FAQs About Chiropractic Care at our Clinic: An Evidence-Based Approach

What is evidence based chiropractic care and how is it different?

Evidence based chiropractic care tends to be much more involved in terms of treatments. We use current research and evidence to guide our treatments and use a variety of techniques including adjustments, massage, myofascial release, electrotherapy, laser and rehab to treat you.

Treatments tend to be much longer in duration and not nearly as frequent as what many people have experienced at other chiropractors.

How long will my initial visit take and what is involved?

The initial assessment is generally close to an hour long. We will do a detailed history, discussing any symptoms you are having and have had in the past as well as any other important aspects of your medical history.

Your physical examination will involve taking your blood pressure, reflexes (and any other neurological assessment that we feel is necessary), assessing your posture, how you walk and how you move. We will also do a series of orthopedic tests that will give us more insight into what’s going on.

We will then discuss with you what we’ve found and what treatment techniques we feel are appropriate for you. We will discuss the risks and benefits of your specific care and answer any questions you have.

Then we will proceed with a treatment or refer you to the appropriate practitioner for your needs if necessary.

Do I need to get x-rays?

Generally no. We do not expose our patients to unnecessary radiation. The only reason that you would be sent for x-rays is if something came up during your initial consultation that we felt needed to be examined further, in which case we would refer you back to your medical doctor to get x-rays and we would proceed from there.

What is an average treatment like and how long does it take?

We will discuss how you’ve been feeling since your last treatment and anything new that may be going on. We will then do a treatment using a variety of techniques, including massage, myofascial release, adjustments and/or joint mobilizations, electrotherapy and rehab instruction, which takes about 30 minutes.

How often do I need to come back?

Everyone is different and it depends on what we are treating and how severe your symptoms are. Generally we will want to see you for a follow up about a week after your initial treatment for a few weeks to get your symptoms under control as quickly as possible. Then we will spread out the appointments as you are feeling better.

Once your symptoms (ie. pain, discomfort, decreased mobility) are under control you can decide with your doctor whether maintenance appointments every month or so are the right approach for your care or whether you’re fine to just call us if you’re having a flare up.

How do payments work and do I need to sign up for anything?

We will never have you sign up for anything! Treatments are billed on an individual basis. You only pay for the treatments you get, there is never any commitment. Every patient is unique and our goal is to help you achieve your health goals, whatever that may look like.

We do not offer direct billing but you will be provided with a receipt after each visit to submit to your third party insurers.

Do you only treat back pain?

We do treat a lot of back pain but that’s not all. Because we use such a wide variety of techniques we can very effectively treat many different conditions. Common things we see in our office are back and hip pain, neck pain and upper back pain, headaches, shoulder injuries and tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, knee pain and ankle injuries.

What is that "cracking" noise anyway?

Many people associate that noise with chiropractic adjustments and it does commonly happen with a manual style adjustment. It’s just gases being compressed within the joint capsule. While it is a bizarre noise it’s very comfortable. Some people are just not comfortable with that noise and that’s ok too. We are well versed in a variety of techniques that can help with your symptoms; there are things we can do to help without those cracking noises.

How can I book an appointment?

Call or email our office and one of our receptionists can get you booked in with a chiropractor at our Lucan or St. Marys locations for your initial assessment.

Have more questions…you can book a FREE 15 minute consultation with one of our doctors to find out more about what we do!