Ben Roche

I’ve been working as a chiropractor for nearly 5 years now, but the spark that set me on this path goes back to a school playing-field in Hampshire and me at the age of 14, lying in a ditch clutching an American football to my chest, wondering if I would be able to move again. Now when you meet me and see my frame you’re first response will probably be that I chose the wrong game to play (I’m not a big guy) and yes you’d probably be right, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The resulting injury – a simple sprain/strain of my neck as it turned out – was universally ignored until I went and saw my local chiropractor, who managed to diagnose my problem as soon as I inched through the door and had me up and running and back to school and sport within a matter of days.

Since graduating in 2003 I have worked in both town and city clinics in Norfolk, Hampshire & Kent before settling in London in 2006.

My patients often ask me why I don’t refer to myself as Dr, as a lot of chiropractors tend to do these days. My answer to this is always a simple one: if I’d wanted to have been a doctor, I would have trained to be one. I wanted to be a chiropractor and for me, that’s title enough.

What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a regulated healthcare profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, particularly of the spine.

What can chiropractic treat?

• neck pain
• low back pain
• sciatica
• disc complaints
• sports injuries
• headaches
• knee pain
• shoulder problems
• whiplash
• repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

Regulation

The Chiropractors Act of 1994 established the General Chiropractic Council GCC). This is a statutory body set up by parliament to regulate chiropractors in the interest of safeguarding the general public. The GCC sets and regulates the standards in education, conduct and practice that all chiropractors must adhere to and since June 2001 it is a criminal offence to call yourself a chiropractor and not be registered with the GCC. The GCC has the power to strike off any chiropractor who fails to maintain the high standards expected by the profession.

A degree in chiropractic takes a minimum of 4 years study and is only available at three centres in the UK. After successfully qualifying, the GCC requires every chiropractor to continue to study, further their knowledge and keep up to date with contemporary research and issues through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This is regulated by the GCC.

The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) represents over 50% of the UK’s chiropractors and has been established since 1925 (a whole 23 years before the NHS was born).

Website: www.contemporarychiropractic.co.uk

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