Chiropractic
Chiropractic is one of the largest primary care professions in Ontario (and for that matter the world) and is a non-invasive hands-on healthcare discipline that focuses on the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Almost 2 million patients in Ontario rely on chiropractic care each year to help them maintain active and healthy lifestyles. Within your body is an information highway called your nervous system which is protected/housed by your spinal column. Your spine is made up of several movable bones (vertebrae) which are separated by cartilage (discs). Nerves exit out of the spinal column at every level from the spinal cord and they are responsible for every single function of your body. Chiropractic is based on the belief that the body is a self healing/self regulating organism. Chiropractic strives to ensure the brain is in constant communication with all areas of your body making sure the nervous system is not interfered with in any way that could compromise the messages from the brain to the rest of your body. Misalignments of the spine, called subluxations, are fixated segments that have the potential to interfere with your nervous system and consequently cause decreased function and affect your health. This decrease in function can occur locally at the site of the fixated segment and it can also occur quite some distance from the spine/spinal cord. The chiropractic adjustment serves to decrease the nervous system interference and normalize nerve function through the delivery of a precise force in a specific direction applied to the affected segment(s). Adjustments serve to restore joint mobility oftentimes decreasing pain and diminishing muscle tightness allowing the body to heal itself as it was intended to do naturally.
Chiropractic doctors are healthcare professionals who have graduated from an accredited chiropractic institution with more than 4,500 hours of specialized clinical training. Prior to graduate studies, chiropractors need to complete a minimum of 3 years of undergraduate education. Chiropractors are primary contact providers (you do not need a referral to see them) and are one of the 5 regulated professions in Ontario granted the ability to use the title Doctor. They are regulated and licensed through the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO).
There are many reasons to see a chiropractor. Some of them include;
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Whiplash
- Sprains and strains
- RSI (repetitive strain injury)
- Foot and ankle pain/dysfunction
- Knee issues
- Work and sports Injuries
- Arthritis
- Range of motion limitations in spine or extremities
- Jaw pain
- Elbow or hand pain
- Rib issues
- General health and wellbeing