Westside Chiropractic

Chiropractors and chiropractic evidence are best known for treating injury, pain, and stiffness to the spine. Chiropractic treatment can be used on all areas of the body as your chiropractor is your musculoskeletal (muscles, bones, joints, soft tissues) specialist. Doctors of chiropractic treat painful and often limited movement/function problems such as low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and pinched nerves or sciatica.

A chiropractor is a first line holistic health care practitioner who specializes in treating disorders of the musculoskeletal (MSK) system. The MSK system includes all of the body’s nerves, muscles, bones, and joints. For non-MSK issues, your chiropractor will refer you to the necessary medical personnel to make sure you receive the most appropriate treatment.

The education for a chiropractor includes a minimum of 3 years bachelor degree and then graduating from a 4 year chiropractic school. The Doctor of chiropractic degree requires a minimum of 1000 hours of physical training in muscle and adjustment techniques. The program also includes a one year clinical internship under two experienced chiropractic clinicians before you become a licensed chiropractor.

Before your initial visit, there will be intake forms emailed to you asking about what pain/injury you’re coming into the clinic with.  These forms will get a better understanding of your current and past health history. If you are not able to complete your initial intake forms online, please arrive 10-15 minutes early to complete these so that it doesn’t take away your treatment time with your practitioner.

The initial visit will include a history of what brings you into the clinic as well as a physical assessment. It’s often best if you bring movable clothing like shorts and a t-shirt when you’re having a physical. Many of the tests performed look at the body’s range of motion. After a complete physical, you will sit down with Drs. Cole or Emily to receive a diagnosis of your condition and to talk about the treatment plan or best referral option. If time allows, treatment can begin on the first day or we can let the body rest from the physical assessment and start treatment on the next visit.

Chiropractors are primary health care practitioners in Canada and no referrals are necessary to have an initial intake and treatment. If you are getting orthotics or medical grade compression socks, please check with your insurance coverage to see if you need an MD prescription. 

An adjustment goes by many names; a “crack”, “pop”, “manipulation”, or “cavitation” and can be described as a quick and gentle thrust that helps moves a joint.  A chiropractor feels for joints that are ‘restricted’ or ‘not moving freely’ and comfortably uses motion to help relax the tissues and move fluid in the joint space.  This can reduce that stiff and achey feeling as well as allow for more range of motion. The sound of an adjustment is not from bones cracking or hitting each other but instead the formation of a small gas bubble in the fluid inside the joint.

​Mobilizations are low velocity and low amplitude forces that can also create joint movement. These are often described as slow adjustments. The same amount of force is applied to a joint as an adjustment but there is no small thrust on the joint to cause the “pop” sound. Instead, a mobilization takes the joint to its end range and slowly pushes it back and forth to help increase the joint’s natural movement.

Yes. When performed by a professional, cervical (neck) manipulation has been shown to be safe and effective in treating neck pain, headaches, dizziness, and many more conditions.  Many academic articles have compiled systematic data from chiropractors and physiotherapists who perform cervical (neck) manipulations. The studies show that the amount of force from neck manipulations on a healthy individual have an exceptionally low risk to cause any damage to the muscles or vertebral arteries.

Chiropractors, medical doctors, and other physical therapists all have a low association with treating stroke patients. This is because the known signs and symptoms of a stroke are treated by all types of health care professionals. Most commonly those signs and symptoms include: neck pain, dizziness, numbness, weakness, uncontrolled blood pressure, and severe headache. When patients have these signs and symptoms, they often seek out care from a chiropractor or family doctor without knowing that they could already be in the process of having a stroke. 
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Always check in with your chiropractor or family doctor if you are having any of these signs or symptoms.

A physical assessment is done for each new patient intake. Viewing your ranges of motion, performing orthopaedic tests, and feeling the muscles and joints allows for a better understanding of the problem that you’re coming in with. People can report soreness after an initial assessment or treatment because they get to move things that have been idle or sore. Alternatively, people can report a huge therapeutic benefit from a physical assessment because it is the first time they have been able to move after an injury or pain.

With any physical treatment there can be soreness that may last about 24-48 hours. Sometimes deep soft tissue therapy or instrument assisted technique can also cause some redness or slight bruising of the skin. This is always temporary and is from the blood moving through the skin and muscles that have been worked on. ​

Before any new technique or treatment modality is used, Drs. Cole and Emily will go over the risks and benefits and get your written or verbal consent. The patient is always in the driver’s seat of their treatment and good communication allows for the best management of your care.