What Is Chiropractic?

One of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Ontario, chiropractic is a non-invasive, hands-on health care discipline that focuses on the neuromusculoskeletal system. Doctors of chiropractic practice a drug-free, manual approach, providing patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and preventative care for disorders related to the spine, pelvis, nervous system and joints. Chiropractic care is based on the scientific fact that your body is a self-regulating, self-healing organism. These important functions are controlled by the brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves of the body. The moving bones of the spine, called vertebrae, protect the vulnerable communication pathways of the spinal cord and nerve roots. If this nervous system is impaired, it can contribute to malfunction of the tissues and organs throughout the body. Doctors call this the spinal joint fixation, or the vertebral subluxation complex. Chiropractic is the science of locating these joint fixations or subluxations, both in the spine and all other joints in the body, and the art of reducing their impact to the nervous system via chiropractic manipulation.

Chiropractors use a combination of treatments, all of which are predicated on the specific needs of the individual patient. After taking a complete history and diagnosing a patient, a chiropractor can develop and carry out a comprehensive treatment/management plan, recommend therapeutic exercise and other non-invasive therapies, and provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counselling. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession recognized by statute in all Canadian provinces. Canadian chiropractors undergo an intensive four-year, full-time course of study following a minimum three years of university before qualifying to undertake national examinations and become licensed to practice. Chiropractic adjustment is the most common form of treatment utilized by chiropractors in clinical practice. Also known as spinal manipulative therapy, adjustment is a non-invasive, manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed through four years of intensive chiropractic education. Adjustment is a carefully controlled procedure delivered by a skilled practitioner to dysfunctional spinal or extremity joints. The primary goal is to decrease pain, improve areas of reduced movement in the joints and supporting tissues, particularly of the spine, and decrease muscle tightness or spasm through the restoration of normal mechanics and improved functioning of the spine, extremities and supporting soft tissue structures.

How Chiropractic Works

Chiropractic works by restoring your normal function of the nervous system. When under control of your nervous system, all the cells, tissues, and organs of your body are designed to resist disease and ill health. One common form of interference to this nervous system control is the complex interaction of the 24 moving bones of the spinal column. A loss of normal motion or position of these bones can irritate or impair the function of the nervous system. This can disrupt the transmission of controlling nerve impulses. With improved spinal function there is often improved nervous system function. Your chiropractic doctor can help remove interference that may be impairing normal health. Since the primary focus of your care is improved nervous system function, chiropractic can have a positive effect on many health conditions not normally thought of as back problems. For many conditions, such as lower back pain, chiropractic care is frequently the primary method of treatment. Where other conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the neuromusculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition. Chiropractic care may also be palliative, i.e. used to provide symptomatic relief for patients with chronic conditions. By treating the musculoskeletal elements of such disorders, chiropractic treatment may improve the general well-being of the patient. In this regard, Canada’s chiropractors are able to provide complementary care as one element of a patient’s overall treatment program.