Chiropractic Care

Chiropractors are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of the musculo-skeletal disorders, with nearly 5 million Canadians per year benefiting from Chiropractic treatment. Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) undergo a minimum of 7 years post-secondary training, with 3 years minimum of undergraduate studies followed by a 4 year DC program that includes 4500+ hours of training on assessment and treatment of muscle and joint disorders. Following this, Chiropractors are licensed to practice after passing board examinations and meeting licensing requirements. Across Canada, there are nearly 8,400 licensed practitioners.

The Chiropractic profession is regulated in BC by the College of Chiropractors of BC, similar to the regulation of Medicine and Dentistry with their respective colleges . Other professional bodies include the BC Chiropractic Association, and the Canadian Chiropractic Association. Like other regulated professions, Chiropractors are required to attend continuing education programs every year to further their knowledge and stay up to date on recent advances in the field.

Chiropractic originated with a focus on hands-on therapy aimed at restoring normal function in the spine. This is done through manual “adjustments”, or spinal manipulations. These are specific, controlled impulses that aim to improve motion and reduce pain surrounding an irritated or restricted joint. Special consideration is taken to assess and diagnose the issue in question to make sure that adjustments are a safe and effective treatment option. Adjustments continue to be a helpful option for certain individuals and conditions, and have been included in various clinical practice guidelines across different professions.

Since it’s origin, Chiropractic has evolved to include other types of hands on therapies for both joints and muscles, as well as training in assessment and prescription of exercise therapies.

In addition to traditional techniques, hands on therapies include more gentle joint-treatment options such as joint mobilizations, and soft tissue therapies like muscle release or instrument-release techniques. Exercise prescription is also used for those motivated to be active participants in their recovery. What this looks like depends on the condition and the individual, but each technique is aimed at improving function and reducing symptoms related to a condition as quickly as possible.

This combination of joint, muscle, and exercise-based therapies is known as multimodal therapy, or what some refer to as “Modern Chiropractic Care”. Research shows that combining treatment techniques has an additive beneficial effect - symptoms are less intense faster, overall recovery time is shortened, and the risk of reoccurrence is reduced. Studies also show that since we are able to choose techniques based not just on the injury, but also based on individuals preferences that patient satisfaction with treatment is much higher.