Chiropractor

Home > Chiropractor

WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC CARE

Chiropractic care is a patient-centered, non-invasive, hands-on, regulated health care profession focused on your spine, muscles, joints, and nervous system. Chiropractors use the best available evidence and clinical expertise to diagnose issues that affect your body’s movement. Then, they treat them without medication or surgery and prevent them from returning. As a result, chiropractic care can promote health, improve quality of life, and alleviate pain.

Doctors of chiropractic, called ‘chiropractors,’ are experts in the spine, muscle, joint and nervous system. Every chiropractor receives around eight years of post-secondary academic and clinical education. They are trained in how to evaluate, diagnose, recommend and deliver a treatment plan that manages issues within these systems according to your preferences. A chiropractor’s education also includes courses in radiology, pain management, prescribed exercise, and rehabilitation, among others.

Each chiropractor is uniquely qualified to evaluate your condition and identify what’s causing your pain. Then, based on the best available evidence and their clinical expertise, your chiropractor will work with you to determine the best treatment to relieve your pain. They will also help prevent it from returning and restore your mobility.

And in Ontario, you can visit a chiropractor without a doctor or other health care professional referral.

WHAT IS A SPINAL MANIPULATION / ADJUSTMENT

One of the most frequent treatments a chiropractor uses is a manual manipulation of the vertebrae of your spine or other joints, which is called an ‘adjustment.’ To perform an adjustment, your chiropractor will use their hands to apply controlled force to your joint and guide it through a range of motion. This action restores your joint’s natural movement and improves its function. This treatment is called spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) when applied to your spine. As an effective treatment, manipulation is used on other joints, such as those in your wrist, ankle, or foot.

CONDITIONS TREATED

Disk herniation, Sciatica
Neck pain
Back pain
Spinal instability
Muscle strains
Postural strain
Ligament sprains/tears
Ankle Sprains
Knee ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL
Shin Splints
Bursitis
Nerve entrapments
Rib joint sprain/dysfunction,
Tailbone pain (coccydynia)
Shoulder Impingement
Rotator Cuff Injuries or Repairs
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
DeQuervain’s Syndrome
Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Patellofemoral Syndrome
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Catastrophic Injuries
Work injuries
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)
Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s Elbow)
Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
Headaches (cervicogenic, migraine, tension-type)
Temporomandibular Joint dysfunction (TMJ)
Tendonitis/Tendonosis/ Tendonopathy
Arthritis, osteoarthritis, degenerative joint disease (DJD)
Repetitive strain or cumulative trauma (tissue/muscle overuse)

TECHNIQUES USED

Manual therapy
Spinal and/or joint manipulation/adjustments
Kinesiotaping, athletic taping
Clinical Biomedical Acupuncture
Custom Orthotics
Compression stocking
Nutritional advice/Sport nutrition
Advice and education
Soft tissue therapy: myofascial release techniques, trigger point therapy, instrumented soft-tissue techniques
Self-management tools and techniques
(positions for relief, coping strategies for pain)
Therapeutic modalities
(TENS, IFC/EMS, Ultrasound, Cold Laser, Heat/ice)
Customized rehabilitative exercise program: stability training, core strengthening, PNF stretching, functional movement exercises

BENEFITS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE

Improved movement in your neck, shoulders, back, and torso
Better posture
Relief from headaches, neck and back pain
Prevention of work-related muscle and joint injuries
Enhanced athletic performance
Improved flexibility
Relief of pregnancy-related backache
Correction of gait and foot problems

PATIENTS CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR CHIROPRACTOR

Initial consultation to review your complaint, and case history, ask questions and review relevant paperwork and available reports.
An explanation and consent to a physical examination and appropriate diagnostic tests
A chiropractic examination, which may include orthopedic, neurological, muscle function, joint function, and radiographic testing
A report of findings, which will include a diagnosis or clinical impression with a chiropractor’s complete explanation of what has been found
A referral to another regulated health professional if the chiropractor feels a health condition of the patient is outside the chiropractic scope of practice.
Care guidance includes chiropractic adjustment and adjunctive therapies, such as muscle therapy, electrotherapy, and lifestyle advice.
Informed consent to care