Chiropractic is the third largest primary care health care profession, after medicine and dentistry. Every year, more than 4 million Canadians receive chiropractic care from over 6000 Doctors of Chiropractic throughout Canada. Chiropractors are not just "back doctors". Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions such as:
Neck and back pain
Headaches (including migraine headaches)
Whiplash and motor vehicle accidents
Disc injuries including disc herniations, bulges, and spinal stenosis
Shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff injuries
Sciatica
Repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, golfer's and tennis elbow
Postural strain
Foot and ankle injuries including plantar fasciitis and ankle sprains
Arthritis
TMJ Disorder (jaw pain)
Other sports and work related injuries
Chiropractors also play a role in preventive care.
Chiropractic is a profession that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are due to mechanical dysfunction of the joints and muscles. Doctors of Chiropractic use various diagnostic methods to help determine the state of your health, paying particular attention to your spine, muscle, nerve, and joint function. Spinal manipulation and other manual therapies are their primary methods of helping your body heal.
Q: What do Chiropractors do?
A: Doctors of Chiropractic are primary care/primary contact health care professionals. Chiropractors focus on the spine and other joints of the body in relation to the total body and specialize in the understanding and treatment of the body’s component bone structures, joints, muscles and nerves. No referral is necessary to consult a Chiropractor.
Q: What will happen when I see a Doctor of Chiropractic?
A: At your initial visit after you have completed your paperwork, the first thing your chiropractor will do is give you the opportunity to discuss your reasons for presenting to the clinic. You will be asked for a great deal of information - about the pain or complaint that may have brought you, as well as your past health history and current health status. Next your chiropractor will perform a postural, muscular, orthopaedic and neurological examination and the movement of your spine and joints will be checked. Some of the tests performed may provoke pain, while others are done to determine how your body is functioning. After arriving at a diagnosis and advising you of an appropriate treatment plan, treatments and home care advice will be offered to help you manage your pain as long as you do not require a referral to another health care professional or additional testing such as x-rays or diagnostic ultrasound. Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs or use surgical procedures. However, if your chiropractor identifies a condition for which such treatment is appropriate, you will be referred to your GP or another practitioner. If x-rays or other forms of imaging (such as diagnostic ultrasound) are required to assist the diagnosis, you will be referred to a nearby radiology facility. Your Doctor of Chiropractic is trained and qualified to interpret your x-rays. Expect to spend approximately 1 hour in the clinic for this session.
You chiropractor will discuss the results of the exam and x-rays (if taken) with you and outline your recommended treatment plan with respect to your health goals. Before any procedure is undertaken your chiropractor will completely inform you of what to expect, as well as any potential risks. Chiropractic treatments are among the safest available to patients, and research has affirmed this finding several times over. Assuming that you consent to our recommendations, your chiropractic care will commence.
Chiropractic care primarily involves hands-on treatment by manipulation to the joints of the spine and/or other areas of the body where signs of restriction in movement are found, also known as an ' adjustment'. An adjustment is a gentle, specific force applied to a joint aimed at restoring proper motion to the segments of your spine that are not functioning properly, often resulting in an audible 'pop' as the joint is released. The 'pop' is simply the sound of bubbles of gas (carbon dioxide) popping in the fluid of the joint as the pressure is released. Adjustments are not usually painful – in fact they often result in immediate symptom relief and increased range of motion. Your chiropractor may also recommend and employ a wide variety of other techniques to help you reduce your symptoms and improve how you function - including manual traction, mobilizations, and/or the use of a hand-held instrument that performs the adjustment without the ‘pop’ or having to move your body. The Chiropractor may also employ ice and/or heat, electrical stimulation therapy, soft tissue therapy (such as myofascial release therapy), stretching, and other forms of exercise therapy - amongst many other options. Expect to spend 15-30 minutes in the clinic for regular office visits.
Q: How are chiropractors trained and qualified?
A: Today's graduating Doctors of Chiropractic have earned the title of Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) after many years of intensive schooling and training. The majority of Canadian chiropractors have 8 years of post-secondary education that consist of 4 years of an undergraduate university degree and 4,500 hours of intense academic post-graduate level education over a 4 year period at an accredited Chiropractic college. Anatomy, physiology, neurology, pathology, biomechanics, x-ray interpretation, biochemistry, nutrition, differential diagnosis and spinal adjusting techniques are just a few of the topics they’ve studied. And their training doesn’t stop there. Each chiropractic student undergoes an intensive and closely supervised internship program at a Chiropractic College clinic where they gain and perfect valuable hands-on healing skills. When this year is complete and after graduation, all Canadian chiropractors must pass written and practical national competency licensing exams offered by the Canadian Chiropractic Examining Board. Each provincial association also has exams which are necessary for the Chiropractor to be licensed in that province. This enables the doctors to become members of the Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors. Chiropractic is a self-governing profession, which means that Doctors are bound to a professional code of ethics through national and provincial Chiropractic licensing bodies, such as the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors. This self-regulating and disciplinary process ensures that the public's health concerns are the Chiropractic profession's highest priority.
Chiropractors are not ordinary doctors – they are musculoskeletal specialists that are concerned with the relationship between the nervous system and the health of the whole body. They use hands-on, effective treatments to help relieve any pain you may be experiencing and to help your body reach its optimal state of health.
Q: How long will it take to get better?
A: Your recovery is dependent on many factors - the problem, the length of time you have had the problem, your current state of health, your treatment goals, and your own commitment to your treatment plan, including any rehabilitative exercises which your chiropractor may recommend.
Depending on the examination findings, your pain intensity, your age and physical condition, among other factors - frequent visits over a relatively short period of time may be required during the initial phase of care to help you relieve the pain as quickly as possible. With treatment your body will begin to function normally and pain and stiffness will decrease and you will not require as many treatments. At this point, many patients choose to continue with supportive care in order to help retain the benefits they've already achieved and reach optimum performance.
Q: Why should I return if I'm not feeling any pain?
A: Simply because the pain is gone, does not mean that the source of the problem has been fully corrected. You may still have joint dysfunction, or muscles that are tight or weak. Additional treatments and rehabilitation may be needed after you become pain-free to correct these problems. Your chiropractor has treated you and got you to the stage of being pain-free, so allowing your body to heal. However, if you continue the activities that caused the original condition, your chiropractor may recommend regular check-ups or treatment to prevent the onset of pain and symptoms.
Q: Do I have to keep coming for the rest of my life?
A: No. Many of us have heard the complaint that “once you start going to a chiropractor you have to go for the rest of your life”. This is simply untrue. While your chiropractor will give you a recommended treatment plan, the number of treatments and length of time that you are treated is entirely up to you. You choose the care that you want. People brush their teeth daily to keep them healthy and change the oil in their car regularly to keep it running. In the same manner, some people choose to receive chiropractic care on a regular basis because it allows them to function to their full potential by keeping normal spinal motion. You can choose to discontinue care at any time, but most people feel that the benefits, once experienced, are hard to give up. Once patients are out of pain, many continue to come regularly to prevent recurrence of the condition (or have a recurrence treated). They also continue to get regular exercise and lifestyle advice from their chiropractor. Simply put, many patients incorporate chiropractic into their plan for maintaining a vital and active lifestyle. They attend their chiropractor regularly in the same way that they have regular appointments with their dentist, optometrist, or medical doctor.
Q: Are Chiropractic adjustments safe? Is chiropractic treatment safe? Are there any risks?
A: We all know that there are risks when attending any healthcare professional, every health procedure, from taking aspirin to giving blood, involves a level of risk. Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments are among the safest of all health care interventions because they are non-surgical, drug-free and present an extremely low risk. The risks associated with chiropractic treatment are much less than with many other treatments for your problem. Research indicates that the risks associated with chiropractic manipulation are far fewer than those caused by the long-term use of pain-killing drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Symptoms may take some time to ease as there is no instant "cure". Some patients may experience temporary soreness over the areas being treated. Spinal disc problems may appear to flare-up in the early stages of treatment and where an underlying inflammation is already present, and the condition may initially seem to worsen. Treatment to the neck may give a distinct lightheadedness or infrequently a short-lived headache may appear. For thoracic (mid- and upper back) spinal adjustments, rib fractures are a rare occurrence.
Serious side effects are extremely uncommon. The safety of chiropractic has been rigorously researched and numerous studies confirm that it is one of the safest and most effective methods of health care available for a wide array of nerve, spine and muscle associated problems throughout the body. Very rarely, manipulation of the neck has been linked with strokes, however recent research has found that the association between seeing a chiropractor and having a stroke is about the same as seeing a medical doctor - these researchers have concluded that the strokes that are blamed on chiropractors are most likely early strokes in progress that are very difficult to diagnose and then after seeing the professional in question, full blown symptoms can develop.
Your chiropractor will, of course, be happy to discuss fully all concerns you may have regarding your treatment, giving an honest appraisal of your particular case. A chiropractor will take an in-depth case history and carry out a full examination before diagnosing your complaint. If chiropractic care is considered suitable for the condition, the treatment will be tailored specifically for you - for example the chiropractor will use different techniques for an elderly patient than for a baby, or an athlete with a sports injury. If, however, after the initial investigation, he/she identifies a condition which requires medical treatment your GP will be notified and you will be referred back to him/her.
Q: Is there anything wrong with me 'cracking' my neck or back myself?
A: You cannot properly control a manipulation to yourself and your relief may only be temporary. You are more than likely 'cracking' the wrong joint, since movement in the affected one will be restricted. Consult your chiropractor!
Q: Is there any evidence or proof that chiropractic works?
A: Yes. Chiropractic care has been repeatedly tested and shown to be safe and effective. Scientific evidence proving that chiropractic care works is overwhelming. Over the past 20 years, many controlled and independent research studies have shown again and again that chiropractic care is safe and effective for treating low back pain, neck pain, headaches and other conditions relating to the spine. Based on these scientific studies, the consensus is that chiropractic care is the treatment of choice for most spinal problems.
Chiropractic treatment of back pain has been extensively studied and reviewed, and the results indicate that it is extremely effective.
Q: Will my doctor approve?
A: Increasingly, General Practitioners are recognizing chiropractic as an effective complementary treatment, particularly for back pain. You do not need a GP's referral to visit a chiropractor. Ideally we want to work cooperatively with your medical doctor in maintaining and/or improving your health. Frequent referrals and effective communication regarding your condition are the best way to do this and are a priority for our Doctors of Chiropractic.
Q: Is chiropractic care expensive?
A: Numerous research studies have demonstrated that chiropractic care is cost-effective and results in high levels of patient satisfaction. Among these is a study commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Health that concluded that chiropractic management of low back pain is the most cost-effective, and that there would be highly significant cost savings if more management of low back pain was transferred to chiropractors. Also, many insurance plans cover chiropractic care. When you consider the alternatives of being in pain and/or unable to enjoy your daily activities, it is a real bargain.
