Chiropractic Care

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic today is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Canada with over 5,000 practicing chiropractors. Approximately four and a half million Canadians use the services of a chiropractor each year. The vast majority of patients who seek chiropractic care do so for complaints of the musculoskeletal system, most often for conditions affecting the spine.

Chiropractic is a regulated health profession recognized by statute in all Canadian provinces and American states. The benefits of chiropractic care are well recognized by other health practitioners. In a 1995 survey, 44 per cent of Ontario and Alberta physicians indicated that they refer patients for chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractic manipulation is a drug-free, non-invasive manual procedure which utilizes the highly-refined skills developed during four intensive years of chiropractic education. Chiropractors assess disorders related to the spine, nervous system, and joints of the extremities and provide diagnosis, treatment and prevention of those disorders.

The primary goal of chiropractic manipulation, also referred to as adjustment, is to treat areas of decreased movement in the joints of the spine which can create a reaction in surrounding tissues (ligaments, muscles and nerves) resulting in pain, dysfunction and muscular spasm. Chiropractors are also trained to prescribe therapeutic exercise and other non-invasive therapies including dietary counseling.

Manipulation is a highly controlled procedure which rarely causes discomfort. The chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment.

Scientific study of spinal manipulation has clearly demonstrated that chiropractic treatment improves function and is effective for common conditions such as headache, neck, and low back pain. Between 86 and 96 per cent of all visits to chiropractors are for these or similar conditions.

In many cases, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. Where other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may compliment or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects of discomfort associated with the condition.

Chiropractic care may also be palliative, providing symptomatic relief to patients with chronic conditions. By treating the musculoskeletal elements such as disorders, chiropractic treatment improves the general well-being of the patient. In this regard, Canada’s chiropractors frequently provide complementary as one element of a patients overall treatment program.

FAQs

Is chiropractic manipulation a safe procedure?

Chiropractic treatment is a drug free, non-invasive approach to common musculoskeletal conditions such as neck and back pain. As such, it is a very low risk therapy. In extremely rare situations – between one or two out of one million treatments – there is a possibility that manipulation of the upper neck may contribute to a stroke.

How is chiropractic manipulation performed?

Chiropractic manipulation is a manual procedure which utilizes the highly-refined skills developed during four intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractor uses his/her hands to manipulate the spine in order to restore or enhance spinal functioning.

Manipulation is a highly controlled procedure which rarely causes discomfort. The chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. Patients often note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment.

Is chiropractic treatment appropriate for children?

There many reasons why a child might benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from participating in sports which can cause back pain and discomfort. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is highly skilled and, in the case of the children, is very gentle.

While there is a wealth of clinical evidence that musculoskeletal treatment of infants has many positive effects, well-controlled studies are required to verify some of the benefits that are commonly seen in practice.

Most recently, a research report published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics concluded that “spinal manipulation is effective in relieving infantile colic.” The study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer and compared the effect of chiropractic therapy with a commonly prescribed medication used to prevent colic.

What exactly is chiropractic adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment is any chiropractic therapeutic procedure that uses controlled force, leverage, direction, strength and speed at a specific joint to restore normal motion and function, relieving muscle spasms, pain and nerve irritation. This controlled thrust moves a joint past its usual range of motion, without exceeding its limits. The term “adjustment” is used interchangeably with the term “Manipulation”.

Is it effective?

The scientific literature contains many studies which have found that chiropractic spinal manipulation is the most effective, cost-effective and safest treatment for back pain. These include studies in medical literature, government funded reports as well as expert practice guidelines. Quite simply put, seeing a chiropractor, along with active exercise, is an appropriate action to take when suffering from short-term back or neck pain.

What are the risk factors I need to be aware of?

Chiropractors are extremely well trained to recognize risk factors for patients. Aggressive treatments are not performed when there is a risk, and the patient is told immediately.

What side effects can I expect?

While some discomfort may typically follow a adjustment, in the form of temporary mild pain, it is uncommon to experience side effects. Manipulation performed by a chiropractor is safe and effective. In fact, spinal manipulation is amongst the most researched health care interventions, and studies consistently indicate that it is extraordinarily safe.

Why do I need several treatments to heal completely?

The hands-on nature of the treatment is essentially what sends patients back to the chiropractor a number of times. To be treated by a chiropractor, you need to be in his or her office. Often however, the course of treatment from your family physician involves a pre-established plan that you conduct at home such as taking a course of antibiotics for one or two weeks.