Back pain is common.
Living with it is optional
A chiropractic clinic on Whiteladies Road treating back pain, sciatica, neck pain and headaches. We will tell you at the first assessment whether we can help, how long it is likely to take, and when you would be better off elsewhere.
The four things people mostly come in with
Written plainly, including what a realistic course of treatment looks like rather than an open-ended plan.
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Lower back pain
- What it usually feels like
- A deep ache across the lower back, often worse after sitting, with a stiff and reluctant first ten minutes in the morning.
- How we approach it
- Assessment to rule out anything needing referral, then a mix of joint mobilisation, soft tissue work and specific loading exercise you do between visits.
Typical course 4–6 sessions
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Sciatica and referred leg pain
- What it usually feels like
- Pain travelling from the back or buttock down the leg, sometimes with pins and needles. Often worse on coughing or sitting.
- How we approach it
- Careful neurological assessment first, because genuine nerve involvement changes the plan. Treatment is usually slower and more graded than for simple back pain.
Typical course 6–10 sessions
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Neck pain and headaches
- What it usually feels like
- A tight band at the base of the skull, pain turning the head one way, headaches that begin at the neck and settle behind one eye.
- How we approach it
- Manual therapy to the neck and upper back combined with a genuinely dull conversation about screen height, which is usually the actual cause.
Typical course 3–5 sessions
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Postural and desk-related pain
- What it usually feels like
- Aching between the shoulder blades by mid-afternoon, easing at weekends and returning by Tuesday.
- How we approach it
- Hands-on work gives short-term relief; the durable fix is a workstation change and a short daily routine. We will be honest that the second matters more.
Typical course 2–4 sessions
Chiropractic is not a treatment for everything. If your symptoms suggest something outside our scope — or something that needs imaging or a GP — we will say so at the assessment and refer you on. That happens with roughly one in twelve new patients, and there is no charge beyond the assessment.
Exactly what happens, so nothing is a surprise
Most people who have never seen a chiropractor are nervous about the same three things. This is the whole appointment, start to finish.
- 01 15 min
We talk, at length
History of the problem, what makes it better and worse, previous injuries, your work and sleep, and any medication. This is the part that most determines whether treatment will help, and it is not a formality.
- 02 15 min
Physical examination
Movement testing, orthopaedic and neurological tests as needed. You stay clothed; we may ask you to change into shorts and a t-shirt, and there is a private space to do so.
- 03 10 min
An honest explanation
What we think is going on, in plain language, and whether chiropractic is the right answer. If imaging or a GP referral is more appropriate, we say so here rather than starting a course of treatment.
- 04 5 min
Treatment, if appropriate
If it is suitable and you are happy to proceed, we will usually begin treatment in the same appointment. You will be told what we are about to do before we do it, every time.
You are not committing to a course of treatment by booking an assessment. Roughly one new patient in twelve leaves with a referral elsewhere rather than a treatment plan, and that is a good outcome rather than a failed appointment.
Who you will see
Both practitioners are registered with the General Chiropractic Council, which is a legal requirement to use the title in the UK.
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Dr Hannah Voss
Doctor of Chiropractic, clinic director
Trained at AECC and has practised in Bristol since 2014. Particular interest in graded return to activity after a disc episode, and a low tolerance for open-ended treatment plans.
- Registration
- GCC 04-11982
- Qualified
- 2011
- Special interest
- Sciatica and disc-related pain
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Dr Marcus Ellery
Doctor of Chiropractic
Former physiotherapy assistant, retrained in chiropractic in 2017. Runs the clinic's desk-assessment sessions and is unreasonably enthusiastic about monitor height.
- Registration
- GCC 04-16447
- Qualified
- 2017
- Special interest
- Neck pain and headaches
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Ayesha Rahim
Sports rehabilitation therapist
Works alongside both chiropractors on the exercise side of treatment, which is the part that determines whether the problem stays away after the course finishes.
- Registration
- BASRaT 8841
- Qualified
- 2019
- Special interest
- Loading and return to sport
You can verify any registration on the GCC's public register. We publish our numbers because it takes thirty seconds to check and there is no reason not to.
Fees, in full
No packages, no prepaid blocks and no discount for buying ten sessions in advance.
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Initial assessment
Everyone, first time. Includes treatment if appropriate.
£65 · 45 minutes
- Full history and physical examination
- Orthopaedic and neurological testing
- A plain-language explanation of findings
- Treatment in the same visit where suitable
- Referral onward if that is the right answer
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Follow-up treatment
Subsequent visits within an active course.
£42 · 20 minutes
- Review of progress since the last visit
- Manual therapy and soft tissue work
- Exercise progression
- Written home programme updates
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Extended review
Returning patients after six months, or a new problem.
£55 · 30 minutes
- Re-examination of the original complaint
- Assessment of any new symptoms
- Updated plan or discharge
- Workstation advice where relevant
We do not sell treatment plans up front. You pay per visit, and if you want to stop after two sessions because it is not helping, that is a completely reasonable thing to do and you will not be talked out of it.
What people say
Collected after discharge rather than during a course of treatment.
“I was told at the assessment that I probably needed a GP rather than a chiropractor. They charged me for the assessment and nothing else. I have sent three people here since.”
“Six sessions and a set of exercises I actually do. Nobody tried to sell me a block of twenty.”
“The desk assessment changed more than the treatment did, which is apparently what they had been telling me all along.”
The things people are too polite to ask
Mostly about safety, cost and whether it works.
Usually not. The popping sound is gas releasing from a joint, not anything breaking or clicking back into place. Some people feel mild soreness for a day afterwards, similar to after unfamiliar exercise. You will be told what is about to happen before it happens, every time.
For simple back pain, typically four to six. Sciatica often takes longer. We give you an expected number at the assessment and review it after three visits — if you are not improving by then, continuing is not the answer.
No referral is needed. Most back pain does not need imaging, and scanning everyone finds incidental changes that are present in plenty of people with no pain at all. If your presentation genuinely warrants imaging, we will arrange it.
Serious adverse events are rare, and the assessment exists partly to identify the small number of people for whom manual treatment is not appropriate. If you have particular risk factors we will discuss them with you rather than proceeding quietly.
No. We treat a problem, discharge you, and are happy to see you again if something else comes up. Ongoing maintenance care is not well supported by evidence and we would rather not sell it.
Book an assessment, not a course of treatment
Forty-five minutes, sixty-five pounds, and an honest answer about whether we can help.