Spinal Health Care
Alba Spinal Health provide a regulated healthcare service which identifies and corrects the causes of muscular and skeletal pain – reducing it speedily and effectively, as well as ensuring that symptoms are less likely to reoccur.
People seek our help with back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and foot pain, as well as headaches, migraines and osteoarthritis; however, many patients also experience improvements to their overall health and wellbeing.
Together with you, we will develop the most appropriate individual plan and, as treatment progresses, will continue to respond to changes. We will provide expert care, reassurance and rehabilitative therapies that include dietary, exercise and comfort-based recommendations.
Our chiropractors, osteopaths and osteomyologists are coached and supported alongside each other and, due to the significant similarities between the professions, you will receive the same expert care whichever practitioner you see. The reasoning behind our coaching and support-based approach is if your chiropractor is on holiday, they may (on occasion) be covered by an osteopath or Osteomyologist, and vice versa, but if you have any questions relating to this, you are more than welcome to ask a member of our team.
We look forward to welcoming you to our practice and to working with you to achieve a better quality of life.
Phase 1: Pain Relief
Most people don’t seek care because they are in pain. They seek care because their problem is affecting their quality of life and preventing them from doing the things they both need to do and want to do on a daily basis. How often you needs to be seen will be determined based on your particular problem.
Phase 2: Corrective/Mobility Improvement
During the corrective care phase, muscles and other tissues are allowed to heal more completely, thereby helping prevent injury. How long this phase takes will be determined by your overall health goals and the severity of your problem.
Phase 3: Wellness Care
Once your body has fully healed, it is important to come in for periodic adjustments to maintain your mobility. This will allow you to do the things in life that you need to accomplish on a daily basis and avoid problems in the future.
Chiropractic & Osteopathy
Chiropractic and osteopathy care is like building a house – certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly.
When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. Your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three general phases of chiropractic & osteopathy care.
Osteomyology
Osteomyology is a relatively new concept in the world of spinal care, and the name originates from the joining of three words: osteon – bone, myo – muscle, and ology – study.
The overall purpose of Osteomyology is to reduce pain and improve mobility so that the person suffering can return to health.
Osteomyology comprises a range of disciplines in spinal care and draws on techniques in Osteopathy, Chiropractic, and other therapies. It encourages the skilled use of a range of different techniques and exercise guidance to affect an improvement and reduce symptoms.
Osteomyoloigsts all come from a degree background in the health sciences, and they must be registered with their professional association, The Association of Osteomyologists.
As registered members, Osteomyologists are obliged to follow a set of legal and ethical guidelines and undertake continuing professional development. They’re also keenly encouraged to carry out research into the treatment of various conditions.
The same as a Chiropractor would, an Osteomyologist will treat not only the symptoms of the condition but also the root cause, with the aim of relieving symptoms and stopping them from reoccurring wherever possible.
All the therapists here at Alba Spinal Health Centre treat the body as a whole, and as such, therapy for long-term and repetitive problems using Osteomyology is particularly successful.
As with any conditions we treat, we’ll begin with a confidential consultation where we take your full case history, followed by an examination. We’ll then offer you a bespoke treatment plan outlining the costs and the number of treatments likely to be required.
Practitioners
Alex Firth
Principal Chiropractor
Beatrice Chau
Chiropractor
I started my studies at the International Medical University Malaysia and completed my studies in the University of South Wales in the UK, graduating with a masters in chiropractic. I chose to study Chiropractic because of an experience my mother had with her chiropractor during her pregnancy. This inspired me, leading me to look into Chiropractic, hoping to help more people that are just like my mother.
I started at Alba in 2021 as a Chiropractor, since then I have met people from different areas & countries. I have treated people with acute pain who where worried it was going to stay forever; people with chronic pain affecting their quality of life, and people that want to maintain the function of their body preventing future injuries. I am glad that I have been a part of their journey to wellness. I also have a special interest in pregnancy and paediatrics.
When I’m not working, I enjoy time with my friends and family. We love to go out seeking great restaurants and shopping. Sometimes we try to recreate our favourite recipes, grabbing the ingredients & heading back home to and try to make the dish ourselves. It is always so much fun to try our creations.
Nick Szablewski
Chiropractor
Hi, I’m Nick, I’m one of the Chiropractors here At Alba Spinal Health Centre. I achieved my Masters in Chiropractic from the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic in 2022. I initially found out about Chiropractic through a YouTube video recommendation. My ambition to know how certain conditions come to be, and their potential lifelong effects, with the addition of always trying to help friends and family with their headaches or musculoskeletal issues led me to take up a 4-year course to learn this incredible technique and improve so many patients’ well-being.
I started at Alba in September 2022, since then it has shown me how strong and dedicated the community of patients and practitioners are here. Our practitioners are constantly learning and researching to make sure that our patients are always being treated with the best possible methods that will help their case.
Outside of Alba I go on walks with my Podenco and 3 Border Collies, and from time to time I dabble in baking cakes. When the weather is nice, I like to play a game of tennis or a round of golf with my friends, or at the driving range.
Calum Gleave
Osteomyologist
Hi, I’m Calum I’m an Osteomyologist here at Alba. I completed my studies at the University of Salford originally graduating in Sports Rehabilitation which focussed on manual therapy, anatomy and neurology. I then graduated in the Activator Method which is one of the most widely researched chiropractic techniques in the world.
I decided to become a practitioner after suffering with many different injuries during my teens and not having them helped properly. I wanted to help others in a way that I would’ve liked to be helped growing up. As soon as I helped that first person, and seeing such a change in them, I knew this career was for me.
I have been at Alba since September 2019 and have never looked back. Since being at Alba I have not only made great friends but also helped many different people with many different conditions, specialising in scoliosis, lower back problems and knee conditions.
When I’m not at Alba I keep very active whether that be on a hike, playing football or at the gym. I also love cooking and (unfortunately) support Manchester United.
I look forward to seeing you soon
Jordan Marchant
Osteomyologist
I graduated from Edge Hill University in 2020 gaining a BSc (Hons) in Sports Therapy. During my studies I gained comprehensive theoretical knowledge and understanding of physiological, anatomical, and neurological pathways suited within scientific theory, and how this underpins how our body functions and its healing process. This then led me to becoming a fully qualified and registered Osteomyologist, where I was provided with expert training using a specialist chiropractic instrument known as the activator.
I started at Alba in July 2022 and have already learnt so much. I became a practitioner because improving someone’s quality of life and being able to be there for them when they need it the most is extremely rewarding and fulfilling job to have, and I love knowing that you are literally changing someone’s life for the greater good every day at Alba. Everyone here at Alba has become my second family.
In my free time I love spending it with family and friends and exploring different waterfalls across the UK with my favourite so far being Ingleton Waterfalls trail.