Jan "Jannie" Louw
About Jannie
My name is Jan Louw (most people call me Jannie) and I’m a chiropractor originally from South Africa.
As a child I participated in a lot of sports and it was originally with a cricket injury sustained through fast bowling that I was introduced to chiropractic.
After first trying conventional therapy for my back
pain with no success, I was recommended to see a chiropractor by a
family friend. It was and still is the only treatment that helps to keep
my back feeling great. This very positive and swift improvement in my
back pain inspired me to contemplate chiropractic as a career, and after
first attending three years studying towards a Bachelor of Science
degree at Stellenbosch University, I applied to study chiropractic.
After a rigorous selection process, I was accepted
into the full time 6 year Masters degree in Chiropractic at the Durban
Institute of Technology. I qualified with a Masters degree in
Chiropractic in March 2005, after which I worked as a locum chiropractor
throughout South Africa until deciding to make the UK my permanent home.
I had to sit and pass the Test of Competence as a requirement set by the
General Chiropractic Council (GCC), which I did in March 2006.
My wife and I settled in Cornwall in April 2006 and
have since enjoyed exploring huge parts of this beautiful county. We
both enjoy kayaking, fishing, hiking and camping and love to spend time
in the outdoors. Our two young children were both born here and we aim
to let them experience the best of Cornwall while they are growing up.
I have enjoyed working with patients for many
years in the Truro and North Cornwall areas, and since 2011 I have been
working part time with Sophie Combarel, registered podiatrist and owner
of The Copperhouse Clinic here in Hayle. Recently, I was offered a full
time position as the principal chiropractor at the clinic, and was happy
to further build on our joint working relationship. We are in the
fortunate position here to have chiropractic, podiatry and deep tissue
massage all under the same roof. Patients have found repeatedly that by
combining these three different modalities they tend to recover a lot
quicker from their biomechanical problems, and usually this will
manifest into a much more permanent improvement in their symptoms.
No one is too old or too young to benefit from
chiropractic treatment. As Cornwall is a popular retirement county, we
naturally see a lot of octogenarians and I keep being amazed and
impressed by the power of the human body to recover and heal itself so
that the symptoms improve significantly and quickly in many cases, often
without the need for painkillers or drugs. I like working with people of
all shapes, sizes, ages, fitness levels and often end up treating whole
families from babies, children, parents, grandparents and even sometimes
great grandparents! I believe there are thousands of people here in
Cornwall who go through life with a lot of aches and pains that they
become used to, and this often prevents them from enjoying their daily
activities and hobbies. My aim is to identify what is causing your pain
and to treat the cause, or if it’s outside my scope of practice, refer
you to the correct professional to help you. I regularly write referral
letters to GP’s to request X-rays, MRI scans, Ultrasound scans, blood or
urine tests in order to help identify a patient’s problem.
The main element of my treatment involves the
chiropractic adjustment. This is a high velocity, low amplitude thrust
delivered at a precise point along the spine in order to free up
restricted or stiff joints. This is usually pain free, but if there is a
lot of inflammation or pain present, I will use different techniques.
These include using an Activator, Thompson drop piece adjustments,
pelvic blocking as well as various soft tissue release techniques. One
modality I enjoy using for its very effective release of stubborn muscle
trigger points is dry needling. This involves using acupuncture needles
inserted into myofascial trigger points and it is often surprising how
quickly such a chronic muscle knot can release with this method. It is
important that patients get involved in the recovery process and I will
advise them on stretching and strengthening exercises, postural
rehabilitation exercises, using icepacks or heat, or taking vitamins or
food supplements where needed. Often very simple lifestyle changes can
make a big difference in a person’s symptoms.
All chiropractors practicing in the UK have to be registered with the GCC and renew this membership annually, after completing a mandatory Continual Professional Development process. I am registered with the General Chiropractic Council, the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa and a member of the British Chiropractic Association.