This month New-patient movement assessments have Thursday-morning and late-Friday openings. Ask for a time
Thyme Grain Chiropractic Studio
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A practitioner's hands working along a patient's upper back on a treatment table in a calm, warmly lit room.

Hands-on spinal and joint care

Your back has a history. We read it before we touch it.

Thyme Grain is a two-room chiropractic studio built around unhurried appointments. Every visit starts with questions and movement testing, and ends with a plan you can actually follow between sessions.

Request a first visit See how a visit runs
Open
Tuesday to Saturday, with early and late slots midweek
First visit
Forty-five minutes: history, assessment, treatment, plan
Afterwards
A written movement plan emailed the same evening

Where people usually start

Find the lane that sounds like your week

Most people arrive describing one of four patterns. Reading the closest one tells you what the first session would cover and how often you would likely come back, before you commit to anything.

01

Desk-bound neck and upper back

Stiffness that builds through the afternoon, a tight band between the shoulder blades, headaches that start at the base of the skull and creep forward.

First session covers
Neck and shoulder range testing, breathing pattern check, gentle upper-back mobilisation and soft-tissue work through the shoulder girdle.
Typical cadence
Weekly for two or three visits, then fortnightly while the desk-side habits settle in.
02

Lower back that flares up

Long quiet stretches broken by episodes that make bending, lifting or getting out of the car feel risky — often with no obvious trigger.

First session covers
Screening for anything that needs onward referral, hip and lumbar movement testing, then low-force work that respects how irritable the area is that day.
Typical cadence
Two visits close together during a flare, then spaced out as loading returns to normal.
03

Pregnancy and the months after

Pelvic and low-back discomfort as weight distribution changes, rib and upper-back pressure later on, and the carrying and feeding postures that follow a birth.

First session covers
Side-lying positioning with bolsters, pelvic and sacroiliac assessment, and modified low-force techniques appropriate to the trimester or recovery stage.
Typical cadence
Every two to three weeks, adjusted to how you feel rather than to a fixed schedule.
04

Getting back to a sport

A strain that technically healed but still changes how you run, lift, serve or twist — and the hesitation that comes with it.

First session covers
Movement comparison side to side, joint work where range is limited, and a loading sequence to rebuild confidence in the pattern you avoid.
Typical cadence
Fortnightly alongside your own training, with a check-in once you are back to full load.

Forty-five minutes, start to finish

How a first visit runs

Nothing happens without an explanation first. If at any point a technique does not suit you, we use a gentler one — saying so changes nothing about the session.

  1. 0 – 10 min

    The conversation

    What hurts, when it started, what makes it worse, what you have already tried, and what your days physically ask of you. Bring any scan or clinic letters you have.

  2. 10 – 25 min

    Assessment

    Posture and gait, joint range, strength and nerve screening. This is also where we check for anything that belongs with your doctor or another practitioner first.

  3. 25 – 40 min

    Treatment

    Hands-on work chosen from the assessment: adjustment, mobilisation, soft-tissue release, or a combination. You stay clothed, and you are told what comes next each time.

  4. 40 – 45 min

    Your plan

    Two or three movements to do at home, what to expect over the next two days, and an honest estimate of how many visits this is likely to take.

A person sitting on a wooden floor in loose clothing, holding a slow seated stretch.
Home movements are short and specific — usually two or three, five minutes a day, chosen so they fit around work rather than replacing a gym session.
Request a first visit

What the hands-on work involves

Four approaches, chosen per session

These are not packages to pick between. The assessment decides which is used on the day, and it often changes between your first and third visit.

Diversified adjustmentThe quick, specific technique most people picture

Suits

Joints that are stiff rather than inflamed, where range is clearly limited.

How it feels

A brief, shallow pressure. Often a pop, which is gas moving in the joint, not bone.

After

Move normally. A short walk the same day helps more than resting.

Low-force mobilisationDrop table and sustained pressure

Suits

Irritable backs, pregnancy, older joints, and anyone who would rather not be adjusted.

How it feels

Slow rocking or a light cushioned drop. No sudden movement and no popping.

After

Usually looser straight away, with little or no next-day soreness.

Soft-tissue releaseMuscle, tendon and fascia work

Suits

Guarded muscles around a painful joint, and long-standing tight spots that keep returning.

How it feels

Firm and sometimes tender, held while you breathe out. Pressure is adjusted on your word.

After

A day of mild ache is normal. Warmth and water help more than ice.

Movement prescriptionWhat you do between visits

Suits

Everyone. It is the part that decides whether the change from a session lasts.

How it feels

Unimpressive by design — small ranges, done well, about five minutes a day.

After

Written out and emailed, then adjusted at each visit as things improve.

Opening hours

The studio runs on a steady week

Two treatment rooms, two practitioners, and appointments that start on time because they are kept to length.

Appointment times by day
DayAppointments
Tuesday7:30am – 1:00pm
Wednesday10:00am – 7:00pm
Thursday7:30am – 2:00pm
Friday10:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday8:00am – 12:30pm
Sunday & MondayClosed

Before you arrive

  • Wear something you can move inLeggings, shorts or loose trousers and a t-shirt. You stay clothed throughout, and testing is easier without stiff denim or a belt.
  • Allow five minutes for the intake sheetIt covers medical history, medication and anything you are being treated for elsewhere. Earlier is better than rushed.
  • Bring letters or scans if you have themNot required, and we will not send you for imaging you do not need — but existing results save guesswork.
  • Eat something firstA light meal an hour or so beforehand. Treatment on an empty stomach can leave people lightheaded.
  • Sessions run to the clockArriving late shortens your appointment rather than the one after it. Let us know and we will make the time count.

Before you book

Questions people ask first

If what you want to ask is not here, write it in the notes field when you request a visit and you will get a straight answer by email before anything is confirmed.

Do I need a referral from my doctor?
No. You can request an appointment directly. If something in your history or assessment suggests the problem belongs with a doctor or another practitioner, we will tell you at the first visit and write to them with your consent rather than treating around it.
Does the cracking sound mean something moved out of place?
It does not. The sound is gas releasing inside the joint capsule as pressure changes — the same thing that happens when you stretch your fingers. Bones are not going in or out of place, and a silent adjustment is no less effective than a noisy one.
Will I be sore afterwards?
Some people feel a dull ache for a day, similar to after unfamiliar exercise, particularly following soft-tissue work. It usually settles with gentle movement and warmth. Sharp or spreading pain is not expected — if that happens, stop your home movements and tell us.
Can I come while I am pregnant?
Yes, at any stage, using side-lying positioning with bolsters and low-force techniques only. No rotational adjustment through the abdomen or lower back. Tell us your stage when you request a visit so the right room and setup are ready.
Do you see children and teenagers?
We see school-age children and teenagers with a parent or guardian present for the whole appointment. Technique is gentle and the session is shorter. Growth-related complaints and sports strains are the usual reasons, and anything outside that scope gets referred on.
How many visits will I need?
You get an estimate at the end of the first visit, once there is something to base it on. Most straightforward complaints improve noticeably within three or four sessions. If there is no meaningful change by the third, we reassess and say so instead of continuing.
Will I be signed up to a long treatment plan?
No. Appointments are booked one or two at a time and there are no packages or upfront blocks. Once you are comfortable managing things yourself, the plan is simply to stop and come back if you need to.
What if I need to move or cancel an appointment?
Reply to your confirmation email with a day that suits better and we will move it. Letting us know more than a day ahead means the slot can go to someone waiting, which keeps the earlier openings turning over.

Request a visit

Tell us what is going on

Send this and you will get a reply with two or three specific times that fit the window you chose, usually within one working day.

Nothing is booked until you confirm one of them. If what you describe would be better handled elsewhere, we will say that instead of offering an appointment.

Please keep this brief — detailed medical history is collected on the intake sheet at the studio rather than by email.