We are a WCB authorized provider that believes in Evidence-Based Care, and will have a treatment plan individually tailored to your health needs, which includes a treatment phase, a rehabilitation phase, and a maintenance/prevention phase. We will also monitor your progress carefully and adjust the plan accordingly. In other words, we will NOT be asking you to come in three times per week indefinitely!
Chiropractic is the third largest primary-contact health care profession in the Western world, next to Medicine and Dentistry. In Canada, there are over 6,000 practicing chiropractors, and approximately four and a half million Canadians use the services of a chiropractor each year. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession recognized by legal statutes in all Canadian provinces and American states, as well as most EU countries. Chiropractors along with medical doctors, dentists, psychologists, and optometrists have the legislated right and obligation to communicate a diagnosis, and to use the title “Doctor”.
All provinces have a regulatory chiropractic college established by legislation, similar to the regulatory bodies for other professions. These regulatory colleges are responsible for protecting the public, standards of practice, disciplinary issues, quality assurance and maintenance of competency.
Chiropractors practice a conservative, drug-free, manual approach to health care that includes patient assessment, diagnosis and treatment. It emphasizes a natural approach to healing by working with the body’s innate recuperative abilities, instead of opposing this innate intelligence by forcing an external framework against the natural healing process. Chiropractors assess patients for disorders related to the spine, pelvis, extremity joints, and their effects on the nervous system. By investigating the relationship between the structure of the spine plus related anatomical structures (such as the muscles, tendons and ligaments) and their physiologic functions, chiropractors can deduce the cause of the condition. Therefore, chiropractors aim to treat the cause of a disease, not just its symptoms.
As a result of taking a physical assessment and patient history, chiropractors are able to provide a differential diagnosis for the patient’s presenting condition(s) and develop a comprehensive treatment/management plan. Chiropractors are also trained to recommend therapeutic exercise, to utilize other non-invasive therapies, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary, lifestyle and ergonomic counselling.
Legislative bodies across Canada, as well as researchers and governments around the world have conducted extensive scientific reviews of the chiropractic profession, and have consistently endorsed chiropractic services.
The chiropractic adjustment is the most common form of treatment utilized by chiropractors. Also known as spinal manipulative therapy, the adjustment is a non-invasive, manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed through four years of intensive chiropractic education. An 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 restricted movement, particularly in the spine, and to decrease muscle tightness or spasm through the restoration of normal biomechanics and improved functioning of the spine, extremities and supporting soft tissue structures.
Chiropractic adjustments rarely cause discomfort. However, as it is a manually applied therapy, patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or an ache following treatment, which typically resolves within 12 to 48 hours.
The chiropractor adapts the procedure to meet the specific needs of each patient. For example, the technique is modified when treating children, pregnant women and older patients. Patients typically note positive changes in their symptoms immediately following treatment. The vast majority of patients who seek chiropractic health care do so for complaints of the musculoskeletal system, most often for conditions affecting the spine such as low back pain, neck pain and headaches. Research has proven that chiropractic treatment is effective for these conditions.
In many conditions such as low back pain, chiropractic may be the primary method of treatment. Where other medical conditions exist, chiropractic may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.
Massage therapy is an an ancient art of healing practised for millenia in both Eastern and Western cultures.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Ling systematically defined those massage techniques which formed the basis of Swedish massage, the most common method of massage practiced today.
Therapeutic massage helps to support and optimize your entire musculoskeletal system by:
• alleviating pain and stiffness
• reducing inflammation and swelling, especially for headaches
• restoring the strength of injured, tired and overworked muscles
• eliminating chronic scar tissue and myofascial adhesions
• managing stress and promoting relaxation
• encouraging a sense of well-being
▪ Our therapists also have specific training in a variety of techniques such as pre/peri/postnatal pregnancy massage, children’s massage, geriatric massage and sport injuries.
▪ Please be aware that the City of Calgary differentiates between a relaxation massage delivered by a masseuse (who has less than 250 hours of formal training), versus a therapeutic massage deliveredby a registered massage therapist (or R.M.T.), who has over 2000 hours of training. Most insurance plans and extended health benefits will only cover massages performed by a R.M.T. All of our therapists are R.M.T.’s with extensive training and experience.
What is Acupuncture?Acupuncture is a safe and effective form of treatment which has become a complete holistic health care system. This 5000 year old form of medicine has much to offer in the hectic world of today.
What is Qi?
Traditional Chinese Medicine is based around the concept of Qi (pronounced “chee”), or vital energy. Qi circulates through the body, nourishing and energizing every cell of every tissue and organ. If there is a blockage in this flow, pain and/or disease is the result. Qi moves through pathways, called meridians. Meridians are like a network of rivers flowing inside the body. As a river flows through the land with its many branches, it provides life giving water to land, plants and animals. Meridians act in much the same way, carrying Qi to every cell of every tissue and organ in the body. Blockages in this Qi flow are like a dam in a river. The Qi becomes backed up, perhaps causing pain, and cutting off the flow of this vital energy to everything downstream.
Trauma, both emotional and physical, stress, poor diet, lack of exercise or excessive activity are among the ways Qi flow can be influenced negatively. If we are strong and healthy, the body will recover quickly from such an imbalance and return to a state of wellness. In the case of prolonged or excessive disruption, pain or disease can occur.
A full health history will be taken at the time of your initial examination. You will be asked questions regarding symptoms, general health, and lifestyle. Tongue and pulse diagnosis are a very unique exam to TCM, and can provide much insight to a person’s health.
Using the information gathered, the practitioner can effectively diagnose specific imbalances in your Qi, and create a structured treatment plan. Treatment plans may include Chinese herbal therapy, dietary recommendations, exercises, cupping or moxibustion, as well as acupuncture.
To address these imbalances, sterile, hair-like needles are placed at very specific points along the meridians. This is a very safe and painless procedure used to help remove the obstructions, thus allowing Qi to flow freely again. This can eliminate pain and stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine is a safe, effective and drug free therapy that can address a large number of common ailments. Just some of the conditions recognized by the WHO (World Health Organization) to be effectively treated by acupuncture are: anxiety, arthritis, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic fatigue, colitis, common cold, constipation, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, emotional problems, fatigue, fibromyalgia, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, low back pain, menopause, menstrual irregularities, migraine, pain, PMS, sciatica, shoulder pain, stress and tennis elbow.