Full assessment
The starting point for everyone, including people returning after a long gap.
- Detailed history and goal setting
- Movement, strength and joint testing
- Treatment on the day where appropriate
- Written plan and home routine by email
Chiropractic studio · Bellweather Lane
Unhurried, hands-on care for backs that have stopped cooperating.
We work with one person at a time: a long first assessment, honest reasoning about what we find, and a plan you can carry on with at home rather than an open-ended schedule of visits.
- Best suited to
- Persistent neck, back and jaw pain, plus desk-bound tension and post-injury stiffness.
- First visit
- Sixty minutes, including history, movement testing and treatment on the day.
- Availability
- Monday to Saturday, with early mornings and two late evenings each week.
Treatment room · hands-on work, explained as it happens
What we see most
An honest index of what walks through the door.
If your situation is not on this list, say so in your enquiry. Part of a first assessment is deciding whether chiropractic care is the right starting point at all.
01
Desk-bound neck and shoulder strain
Tightness that builds through the afternoon, often with headaches behind the eyes. Usually a loading and position problem before it is a tissue problem.
02
Lower back flare-ups
Sudden episodes after lifting, gardening or a long drive. We settle the acute phase first, then look at why the back keeps reaching its limit.
03
Sciatic-type leg pain
Pain, pins and needles or heaviness travelling below the knee. Assessed carefully, with referral onward when the picture calls for imaging or medical review.
04
Jaw tension and clenching
Morning jaw ache, clicking or restricted opening, often travelling into the temples. Treated alongside the upper neck, which rarely behaves independently.
05
Pregnancy-related pelvic and back pain
Side-lying and supported positions, gentler technique, and practical advice for sleeping, standing and getting in and out of the car.
06
Return to training after injury
For runners, climbers and lifters easing back in. We build a graded return rather than waiting for pain to disappear on its own.
07
Stiffness that arrived with age
Mornings that take an hour to loosen, or a back that dislikes standing still. Technique is adapted for comfort and for bone health.
08
Recurring strains with no clear cause
The same area giving way every few months. These need a history-led assessment more than another round of treatment.
How care runs
Four stages, and a clear exit from each one.
Stage one · 60 minutes
Assessment and reasoning
History first, then movement, strength and neurological testing where it is relevant. You leave knowing what we think is happening, what we are unsure about, and what would change our mind.
Stage two · first weeks
Settling the irritable phase
Hands-on treatment — adjustment, soft tissue work and joint mobilisation — paired with two or three things to do at home. Visits are closer together only while they genuinely need to be.
Stage three · building
Loading what was avoided
As symptoms settle we reintroduce the movements you have been working around: bending, carrying, overhead reaching, running. Progress is checked against tasks, not against how the treatment felt.
Stage four · discharge
Handing it back to you
A short maintenance routine, the early warning signs worth acting on, and an open door. Most people finish care rather than continue indefinitely, and we will say when we think you are there.
Session types
Three appointment lengths, chosen to fit the work.
Fees are confirmed when your appointment is agreed, so there are no surprises at the desk. Health fund details can be arranged on request.
Treatment visit
The standard ongoing appointment while symptoms are still settling.
- Short re-check against last visit
- Adjustment and soft tissue work
- Progression of your home exercises
- Honest review of whether care is working
Loading session
For the rebuilding phase, or for anyone who prefers to be coached rather than treated.
- Hands-on work kept brief
- Technique coaching under load
- Programme written for your equipment
- Return-to-sport or return-to-work steps
The practitioner
Dr Noor Aldridge, chiropractor
Noor opened Yarrow Studio after a decade in busy multi-practitioner clinics, wanting appointments long enough to explain things properly. She treats one person at a time and writes her own notes between visits.
Her practice leans towards explanation and graded loading as much as hands-on technique. If an adjustment is not the right tool, she will say so — and she is comfortable telling someone that their problem belongs with their GP, a physiotherapist or a dentist instead.
- TrainingMaster of Chiropractic, Bellweather College of Health Sciences
- FocusPersistent spinal pain, jaw and upper-neck presentations
- FurtherCertificate in pain science for musculoskeletal practice
- AlsoPregnancy and postnatal care; supported side-lying technique
Planning your visit
Practical details, so the first appointment is easy.
Studio hours
- Monday
- 7:30 — 14:00
- Tuesday
- 11:00 — 20:00
- Wednesday
- 7:30 — 14:00
- Thursday
- 11:00 — 20:00
- Friday
- 7:30 — 15:00
- Saturday
- 8:00 — 12:30
- Sunday
- Closed
Late evenings on Tuesday and Thursday are usually the first to fill. Mornings are quieter if you need a slower start.
Before you arrive
- Wear or bring clothing you can move in — shorts or leggings and a t-shirt are ideal.
- Bring any scan reports or specialist letters you already have, even old ones.
- Write down the three movements that bother you most; it speeds the assessment up.
- A list of current medication is useful, particularly anything for pain or blood pressure.
- Ground-floor studio with a step-free entrance and an adjustable treatment table.
- You are welcome to bring someone with you, and to ask for a chaperone.
Questions before booking
The things people ask on the phone.
Do I need a referral to book?
No. You can book a first assessment directly. If you are claiming through a health fund or an insurer, check their own rules, as some plans ask for a referral letter before they will reimburse.
What does an adjustment actually feel like?
Usually a quick, shallow movement with a popping sound that comes from pressure changing inside the joint, not from anything moving out of place. It is over in a second and should not be painful. Some people feel mildly achy the next day, in the way you might after new exercise.
I do not like having my neck adjusted. Can I still come?
Yes, and you should say so at the start. There are gentler alternatives — mobilisation, sustained holds, soft tissue work and loading exercises — that address the same problem. Nothing happens without your agreement each time.
How many visits will I need?
We give an honest estimate after the first assessment, and a range rather than a fixed number. Many straightforward problems settle within a handful of visits. If you are not noticeably better by the point we predicted, we change the plan or refer you on rather than repeating the same treatment.
Is chiropractic care suitable during pregnancy?
For most pelvic and back pain in pregnancy, yes. Positioning changes to supported side-lying, technique becomes gentler, and the focus shifts towards daily-life advice. Anything outside our scope, or anything that suggests your midwife or doctor should be involved, is passed on promptly.
Can children and teenagers be seen?
Teenagers with sport or growth-related complaints are welcome, with a parent or guardian present throughout. For younger children we prefer a conversation first, and we will often suggest a paediatric or GP review instead if that is the more sensible route.
What if you think I need someone else?
We say so, at the earliest point we know. That might mean your GP for medication or investigation, a physiotherapist for a specific rehabilitation programme, or a dentist for jaw problems with a dental cause. You will leave with a clear written summary to hand over.
How do you handle my notes and privacy?
Clinical notes are kept securely and are only shared with another practitioner when you ask us to. The treatment room is private, and you can request a chaperone or bring your own support person to any appointment.
Request an assessment
Tell us what is going on, and when you can come in.
Enquiries are read by the practitioner, not a call centre. If chiropractic care is not the right fit for what you describe, we will tell you that in the reply and point you somewhere more useful.
- 01We reply with two or three appointment times that match your availability.
- 02You confirm one, and a short intake form arrives by email.
- 03Your first visit runs a full hour, with treatment on the day where appropriate.