsewhere in the body. I would say that it is definitely worth getting a head start on your problems by getting consultation. And same way problems are away problems are developing and sorting them out before they become bigger problems. For sure.

Helen: It is your free clinic with chiropractor Oliver Jones. He’s at Nightingale health services here in Dubai. And Adriana called in to ask this:

Adriana: would like to ask about my son’s condition. He was born three years ago with torticollis. We did quite a lot of physiotherapy and also we went to an osteopath. It has helped quite a bit. But at the age of three, he still has a bit of a head tilt. So I was wondering if chiropractic treatment would be beneficial for him.

Helen: Great question from Adriana. So her three year old is born with torticollis they’ve had physiotherapy but still a bit of a head tilt. When is chiropractic recommended for children Oliver? Do you think you could help her age around her little boy?

Oliver: Well; specifically with your little boy. He already seems to be getting manual treatment from the physiotherapist and the osteopath. I think that my recommendation would be that he continues on with that manual care, regardless of whether it’s from the osteopath chiropractor. I think that if he still does have the torticollis problem (think you said that it was much better), then I would recommend that he keeps on with manual treatment. I wouldn’t want to recommend you to go to a chiropractor over the osteopath or physiotherapist in that case for that specific problem.

Helen: Thank you for your honesty! And we have a question here from Sneha.

Sneha: So I’ve been having back issues for years now. And it’s a space issue between my lower spine that has crunched and possibly due to my pregnancy. Anyway, my question is; I see that everyone’s biking around now that’s like the new exercise fad. You know, after the lockdown and after COVID and both my boys ride a bike and I wanted too, but I’m a little apprehensive because I feel like it could damage my back. So is that any correlation like it? Will it strengthen my back? Is it a good exercise for someone with back issues?

Helen: singing the praises of swimming earlier? What about biking for anyone who’s got back issues Oliver?

Oliver: In my experience, I would say that going cycling, things like that can aggravate the pain quite a bit. So I would recommend that you do get some physical therapy from the chiropractor, or elsewhere, but I would recommend the chiropractor, of course, being one. But yeah, I would recommend that you get that before you go cycling or start getting into that. Because it’s not 100% that they would aggravate your problem, because depending on what it is, it can be aggravated in different ways. But I would say that it’s definitely worth getting it seen to before engaging in that kind of activity.

Helen: Some of the question here saying;  Hi, there, I regularly exercise I’ve got a lower left back pain for a year and a half now. I’m trying to avoid exercises that aggravate it and always conscious with my form. My question is, is this ever going to go. What is the remedy? Would hot compresses every night help? I’m 45 years old and female if that helps. And I know we’re not supposed to like Louis C. K. I know he’s on the naughty list. But he did do a really funny sketch a number of years ago, which was him going to the doctor I think about a sore wrist or sore ankle and saying, you know, I’m in a bit of pain here, Doctor, what do I do? And the doctor gives …. And he goes, Okay, great. How long to do that for? He said, No no no no, this is what you do now (chuckles). You know, when you get to certain age do you start to have to live with certain aches and pains. No name on this message. But 45 she’s avoiding things that aggravate this lower left back pain. Is there any kind of remedy or you know, at what point you need to accept that this is the way you are?

Oliver: The answers to that last question is excessively No. I’ve heard many patients over the years that have come in with very similar stories that have been told by various other professionals or professionals that they just have to deal with their pain or they just have to accept it or live with it., variations that affect. The vast majority of the time, it’s not the case, you just need to go and see a health professional who knows a bit more about mechanical conditions that can help you with those problems at the age of 45 there is; it sounds like you’ve got the onset of some which is just wear and tear. So possibly a different type of low back pain and different mechanical low back pain but it’s certainly not anything that you should have to accept or just deal with or do exercises or hot compress or what have you to just try and manage it like that go and see someone to get to the root of the problem and then you can use the various other things, the exercises etc to then stay on top of the problem in the long run. But you should not accept that explanation now.

Helen: Then I think that raises an interesting question mentioning hot compresses there, when should hot to be used, when should cold be used?

Oliver: Yeah, obviously this is kind of.. See that I’m grinning like a bit of a loon on that question. (Helen : I can ..) (Both chuckling). It’s a bit of -pardon the pun-, but a hotly debated topic on that one. Because the evidence has changed a little bit over the course of the years. But typically what I say is that if you,  after my treatments, I always say that if it’s a little bit sore, such as the case with previous patient, it’s because after the first treatment, it can be quite sore because of the inflammation has been building up for however long been released all at the same time. But going back to the point, ice packs are typically very good for inflammation type of problems. Whereas if a muscle is really tight, and you need to loosen the off and then start stretching it, then heat is better for that. But that will be my blanket statement.

Helen: Talking about chiropractic health this afternoon, we have got Oliver Jones  with us from Nightingale health service here in Dubai. Very popular on the text line. We’ve had a message from Tany  here saying I was in a minor car accident a few weeks ago and my head snapped back. Still very tender down the front right side of my neck. Whiplash. What can I do?

Tany, I got whiplash a couple of weeks ago from rollerskating. That’s a guaranteed way to make me feel my age! Whiplash and treatment, Oliver. What can be helpful? Is whiplash tend to be more muscular, or is there a skeletal impact there as well.

Oliver: It’s mostly muscular, or there can be a skeletal element as well, as you say, in terms of treatment, can recommend kind of soft manual therapy can be very effective and has been effective from my experience. And then after that, well on during that you want to be using exercise as well to loosen off particularly the muscles in the neck because everything spasms up quite a lot as you might imagine. Yeah, it’s quite a straightforward problem to treat.

Helen: Tany, don’t suffer in silence. Get yourself in on the back. You mentioned earlier about kind of a treatment plan. It was for Nadia actually, two sessions a week for a couple of weeks. Are there any instances where it can be a one session fix? Could someone come in to you and be like, I just feel a bit ‘err’ and you give it ‘crr’ and everyone walks out happy? Or? Or is that a rare and beautiful thing?

Oliver: It’s a very good question, and one that I do encounter? Quite a lot. So typically, I will recommend that for mechanical pain, whether it’s the neck pain, low back pain, mid back pain, that twice a week for two, three weeks, which normally comes between four and six treatments of course. The answer to the question of whether sometimes it can feel a lot better after the first treatment is yes, it can feel a lot better after the first treatment. And sometimes, often really, it does feel a lot better. After the first treatment the patient feels a lot of less pain, lot of movement. But the fact of the matter is that these problems don’t come out of nowhere. And they tend to have built up for quite a long time. But the vast majority people that come in with pain, see a chiropractor. So it’s not usually a one treatment fix. It’s getting to the root of the problem, and then keeping you out of the problem.. out of the pain.

Helen: I think having seen lots of physiotherapist in my time, I always leave that room full of good intentions with a piece of paper in my hand, showing me the exercise I’m supposed to do between that. And I just don’t do it. I lie.. and not long,  say yep of course I’m all over it, and I never do it. I always be like, it’d be amazing if there was a secret switch that, you know, you professionals could just find and flip it and then we get billed for a few 100 Dirhams and was sent to our insurance company. And happy days actually Patrick raising an interesting point on text line saying, why is it the insurance companies can never cover Chiro, and consider it to be alternative medicine, I had an issue with a slipped disc, and they would have covered a full operation knife in but rejected Chiro, which was a third of the price. Not a question for Oliver, but a good point to be raised. And Brian’s been in touch saying any ideas of what I might done, I was sat kneeling on the floor looking for something all of a sudden, the center of my lower back there was a sharp pain and what felt like an elastic band snapping and pinging outwards is the only way I can think to describe it. It was incredibly painful. Had to get help to get up and lay down. Any tips to ease the pain, please. Ouch. Brian, that sounds so painful. And what’s, No pun intended, springs to mind, Oliver upon hearing Brian’s message.

Oliver: It sounds like he’s got a straightforward mechanical low back pain. And it sounds like the muscle is spasmed up to protect the spine. So typically how these things go is again, there’s no sometimes there’s one occasion where you put your body through just a little bit too much stress. But usually it’s a building up affair, whether it’s sitting down for long periods, doing what have you exercise or having incorrect form, whatever it is, and then something will just kind of push your body over the edge and then you’re not going to use the muscle spasms up to protect your spine. That sounds very much like what his problem is. Yeah. So again, I would recommend going for some manual therapy, to loosen the muscle off and then deal with the underlying problem, which is very likely inflammation in joints and spine.

Helen: And now we’re talking spine and neck today. But can you settle an argument that seems to be raging on where people pop their knuckles? or crack their bones? What’s really going on? And can it give you arthritis and years gone by like my granny used to suggest?

Oliver: No

Helen: Yay, gets No.

Oliver: I believe, while studying, although I must admit it is quite time ago now. Back when I was in university where the fellow was rather obsessively pursuing the subject where he cracked all of the knuckles on one of his hands. I think it was this right. And then it didn’t do it on the left hand and then kind of reassessed after five years or something like that. And there was no noticeable effect. So yes, although it does kind of lead me on to a second point. You shouldn’t crack your own spine per se because that can sometimes make your problems worse because if we’re doing it to your spine and it’s quite difficult to do it to the specific part where you need to be doing it to, then it can make your problem worse.

Helen: Safe trained hands. There you go. The hands and voice of Oliver Jones joining us from Nightingale Health Services. Thank you so much for time this afternoon.