Chiropractic is the largest, drugless healing profession in the world.

Chiropractic is a health care profession that diagnoses treats and helps prevent disorders and conditions related to the spine, pelvis and extremities.

Doctors of Chiropractic are primary care professionals that use a drug-free, manual approach to health care. Doctors of Chiropractic believe that dynamics exist between lifestyle, environment and health. Central to treatment is the chiropractic adjustment. An adjustment is a specific, directed pressure to correct joint dysfunction. In addition to clinical treatment, your chiropractor can be a good source of information related to nutrition, lifestyle and exercise.

Chiropractic is a regulated health profession recognized by statutes in all Canadian provinces and American states. Canadian chiropractors undergo an intensive four-year, full-time course of study following three years of university before qualifying to undertake national examinations and become licensed to practice.

What Types of Conditions Does Chiropractic Treat?

Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession that focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of physical impairments, disabilities, and pain.

Physiotherapists use a combination of manual therapy techniques, exercise prescription, and electrotherapy modalities to help individuals achieve optimal physical function, improve mobility, and reduce pain.

Common conditions Physiotherapists treat:

What is Active Release Techniques (ART)?

ART is a hands on, state of the art soft tissue system/movement-based technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons cause tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness. ART removes the scar tissue so the muscles, tendons and ligaments can return to their proper function and flexibility.

What is an ART treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

ART and/or Graston help with the following:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Headaches
• Tennis & Golfer’s Elbow
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Shoulder pain (rotator cuff syndrome & frozen shoulder)
• Shin Splints
• Hip pain
• Knee pain – Runner’s Knee (IT band problems)
• Muscle pulls
• Ankle sprains

Massage Therapy is the assessment and manual treatment of the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Massage improves muscle tone, stimulates circulation, and promotes relaxation. The circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems all benefit from massage therapy. Your massage therapist may suggest stretches or strength-building exercises specific to your condition, and also recommend when follow-up treatments should be booked.

Shockwave therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment for those suffering from many chronic tendon and joint disorders. Radial Shockwave therapy sends acoustic energy waves into the affected area causing a controlled micro-trauma. The effect of this micro-trauma is that it re-injures the tissue on a cellular level which results in the breakdown of scar tissue in the affected muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bone. The controlled re-injury of the tissue allows the body to regenerate blood vessels and cells, leading to faster healing and often a return to pre-injury activity levels.

How does Shockwave Therapy reduce pain?

Shockwave therapy is an effective modality in the management, reduction, and elimination of pain. Shockwave is effective because the acoustic energy waves stimulate an increase in metabolic activity in the affected tissue; encourage the break down of calcium deposits and also induces an analgesic reaction which results in blocked pain messages.

What conditions can benefit from the therapy?

Anyone with soft tissue injuries can benefit from shockwave therapy, especially athletes. Shockwave therapy provides a safe, non-surgical alternative for those suffering from chronic injuries including:

• calcific tendonitis
• plantar fasciitis
• tennis elbow
• bursitis of hip and shoulder
• patellar tendonitis

Who should not use Shockwave Therapy?

Relative and absolute contraindications for the use of shockwave therapy include:

• Blood-thinning medications such as Coumadin or Heparin
• Heart or circulatory problems
• Cancer in or around the treatment area
• Pregnancy
• Diabetes
• Nerve or blood supply being too close to the site of treatment
• Cortisone injection in the area to be treated less than one month prior to shockwave therapy