Who I Am

I’m Hedd Piper BSc Chiro, BSc Econ, DC, MRCC - a Chiropractor since 2003.  I’m from Aberystwyth and I am a full member of The British Chiropractic Association and The Royal College of Chiropractors.  I am an external examiner for the Chiropractic Programme at The Welsh Institute of Chiropractic at The University of South Wales.  I am currently (October 2024) studying for a Diploma in Pain Management via the Royal College of Chiropractors, with a view to becoming a full member of the RCC Pain Faculty.

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I have an interest in the management of pain without the use of passive, manual therapies such as manipulation.

 

Please Be Aware of What I Don't Treat:

• Spines do not become misaligned so I cannot re-align you

• Vertebrae do not come out of place  - unless you've had major trauma, in which case the chiropractic clinic is not for you!

• Pelvises don't twist, so manipulating them cannot straighten them out

• Leg length doesn't have anything to do with pain and doesn't indicate the need or location to manipulate

• There's no such thing as bad posture, so I do not offer posture correction

• Manipulation done by hand cannot un-trap a nerve or reduce the size or position of a disc bulge

• Chiropractic manipulation does not alter the position of bones

• Chiropractic manipulation does not improve blood flow 

• Chiropractic manipulation cannot help with any health condition

• Chiropractic manipulation on it's own is only as effective as placebo

• Cracking your back once when you are in a lot of pain is unlikely to do much and may make your pain much worse

 

Now that's out of the way... 

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What I Offer

I am here to help you get back to the things in life that you love.

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I believe that this can be done by putting you in control of your health and your pain.

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I believe that this can only be possible if you understand why you have developed pain and what you can do about it.  This is why I focus on working with you to understand your story and your lifestyle and to identify what changes you can make to overcome pain.

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I am not a very typical chiropractor in that I do not use manipulation very often.  I appreciate that this is confusing to many, but I offer something different and I am passionate about this. 

 

If you would like to work with someone who is passionate about providing you with some quality manual therapy then I am not your best option.

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The Process

So that you can feel more confident about making your first appointment with me, we start with a free introductory chat.  This can be done face to face, over the phone or by Zoom.  I can then give you more of an idea about if I think we're a good fit.

 

My priority when I first meet you for your full consultation is to fully understand the history of your problem and attempt to rule out any serious cause for your pain.

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This is done by getting a picture of your health, your lifestyle and your well-being.  This is done by talking to you - sometimes at length - about your life and your pain.  It is often possible to diagnose the nature of your problem just by understanding the history.  Your initial formal consultation takes up to 90 minutes.

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It may be that this visit reveals the need to recommend that we arrange further tests to get a better idea of what is going on.

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More often than not, an examination will also be included in your initial consultation.  This is especially important if there are any unusual symptoms.

I will then be able to present to you an interpretation of what is likely to be causing your pain so that you feel more in control of your body and your pain.

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I will aim to give you some recovery strategies as early as possible in the process.  It is possible that this visit will be all you need to set you on the path to recovery, with some reassurance and ideas.  Often we will need to work together over time to help you make and maintain changes.

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Follow-Up Visits

These usually last up to 60 minutes in the early stages depending on the complexity of your case.  In complicated cases this visit may be a continuation of your consultation, or it may be focussed on taking you through the exercises you will need to get moving again.  It all depends on you and your needs.  Once you are noticing improvement we can reduce the length of the visit to 30 minutes and it's likely that most of what would be covered in these shorter visits can be done over Zoom.

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