When Bradford City defender Ashley Westwood felt his hamstrings tighten in training he expected traditional treatment on the injured area would sort the problem out.

Instead the player was sent to see chiropractor Jackie Beer, who set to work on his lower back.

The niggling problem was soon sorted out and he became another of Bradford City's promotion-pushing team who have been helped to stay on the pitch rather than the treatment couch.

The club's footballers are among about 300 people each week who turn, often as a last resort, to the alternative therapy at the Bradford Chiropractic Centre.

Traditionally chiropractic therapy, which in its present form dates back about 100 years, has never been highly regarded by the medical establishment and is not usually available on the NHS.

But now some GPs have recognised its benefits and are sending patients for treatment which involves no drugs or surgery but relies on the body's own healing processes.

Ashley Westwood said he had heard about the procedure from other players who had been treated for various aches and pains.

"It's not painful having it done - there's a lot of cracking and clicking which makes you feel it's doing it good," he said. "It has improved and there's been no problem since, touch wood."

He added: "The players are checked all the time to keep them fit."

Jackie, from the Manningham-based clinic, said the procedure involved manipulation of the spine and joints to relieve pain.

It could successfully treat ailments including lower back pain, joint pain, headaches, arthritis and even period pain.

She said in Ashley's case manipulation of his lower back had successfully treated the hamstring problem at the back of his thighs.

"The players take knocks all the time as they train and work so hard and need help from time to time," she said.

"This season has been the first we have gone down all the time and done it in a structured fashion, although we've been treating them for three years on a more casual basis."

She said most patients had lower back pain but necks, shoulders, arms and headaches were also common areas.

Patients are put through a series of movements to find the area which was causing a problem.

"Most of the people we see aren't athletes. People at this time of year come a lot because they've dug a lot in the garden, but it can be for lots of reasons.

"For a bad disc problem in the back we may see someone over a very long period, for others it may take three or four weeks.

"Lots of people coming here say it is their last hope, but for others we are increasingly the first port of call.

"GPs do refer people straightaway but a lot of people come after 20 years of pain."

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