 We get a lot of people visiting our practice due to Neck Pain.
Neck pain is commonly debilitating and often you struggle to do the things you love. Sleeping comfortably, getting out of bed or simply moving around is annoying at best. Neck pain can make you feel cranky and often you will snap at those you love. Correcting your neck pain helps you and often those around you (or at least we are often told). It is hard to know what to do, there seems to be many options….You deserve to live life uninterrupted, feeling great and thinking clearly! Neck pain is very common and has many different causes. Direct causes of mechanical neck pain are rarely identifiable. Most neck issues are functional problems as a result of imbalances in neck support structures. Over time this tends to result in degenerative change that then leads to greater problems with the anatomy itself which can be irreversible depending on presentation. For neck pain, a thorough diagnosis is important to lay the foundation for appropriate treatment and rehabilitation. Neck pain treatment reduces the likelihood of recurrent flare-ups and helps prevent the development of chronic (longer term) issues. There are lots of reasons why you might have neck pain, there are also many different symptoms with neck pain. Here at Little Sprouts Chiropractic (yes we see big sprouts too), we will help identify why you have the pain, then we will develop a game plan specific to you, to help you manage your recovery. We use natural and gentle means to help manage your recovery. Amongst other tests we look at muscle weakness patterns and dermatome or numbness patterns in the arms and hands to help diagnose the problem (1,2). One easy test you can do at home to determine if you have early signs of neck trouble (remember get to the cause before it becomes a big issue) is a simple range of motion test. Data from a scientific study suggests that there are early range changes associated with the development of neck pain (3). If you go through the following ranges: flexion, extension, side band and rotation; and there are ranges that hurt or are restricted, it would be worth getting screened. Another test we use is Spurlings test (4). The Spurling test is a medical maneuver used to assess nerve root pain (also known as radicular pain). WARNING DO NOT do this at home (there are some reasons why you should not do this test - we won’t be discussing here) a trained professional must use this test. The examiner turns the patient's head to the affected side while extending and applying downward pressure to the top of the patient's head. A positive Spurling's sign is when the pain arising in the neck radiates in the direction of the corresponding dermatome (skin supply) on the same side. It is a type of cervical compression test. Patients with a positive Spurling's sign can present with a variety of symptoms, including pain, numbness and weakness. In addition to the clinical history, the neurological examination may show signs suggesting a cervical radiculopathy. This can indicate a disc issue, other symptoms of this are usually numbness into the hands and pain although you may not be experiencing these issues. We are passionate about what being well means, and love seeing you and your family reach maximum potential and experiencing all that life can offer. If you have a neck issue of any sort make sure you get in early and get it properly diagnosed and checked out. References
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 Pregnancy is a time of significant physiological, biomechanical and hormonal changes in the body. As chiropractors, we are uniquely positioned to support musculoskeletal health and functional movement changes during this journey. However, another key supporting role is exercise and safe movement, while considering the current exercise guidelines and safety considerations.
Movement matters during pregnancy and research shows that physical activity during pregnancy provides multiple benefits including:
It is important to talk to your healthcare provider about how your pregnancy and exercise regimen can be safe and effective for you as it should always be individualised. References:
 Can dealing with emotional stress affect our health and pain?
The overlying objective of the mind-body approach undertaken by NET was to normalize a physiological (body system/s) imbalance caused by an emotional trauma that could not be resolved because of a neurological or meridian deficit. This concept has been updated to specifically indicate that recollection of the past stress-related event has been deemed sufficient to recreate the same type of chemical conditions in the body, which could then be addressed by a combination of manual muscle testing and offering graded techniques to encourage the patient to access those emotions (1). A review of case study, cohort, and randomized clinical trial research included two larger studies. One was the striking demonstration by Monti of parallel changes of fMRI images of the parahippocampus with the reduction of cancer patient distress after NET applications, thereby revealing a possible neurological signature of NET (1). This study demonstrated significant brain changes pre and post sessions of NET. The second was the report by Bablis and coworkers that, compared to a placebo treatment, an NET regimen produced clinical and statistical significance with declines of Inflammatory and Immune blood markes also declines of virtually all physiological pain and disability markers by gains in quality-of-life indicators at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months in patients with chronic back pain. (2) This study demonstrated that NET helps with improvements in life in pain and organ function. These beneficial effects in all outcome measures were sustained, as additional interventions at 3 and 6 months produced no further improvement while at the same time there was no deterioration of these measures during that period. The authors suggested that these results were consistent with the principle of resilience! NET is a powerful technique we use at Sprouting Health. If you are interested, contact our practice for an appointment and have a talk to one of our Doctors of Chiropractic. References
 Migraines are thought to affect 15% of the global population and sufferers commonly choose to self-medicate rather than seeking medical care. The quality of life of migraine sufferers can be greatly reduced, especially if the intensity is severe with regular frequency. From the intense pain to the neurological symptoms that distinguish migraine from other forms of headaches, medications are usually the first line of attack when a migraine strikes.
For a long time, Chiropractors have been aware that adjustments can help with various types of headaches and many studies of different kinds have been done before. Just recently, there was a new systematic and critical review (an analysis of collection of studies), published in the Asia Pacific Chiropractic Journal which suggests that specific manual Chiropractic adjustments, alongside soft tissue work may be effective in managing migraine. There are two (2) takeaway points from the study. Firstly, specific Chiropractic manual adjustments with soft tissue work may help in reducing intensity, frequency, and duration of migraine attacks. Secondly, it may also help in reducing the use of analgesic medications, which can have negative effects on the gut and other systems with long term use; as well as the potential addictive nature of it. While it is great that the study focuses on the role of Chiropractic. It is also important to consider that there’s still much to learn. Onset of migraines and other types of headaches can be multifactorial and connected to other stressors such as chemical and emotional stressors. If you suffer from migraines, and other types of headaches, consider Chiropractic care. Book a consultation with us, or come and return to our care to ensure that you get checked thoroughly and get adjusted so that you can continue to live the best life possible with less headaches or migraines. We look forward to seeing you soon! Allix F, Aubry A, Hoog V, Lorenzelli C, Sok S. The management of diagnosed Migraine patients through manual therapy: A Systematic and Critical Review. Asia-Pac Chiropr J. 2025;6.1. www.apcj.net/papers-issue-6-1/#AllixMigraine  In today’s world, we’re surrounded by technology, pollution, and chemicals — all things that can quietly drain our energy and speed up the ageing process. Our bodies are built to connect with nature, yet most of us spend most of our time indoors. Two simple ways to restore that balance — and support natural anti-aging processes — are negative ions and grounding.
What Are Negative Ions — and Why Do They Matter? Negative ions are invisible oxygen particles in the air that have an extra electron. They are nature’s way of “charging” the air and are found in abundance near waterfalls, ocean waves, forests, and right after a thunderstorm. When we breathe in these ions, they can help our bodies in surprising ways:
What is grounding? Grounding, also called earthing, is the practice of making direct contact with the Earth — walking barefoot on grass, soil, sand, or swimming in natural water. The Earth carries a mild negative electrical charge, and when your skin touches it, your body absorbs free electrons. This process is similar to breathing in higher amount of negative ions, theoretically providing similar effect. These electrons act like natural antioxidants, neutralising free radicals that cause inflammation and tissue damage. It is one big driver for ageing and chronic diseases.(2) 5 ways to stay younger at zero cost Spend time near moving water — beaches, rivers, and waterfalls are negative ion powerhouses. Step outside after rain — the air is richest in negative ions after a storm. Walk barefoot daily — even 10–20 minutes on grass or sand can make a difference. Bring nature indoors — open windows, add plants, and use salt lamps or small water fountains to help rebalance your indoor air. Take tech breaks — disconnecting from electronics and stay away from power points helps your body reset its natural electrical rhythm. Reference 1. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Journal of inflammation research. 2015:83-96. 2. Walther DS. Applied Kinesiology Synopsis. 2nd ed: Triad of Health Publishing; 2005.  Do you or have you ever suffered with gut pain, bloating and abdominal pain, nausea, gastroesophageal reflux disease? Even symptoms including joint/muscle involvement, headache, anxiety, foggy mind, skin rash, dermatitis, fatigue and weakness and even numbness --- These are the most frequently reported symptoms stemming from a possibly common issue. This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you if you do have these things!
Over the past two decades, the incidence of diseases believed to be induced by the ingestion of wheat and related gluten-containing cereals, including rye and barley, has increased (1). Non-coeliac gluten/wheat sensitivity (NCG/WS) is a syndrome characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms occurring a few hours or days after the ingestion of gluten and wheat proteins in patients testing negative for coeliac disease and wheat allergy (2). It has been established that other foods can cross-react with gluten. Antigens from other foods cross-react with various wheat antigens (3). If a subgroup of patients on a gluten-free diet does not show improvement in their GI or other symptoms, attention should be given to dairy and other cross-reactive foods, such as yeast, corn, oats, millet and rice, as shown in a recent study (3). The study also commented that some oat varieties contain avenin, which cross-reacts with wheat, barley, and rye. What this means in simple language is that foods can potentially act like other foods that you may not have suspected. Patients who complain of symptoms following bread and pasta ingestion should not eliminate gluten and wheat, but they should correctly undergo the diagnostic work-up to rule out Coeliac Disease (CD) and Wheat allergy (WA) (2). A self-diagnosis of gluten / wheat intolerance must be avoided since, once the elimination diet is begun, it is very difficult to reintroduce wheat to study the patient. Treatment with gluten / wheat withdrawal should be started only when there is a clear evidence that the patient can be affected by NCG/WS (2). The first step of the diagnostic work-up for NCWS is based on the symptom assessment (scored from 1 as very mild to 10 as very severe) at baseline (when patients are still on a gluten/wheat-containing diet) and weekly for 6 weeks on gluten-free diet (GFD) by using the modified GSRS questionnaire. This is a Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) integrated with extraintestinal manifestations. A GFD-dependent symptom decrease of greater than 30% compared with baseline in at least three symptoms is regarded as a criterion to suspect NCWS (2). Since NCGS at this time is a poorly defined condition with highly subjective symptoms, a common clinical approach of eliminating suspected symptom-inducing foods followed by clinician-supervised re-challenge with close symptom monitoring has been advocated. In the most up to date literature/evidence This may prove superior to other methods due to its ease of administration and being more informative (4). If this resonated with you and you would like more information…… Come mon and see one of our Drs of Chiropractic and Kinesiology at Sprouting Health
 The leading cause of years lived with disability in most countries and age group is considered to be spinal pain (low back and neck) (1). Spine-related pain is increasingly more common in older adults as the population ages (2). It affects the overall quality of life, ranging from family life to work life for those who suffer from it. Do you or a loved one experience spinal pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
“30% of all back pain presentations in Australian emergency departments are for older adults, aged 65 and over” (3) In Australia, a number of chronic conditions have been shown to be associated with spinal pain in older women with arthritis, including cardiovascular conditions, diabetes and obesity (4). Low back pain in older adults have been associated with early retirement, difficulties in caring for themselves at home, increased disability, and decreases with their social well-being (5,6,7). The difficulty is being older is associated with non-recovery in adults with low back pain, in a cohort of older adults presenting for a new primary care visit for back pain, found that 77% had persistent back pain after 12 months (8). So it is important to get on top of it earlier. Can chiropractic care help with the management of back pain? In a recent research literature, where they did a retrospective study, looking at older adults with spine pain at a publicly funded facility utilising chiropractic care. The study looked at data between January 2011 and June 2020 of adults aged 45 and older. 240 patients were looked at from that data, and it was found that older adults with spinal pain experienced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain (9). So it may not be too late to seek help with spinal issues with non-invasive and conservative therapy, even at an older age. Though a larger data set and more studies would be helpful in further substantiating these findings, the findings are positive. If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage spinal pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist. “It is important to look into issues earlier rather than later” 1. Hurwitz, E.L., Randhawa, K., Yu, H., Côté, P. and Haldeman, S., 2018. The Global Spine Care Initiative: a summary of the global burden of low back and neck pain studies. European Spine Journal, 27(Suppl 6), pp.796-801. 2. Fu, J.L. and Perloff, M.D., 2022. Pharmacotherapy for spine-related pain in older adults. Drugs & aging, 39(7), pp.523-550. 3. Ferreira, G.E., Machado, G.C., Shaheed, C.A., Lin, C.W.C., Needs, C., Edwards, J., Facer, R., Rogan, E., Richards, B. and Maher, C.G., 2019. Management of low back pain in Australian emergency departments. BMJ Quality & Safety, 28(10), pp.826-834. 4. de Luca, K.E., Parkinson, L., Haldeman, S., Byles, J.E. and Blyth, F., 2017. The relationship between spinal pain and comorbidity: a cross-sectional analysis of 579 community-dwelling, older Australian women. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 40(7), pp.459-466. 5. Bevan, S., Quadrello, T., McGee, R., Mahdon, M., Vavrovsky, A. and Barham, L., 2009. Fit for work. Musculoskeletal disorders in the European workforce. London: The work foundation, 2009. 6. Rudy, T.E., Weiner, D.K., Lieber, S.J., Slaboda, J. and Boston, J.R., 2007. The impact of chronic low back pain on older adults: a comparative study of patients and controls. Pain, 131(3), pp.293-301. 7. Hoy, D., March, L., Brooks, P., Blyth, F., Woolf, A., Bain, C., Williams, G., Smith, E., Vos, T., Barendregt, J. and Murray, C., 2014. The global burden of low back pain: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 73(6), pp.968-974. 8.Rundell, S.D., Sherman, K.J., Heagerty, P.J., Mock, C.N. and Jarvik, J.G., 2015. The clinical course of pain and function in older adults with a new primary care visit for back pain. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 63(3), pp.524-530. 9. Albertson, A.K., Maiers, M., Tailor, G. and Passmore, S., 2025. Utilization of Chiropractic Services among Older Adults with Spine Pain at a Publicly Funded Canadian Healthcare Facility: A Retrospective Study. Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, pp.1-8.  For some parents and infants, breastfeeding can be a beautiful and relatively seamless experience. For others, it can feel overwhelming. Every breastfeeding journey is unique. No one can fully prepare a mother, baby, or father for the experience, but there are ways to make it easier and more comfortable.
When a baby struggles to latch properly, develops colic from a shallow latch, or makes clicking and gulping sounds while feeding, breastfeeding can quickly become stressful. Mothers may experience nipple pain, blistering, or bleeding. Parents, especially the breastfeeding mother, often have back and neck pain sometimes from the birth process, but definitely from the hours spent feeding and looking down at their baby, and the accumulative sleepless nights. Many families on this journey need support and assistance. Possible Causes of Breastfeeding Issues Where Chiropractic May Help Biomechanical restrictions affecting latch and suck Babies can be born with restrictions, such as tongue ties, or develop musculoskeletal tightness from the birthing process or their position in utero (for example, breech). Tight neck muscles, cranial asymmetries, andmovement can create tension around the jaw and tongue. This may change the baby’s mouth position, tongue mobility, or head posture, making it harder to establish a deep latch, a good lip seal, and a coordinated suck. Gentle manual therapy and mobilisation by a chiropractor trained in paediatrics aims to restore normal movement, helping the infant achieve a more effective latch. Several clinical case series describe improvement in feeding after this type of care. Maternal posture and musculoskeletal pain New parents, especially breastfeeding mothers, spend hours in static or awkward positions feeding and carrying their baby. Neck, shoulder, and back pain can make it harder to position the baby comfortably and to sustain feeds for long enough. Poor positioning can in turn affect milk transfer and overall breastfeeding success. Chiropractic care can include gentle manual therapy, postural advice, and ergonomic adjustments to reduce pain and help improve feeding positions. Even professional lactation bodies recognise that musculoskeletal pain and poor biomechanics can contribute to breastfeeding difficulties. Working Together Chiropractic care is not a recommended stand-alone solution. The best outcomes often come when it is combined with support from a skilled lactation consultant (IBCLC) and maternal health professionals. With the guidance of these providers, gentle care from a paediatric-trained chiropractor can be one of the supportive options for families experiencing feeding challenges. Research into chiropractic and breastfeeding is still limited. Most of the available studies are case reports, case series, or very small trials. While many report improvements in breastfeeding (often between 70% and 100% of cases after just a few visits), the research has limitations and more high-quality studies are needed. If you are experiencing challenges with breastfeeding, or discomfort and pain when feeding, please reach out. At Sprouting Health Chiropractic, we are here to support you and your family on your breastfeeding journey. References
 Joint pain or injury is common. Neck pain, back pain, hip, shoulder, elbow or knee pain is annoying! This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you if you have any of this.
Even elite athletes have these same issues. “Muscle imbalances exist in a wide range of athletes performing at the elite level and may be related to injury occurrence”. Many patients go from one Dr or specialist to another without resolution of their musculoskeletal complaint. Sometimes underlying these physical problems are muscle imbalances. When you have joint pain you feel down and frustrated, it is hard to be in the moment, to be 100% present and to truly enjoy life. It is hard to know what to do, there seems to be many options…. When you see someone who lives and breathes treating muscle imbalance every day, someone who is fanatical and is energised every single time they get a win for their patients, you’ll finally be in the right hands so that you can get the care you deserve, get back to loving your life of activity and being more “you”. If you’ve ever wanted to move towards living your life pain free then keep reading, this information might just change your life. The muscles we are talking about here are skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles work because the brain and nervous system control them; as such, it should be referred to as a neuromuscular system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, the muscles, and the nerves that connect them. Basically muscles can range from very loose muscles that are very weak with no perceivable contraction, to the other extreme of hypertonic or very tight muscles. As an example, in the sitting position put your hands around your thigh muscle (upper leg about a hands width above your knee), contract your thigh by straightening your leg (make sure to leave the foot on the ground, simply slide it along) and feel the top muscle (quads) contract, at the same time the bottom muscle (hamstrings) will relax. If you do the opposite the hamstrings will contract and the quads will relax. If these muscles did not behave in this way it would be a disaster. Imagine if the top muscle held on while the bottom muscle tried to contract. The joint could tear, be compressed or may not move at all. Now imagine that when we bend or walk the thousands of nerve signals and muscle contractions that have to occur in precisely the right sequence and force that are imperative for proper function. A muscle that stays too relaxed is referred to as abnormal inhibition and sometimes called “weak” (although this is not true weakness, which refers to the lack of power). In most cases, this inhibition causes an opposite muscle to become too tight, a condition called abnormal facilitation. Together, these abnormal muscles (muscle imbalance) can adversely affect the joint(s) they control, the tendons they’re attached to, and other muscles, ligaments, bones, and body areas (such as the pelvic, spine, or head) all over. This will also cause an imbalance in posture and an irregular gait and often eventually pain. Studies demonstrate that trunk eccentric/concentric and flexion/extension strength imbalances may be associated to episodes or chronic prevalence of LBP. At Sprouting Health, we work out muscle imbalance through postural observation, and then testing individually around 80 muscles on your body. We also look at excess bulking or reduction in size of a muscle from one side of the body to another. Manual muscle testing involves physically evaluating individual muscles. This is accomplished by first positioning an arm, leg, or other body part associated with a particular muscle’s action. In this position, the practitioner applies force against the patient’s force from that particular muscle. Weakness due to abnormal inhibition may exist if the resistive force cannot properly be maintained, or sometimes if there is excessive pain. Comparing before and after treatment measurements can be very useful to determine whether improvements are being made and which therapies may be most successful. Properly done, manual muscle testing can help differentiate between neuromuscular imbalance, and exercise imbalance. If any of this relates to you then you’ll be glad to learn that we would love to see if we can help you. We promise not to waste your time or money!  Recent findings suggest that nervous system development and brain growth may be linked with movement and sensory input. The findings suggest that “mobility restrictions or insufficient sensory stimuli impact the production of new brain cells and brain development… “
Two recent studies (1, 2), exploring neurogenesis in the presence and absence of either movement restriction or visual restriction, were performed in zebrafish – a popular and well-known choice for modeling human biology in a controlled research setting. While these findings have not yet been tested in humans, they clearly suggest the possibility that movement restrictions in the postnatal stage may be critical to brain development in vertebrates including humans. These two new papers suggest that should motor and sensory input be suboptimal in the early developmental stage, then the process of neurodevelopment as a whole is diminished and the authors show evidence that if nerve and brain development is compromised, the resultant deficit may never be overcome (1, 2). Let’s consider a study by Keil and Fludder that described reduced range of motion present at birth (3). In this study, reduced range of motion was found in: 76.1% of infants born vaginally without intervention 75% of infants delivered with forceps 88.9% of vacuum-assisted deliveries 82.3% of infants born via caesarean section While the sample may be slightly skewed given it was taken from a paediatric chiropractic clinic, it certainly shows that there is a population that suffers from reduced range of motion immediately following birth. Further, plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome, is found in up to 46.6% of infants (according to a 2013 estimate) and this itself may result in motion restriction or motion asymmetry (4). Research conducted by Dr. Heidi Haavik, Dr. Kelly Holt and the New Zealand College of Chiropractic has illustrated over and over again that sensorimotor integration (brain processing of movement) is clearly and positively impacted by the chiropractic adjustment (5). If you or especially your Child has reduced movement it is worth getting checked out.
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February 2026
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