Hands-On Pain Relief To Feel Your Best
Chiropractic Care
Services
Chiropractic care consists of hands-on treatment to relieve pain and restore the function of muscle, joint, and nerve conditions. It involves manual therapy, which may include mobilizations or manipulations of joints, soft tissue muscle work, rehab exercises, and other modalities such as electrotherapy, laser therapy, or shockwave therapy.
Mobilizations are slow movements that stretch the joint and help to increase the range of motion. Manipulations or adjustments are quick movements that also help to restore proper range of motion to joints that are restricted or not moving well.
Combined with the best evidence available, clinical experience, and your goals in mind, our chiropractors will work together with you and other practitioners to get you back to feeling your best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Chiropractic?
The word “chiropractic” comes from ancient Greek and means “done by hand.”
Adjustment of the joints of the body has been used in health care for many centuries and is at the heart of modern chiropractic care.
Chiropractors are specialists in manual adjustment of the vertebrae of the spine and other joints. Adjustment helps relieve pain and restore normal functioning to the spine, joints and supporting structures of the body – so you can enjoy your everyday activities again as quickly as possible.
Chiropractors are also trained to prescribe therapeutic exercise, provide nutritional counselling, and recommend rehabilitation and injury prevention strategies.
Source:
Ontario Chiropractic Association
What Is An Adjustment?
An adjustment is a highly skilled and precise movement usually applied by hand to a joint of the body. Adjustments free up the joint to restore proper movement and optimize function.
Chiropractic adjustment techniques have been researched extensively. Complications are rare and side-effects, such as temporary soreness, are usually minor. Your chiropractor will determine if your problem will respond to chiropractic care or if you require referral to another health care provider.
Source:
Ontario Chiropractic Association
When Should I See A Chiropractor?
Eight out of ten Canadians will experience back pain at some point in their life, and at least one-third of people in Ontario will have back pain at any given time. For many people, the pain can keep them away from work, school or even their day-to-day activities. If pain causes interruptions and restrictions in the activities of your daily life then you should consult a health care provider.
Chiropractors are highly educated and extensively trained to assess, diagnose, treat and prevent conditions disorders of the spine, joints, muscle and nervous systems. These disorders may include back pain, neck pain, headaches, referring pain in your arms and legs, etc.
Many patients including, seniors, find that treatment helps them to maintain mobility and a good range of motion. Pain should never become a way of life, especially when there is qualified help available.
There are many reasons to seek chiropractic care: Work, accidents, sports injuries, household chores, even the stress of daily living can cause painful joint and spinal problems. Even if you do not have painful symptoms, chiropractic care can help you maintain a healthy spine and joint function.
Source:
Ontario Chiropractic Association
What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care?
Chiropractic care can:
-
Improve movement and function in your neck, shoulders, back, torso and extremities
-
Improve your posture
-
Provide relief from headaches, neck and back pain
-
Help prevent work-related muscle and joint injuries
-
Lead to enhanced athletic performance
-
Improve your flexibility and range of motion
-
Relieve pregnancy-related backache
-
Correct gait and foot problems
Source:
Ontario Chiropractic Association
Chiropractic or Physiotherapy?
“What’s the difference?”
“Who do I see?”
“Should I see a chiropractor? My doctor recommended physiotherapy.”
These are questions I hear daily, the answers are always it depends. Nobody likes this answer, but the reality is that you have to find the right fit for you.
If you have been to more than one chiropractor or physiotherapist, I’m sure you can attest to the fact that they did different things, use different tools, and had different approaches. It didn’t matter what their title was. Every physiotherapist is different, and every chiropractor is different - just like everybody’s pain is different. There are so many techniques and tools these days, it’s just a matter of finding what works best for you.
There are some similarities and differences. For example:
-
Both chiropractors and physiotherapists are well educated.
-
Chiropractors must have a minimum of 3 years of undergraduate education before entering a 4-year post-graduate degree to become a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC).
-
Physiotherapists must have a 4-year undergraduate degree before doing a 2-year master's program.
-
Education doesn’t end there, both can do additional courses to further their skills in any direction. Common additional courses include: acupuncture, Active Release Techniques®, functional assessments, and the list goes on.
-
-
Chiropractors have 4 years of training in adjusting/manipulation before becoming licensed. Whereas, physiotherapists are able to take additional courses after their schooling to be trained in adjusting.
-
Both use the same modalities.
-
Modalities can include IFC (interferential current), laser, shockwave, spinal decompression, or anything else a clinic might have
-
-
Both prescribe stretches and exercises to help in your rehabilitation journey.
-
Chiropractors can give a diagnosis and can order x-rays
-
Both work on the joints and muscles of the body - any part of the body
How I Practice
As a chiropractor, I treat any part of the body from headaches and jaw pain, all the way to plantar fasciitis and anywhere in between. My goal is to always help you feel better and reach your goals, and I have many tools in my tool belt to help you get there.
Within each profession, techniques can vary widely. For example, the methods used to deliver a chiropractic adjustment can vary. Some chiropractors use their hands to do manual adjustments, and some use a tool or an Activator®. Within each adjustment, there are several ways to deliver it. Doing an upper back adjustment can be done face-down, face-up, or seated depending on the condition, the patient, and the chiropractor.
To me, my most important tool is my hands. I use manual therapy as much as possible to help loosen joints and muscles through stretches, manipulation, and soft tissue muscle work. I am also trained in Functional Integrated Acupuncture to help restore inhibited and weak muscles to correct muscle imbalances and decrease pain.
Additional tools I can use include: IFC, laser therapy, and shockwave therapy (stay tuned for more information). You can find more information on the different techniques I use here. No matter what tool I use, you will have some homework in the form of stretches or strengthening exercises to help speed up healing and prevent the injury from reoccurring. For me, a successful rehabilitation program involves simplicity, minimizing the equipment needed at home to work on your exercises.
If you aren’t sure what’s right for you or you have any questions, I always offer free 15 minute consultations.
I hope to see you soon!
Dr. Deborah