Get the facts
Over 4 million Canadians use Chiropractors annually.
Public surveys are finding that the proportion of Canadians
that are consulting chiropractors is rising every year.
Statistics Canada data found that over 11 percent (3 million)
Canadians consulted a chiropractor in 1996. The figures
today are closer to 15 percent or over 4 million Canadians
annually. There are approximately 35 million office visits to
chiropractors each year.
Chiropractic is a proven drug-free health care alternative.
Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a drug-free,
non-invasive approach to common musculoskeletal
conditions such as headache, neck and back pain.
As such, it is a low risk therapy. Complications arising
from adjustment are rare.
Chiropractors are experts trained in the neuromusculoskeletal system.
They diagnose and treat disorders of the spine and
other body joints by adjusting the spinal column or through
other corrective manipulation. Chiropractors provide
conservative management of neuromusculoskeletal
disorders including, but not limited to, back, neck and
head pain (over 90 percent of conditions treated). They also
advise patients on corrective exercises, lifestyle and nutrition.
Chiropractic manipulation is a highly controlled procedure that produces positive results.
Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual
procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed
during four intensive years of chiropractic education. The
chiropractor typically uses his/her hands to manipulate
the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to
reduce pain, and restore or enhance joint functioning.
Chiropractic manipulation is a highly controlled
procedure that 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.
Your Chiropractor guides you to healthier living.
During your first visit, the chiropractor will want to know
about your health history as well as your current complaint.
Your home and work life style as well as your level of
physical activity may also affect your health, so don't be
surprised to be asked questions about these. Although
chiropractors use their hands for most treatments, they
also use other methods such as heat, light, specialized
adjusting instruments, ultrasound, electrotherapy,
personalized exercise programs, muscle-testing and
balancing. Your chiropractor can also give you information
and guidance on how you can stay healthy through proper
nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes.
Chiropractors are highly skilled health care
practitioners in their field.
Chiropractors are educated as primary contact health care
practitioners, with an emphasis on neuromusculoskeletal
diagnosis and treatment. Preparation for the practice of
chiropractic is concentrated on three areas: basic training
in the biological and health sciences, specialized training
in the chiropractic discipline, and extensive clinical training.
Becoming a chiropractor in Canada requires a minimum of
6 years of post-secondary education including no less than
4500 hours of classroom and clinical instruction at an
institution approved by the Council on Chiropractic
Education Canada.
Chiropractic delivers results.
One of the main reasons people choose chiropractic is
that they often get quick results. Individual cases vary
and chronic conditions obviously need more treatment,
but Workers' Compensation Board studies show,
for example, that people with low back pain get back to
work much faster with chiropractic care.
You might also consider the benefits of regular
chiropractic adjustments even when you feel healthy.
Sometimes you won't know you have a disorder of the
neuromusculoskeletal system until it becomes acute
and painful. So, just as you see your dentist to have
your teeth checked and your optometrist for eye exams,
regular visits to your chiropractor can catch related health
conditions early, often preventing them from developing
into major problems. Remember, your spine is every bit
as susceptible to wear and tear as your teeth and your
eyes so you should look after it.
Choose your own chiropractor.
You do not need a referral from your Family Physician.
Chiropractors are legislated as primary contact
health care professionals in every province in Canada.
This means that patients can consult them directly. However,
chiropractors often work closely with MDs, 44 per cent of
whom refer their patients to chiropractors when they believe
chiropractic treatment will help alleviate a patient's condition.
Similarly, chiropractors frequently refer to medical doctors
when necessary. As with any other professional, referrals
from friends and acquaintances are an excellent way to
find a good chiropractor. The Yellow Pages can also come in
handy to help you find one in your area. There are over
6,000 chiropractors in Canada. Another way is to use the
NBCA Find a Doctor located on the Home Page.
Ten universities in Canada now have chiropractic
research chairs with more to come in the near future.
Chiropractic is a healing discipline firmly grounded in
science. Few other health care interventions have been
assessed as extensively as chiropractic manipulation,
both in terms of safety and effectiveness. There have
been at least six formal government inquiries into
chiropractic worldwide over the last 25 years and all
have concluded that contemporary chiropractic care is safe,
effective, and cost-effective and have recommended
public funding for chiropractic services. In addition, there
have been countless scientific clinical studies assessing
the appropriateness, effectiveness, and/or cost-effectiveness
of spinal manipulation or chiropractic manipulation, most
notably for low back pain. The Canadian Institutes for
Health Research (CIHI) now offers research grants in
partnership with the Canadian Chiropractic Association to
chiropractors and other scientists for high quality,
chiropractic research.
Chiropractic care is always adapted to the
individual patient.
It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children,
very gentle. While there is some clinical evidence that
musculoskeletal treatment of infants may have positive
effects, well-controlled studies are required to verify the
benefits that are seen in clinical practice.
Personalized treatments to meet the need of every patient.
The treatment a patient receives is related to the specific
condition diagnosed by the chiropractor, and will vary from
person to person depending on each person's unique situation.
Like M.D.'s chiropractors follow generally accepted protocols
and guidelines.
Ongoing Chiropractic treatment is common with the
average Canadian visiting chiropractic clinics up to
8 visits per year.
The hands-on nature of the chiropractic treatment is
essentially what sends patients back to the chiropractor a
number of times. To be treated by a chiropractor a patient
needs to be in his or her office. In contrast, a course of
treatment from medical doctors often involves a
pre-established plan that is conducted at home
(ie. taking a course of antibiotics once a day for a couple
of weeks). A chiropractor may provide acute, preventative
and/or maintenance care thus making a certain number of
visits sometimes necessary.
Chiropractic adjustments have beneficial health effects
on our bodies.
Chiropractic care cannot "cure" these conditions, but there
is some evidence to indicate that adjustment 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.
Regular chiropractic care reduces degenerative diseases.
Clinical experience suggests that individuals with chronic
conditions such as degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis)
or recurrent neck pain, back pain or headaches may
experience less frequent and less severe symptoms when
under regular chiropractic care. This also applies to individuals
in highly stressful situations and those who experience
repetitive physical and postural strain from their daily activities.
Whether ongoing chiropractic treatment can prevent back
pain from occurring in the first place, or prevent a previous
condition from re-occurring, requires further study.
What is the difference between Physicians
and Chiropractors?
That's like asking the difference between a physician and a
dentist: they are different professions within the health care
spectrum. Both chiropractors and physicians are legally
entitled to use the title "doctor". As the appellation MD means
"Doctor of Medicine", so DC means "Doctor of Chiropractic".
The role of chiropractic is complementary to other areas
of primary health care.
Chiropractic is not, for example, a replacement for medical
care, but may offer an alternative to medication and surgery
in appropriate circumstances.
Recognition by health science that many illnesses of our
modern society are lifestyle based has shown us that we,
as individuals, can influence our own health and well being.
Many people, therefore, welcome chiropractic's emphasis
on healthy lifestyle and patient responsibility, as well as
its help in improving the body's functions and ability to
fight off disease.
Do chiropractors refer patients to medical
doctors when necessary?
Yes, like medical doctors, chiropractors refer patients to
other health professionals when they feel it is appropriate.
Chiropractors are well trained to recognize risk factors as
well as individual disease patterns and will not hesitate to
make a referral when it is in the best interest of the
patient's health.
Our Chiropractors know their patients medical history.
Like M.D.'s, the chiropractor will take a detailed health history
during the first visit, prior to initial treatment. This will include
details on lifestyle and risk factors to give the chiropractor a
full picture of the patient's health in order to determine the
best treatment. As well, a detailed health history is important
to rule out any contraindications and fully investigate risk
factors before a diagnosis and treatment recommendation
can be reached.
X-rays play an important role in chiropractic health care.
Guidelines have been developed by the chiropractic profession
with regard to the use of X-rays as a diagnostic tool. X-rays
provide vital information to help determine a diagnosis but
they are not required in every case. In fact, at CMCC from
1997 to 1998 fewer than 20 per cent of chiropractic patients
received X-rays, and only 6 percent of patients under the age
of 16 required an X-ray.
X-rays can play an important role in diagnosis but are
only taken when a need has been determined by a
careful case history and 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 perform X-rays and have granted them this right.
Does neck adjustment require stretching and rotating the
neck beyond its normal range of motion?
No, it does not as anyone who has had their neck adjusted
will attest. Neck adjustment is done within the normal range
of motion and is often performed to improve flexibility and
reduce pain. The normal range during treatment is less than
what is required to turn your head when backing up a car.
Is neck adjustment safe?
No health treatment is completely free of potential adverse
effects and, on rare occasions, neck adjustment has been
associated with stroke and stroke-like symptoms. A Canadian
study, published in 2001 and an American study published in
January 2008 concluded that stroke symptoms associated
with neck adjustments are so rare that it is difficult to quantify.
Similarly, a medical review published in 2002 looked at
73 studies of chiropractic care and found no serious
complications reported in any of them. By way of comparison,
neck adjustment is significantly safer than other common
treatments for headache, neck and back pain.
Is neck adjustment a forceful action?
No. This has been demonstrated in studies to determine the
degree of physical strain applied during adjustment. It is skill,
not strength that is needed to conduct a safe, effective
adjustment. Chiropractic education in Canada is an intensive
four-year program following three years of university
undergraduate studies. By the time they graduate, Canadian
chiropractors are among the most skilled in the world.
Are all neck adjustment techniques equally safe?
Canadian chiropractors are taught a variety of adjustment
techniques and there is no evidence to suggest that any one
technique is less safe than the others. Chiropractic techniques
that are applied appropriately are effective and safe.
Why would neck adjustment have an effect on anything
other than neck pain?
Pain or discomfort in one area of the body may be linked
functionally to discomfort arising from another area.
Consequently, addressing dysfunction in one part of the
body may relieve symptoms in another part. If you look at
a model of the spine, you can see that the spine is one
continuous structure. Adjustment at various points along
the structure may be needed to help reduce biomechanical
stresses on other parts of the spine and to relieve discomfort
when it is clinically necessary. The spine is also the protective
channel that surrounds the spinal cord. Apart from special
nerves originating from the brain and brain stem, all nerves
in the body involved with bodily functions such as sensation
and motor control emanate from the spinal cord and travel
through openings in the spine between the vertebrae. Spinal
nerves carry highly complex information that is important for
the proper functioning of the human body. Spinal dysfunction
can have an effect on proper functioning of the nervous
system causing symptoms in other parts of the body.
Adjustment, often in combination with other therapies,
may help alleviate symptoms and even address the
causative factors.
Chiropractic adjustments release joint gas bubbles
during treatment.
Adjustment of a joint may result in release of a gas bubble
between the joints that makes a popping sound – it's exactly
the same as when you "crack" your knuckles. It is not painful.
It is caused by the change of pressure within the joint resulting
in gas bubbles being released.
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