Have a question about chiropractic care? See the list of Frequently Asked Questions listed below. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to contact our office for more information.

• What is chiropractic?
• What is an adjustment?
• When should I see a chiropractor?
• What are some of the benefits of chiropractic care?
• Is a chiropractic adjustment safe?
• Does chiropractic care require a referral from an MD?
• Can chiropractic care cure other ailments besides back pain?
• How many Ontarians use chiropractic?
• Are there many athletes who use chiropractic?
• Does chiropractic care require X-rays?
• How do you find a good chiropractor?

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.

What is an adjustment?
An adjustment is a highly skilled and precise movement usually applied by hand to a joint of the body. Adjustment loosens the joint to restore proper movement and optimize function. When a joint is adjusted, a gas bubble escapes causing the 'popping' noise you may have heard about. Chiropractic adjustment techniques have been researched extensively. Complications are rare and side-effects, such as temporary soreness, are usually minor. Your chiropractor is well-trained to determine if your problem will respond to chiropractic care or if you require referral to another health care provider.

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 regulated primary health care professionals, and they are one of only five classes of health care professionals in Ontario that are able to use the title Doctor, with its accompanying rights and obligations. Chiropractors are highly educated and extensively trained to assess, diagnosis, 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.

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. Many patients seek chiropractic treatment for wellness care. Others, like seniors, who find that treatment helps them to maintain mobility and good range of motion. Pain should never become a way of life, especially when there is qualified help available. Even if you do not have painful symptoms, chiropractic care can help you maintain healthy spine and joint function. Here are some of the most common reasons why more than 4 million Canadians visit a chiropractor each year:

•  Back pain
•  Neck pain
•  Headache
•  Whiplash
•  Strains and sprains from daily activities
•  Repetitive strain injuries
•  Work and sports-related injuries
•  Arthritis
•  Restricted movement in the back, shoulders, neck or limbs
•  General health and well-being

What are some of the benefits of chiropractic care?

•  Improve movement in your neck, shoulders, back and torso
•  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 back ache
•  Correction gait and foot problems

Is a chiropractic adjustment safe?
Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest, drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of headache, and neck and back pain. It has an excellent safety record. However, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. Even common over-the-counter medicines carry a risk.

Most patients experience immediate relief following an adjustment, however, some may experience temporary pain, stiffness or slight swelling. Some patients may also experience temporary dizziness, local numbness, or radiating pain. However, adverse effects associated with spinal adjustment are typically minor and short-lived.

Informed consent - Prior to starting treatment, all health professionals are required by law to obtain informed consent to treatment from their patients. Ontario’s chiropractors are required in their Standards of Practice to obtain written informed consent prior to treating a patient. Health care consumers must receive adequate and accurate information to assist them in evaluating their health care choices, and in balancing the relative risks of treatment options with the benefits. The chiropractic profession takes this responsibility seriously and has been a leader in obtaining informed consent.

Neck adjustment - Neck adjustment, particularly of the top two vertebrae of the spine, has on rare occasions been associated with stroke and stroke-like symptoms. This risk is considerably lower than those serious adverse events associated with many common health treatments such as long-term use of non-prescription pain relievers or birth control pills. While estimates vary, a range of one to two events per million neck adjustments is the ratio generally accepted by the research community.

An extensive commentary on chiropractic care, published in the February 2002 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, which is the journal of the American College of Physicians, reviewed more than 160 reports and studies on chiropractic. It states the following with regard to the safety of neck adjustment: "The apparent rarity of these accidental events has made it difficult to assess the magnitude of the complication risk. No serious complication has been noted in more than 73 controlled clinical trials or in any prospectively evaluated case series to date."

A Canadian study, published in 2001 in the medical journal Stroke, also concluded that stroke associated with neck adjustment is so rare that it is difficult to calculate an accurate risk ratio. The study was conducted by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the authors have stated: "The evidence to date indicates that the risk associated with chiropractic manipulation of the neck is both small and inaccurately estimated. The estimated level of risk is smaller than that associated with many commonly used diagnostic tests or prescription drugs."

The most recent research into the association between neck adjustment and stroke is biomechanical studies to assess what strain, if any; neck adjustment may place on the vertebral arteries. The preliminary findings of this ongoing work indicate that neck adjustment is done well within the normal range of motion and that neck adjustment is "very unlikely to mechanically disrupt the VA [vertebral artery]."  

There are many risk factors for stroke including blood clotting problems, hypertension, smoking, high cholesterol, birth control pills, heart problems and trauma such as blows to the head from car accidents, sports injuries or falls. Some strokes happen spontaneously with no obvious cause during activities of daily living such as backing up a car. A patient’s health history and activities have to be examined very carefully in order to determine the most probable cause of a stroke.

Does chiropractic care require a referral from an MD?
Chiropractors are legislated as primary contact health professionals in every province in Canada. This means that patients can consult them directly. However, chiropractors often work closely with medical doctors, many of whom refer to chiropractors when they believe chiropractic treatment will help alleviate a patient’s condition. Similarly, chiropractors frequently refer to medical doctors when necessary.

Can chiropractic care cure other ailments besides back pain?
Chiropractic care cannot “cure” every ailment, but there is some evidence to indicate that adjustments may have a beneficial effect on a variety of conditions. Adjustment may alleviate some of the secondary or referred pain, arising from the response of the musculoskeletal structures to the primary cause.

How many Ontarians use chiropractic?
Chiropractic is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Ontario, with more than 3,100 practicing chiropractors. Approximately 1.2 million Ontarians use the services of a chiropractor each year to help them get back to work, and back to doing the things they love.

Are there many athletes who use chiropractic?
Yes. Many amateur and professional athletes use chiropractic treatment as part of their overall health care, fitness and maintenance program. Chiropractic is often used to improve muscle and joint conditioning, which has a direct effect on an athletic performance. Treatment works to improve biomechanical function and enhance overall conditioning, important in situations where there is continuous repetitive movement. Chiropractic care also helps athletes fine-tune their muscles and joints for high-level performance, and may reduce long-term wear and tear. Finally, treatment can be used to prevent, and sometime shorten, the healing time of injuries.

Athletes most often select treatment to improve their performance, where as the average consumer will select chiropractic care to help manage aches and pains. In some cases treatment will be similar, but in all cases a treatment plan will be developed according to the goals and condition of each patient. In the case of professional and elite athletes, chiropractors often work in conjunction with other health care professionals, including medical doctors and/or sports medicine doctors, massage therapists and physiotherapists.

Does chiropractic care require X-rays?
X-rays can play an important role in diagnosis and are taken when a need has been determined after taking a patient case history and conducting a physical examination. Chiropractors receive 360 hours of education in radiology covering a full range of topics from protection to X-ray interpretation and diagnosis. Governments in every province have recognized the training and competence of chiropractors to take and interpret X-rays and have granted them this right.

How do you find a good chiropractor?

•  Word of mouth
•  Friends, family and co-workers
•  Referrals from other health care practitioners