1. What is a chiropractic adjustment?

​

An adjustment is a quick thrust used by the chiropractor's hands to the spine or another joint. The adjustment is done to restore the range of motion of the joint and decrease pain.

 

Sometimes an audible sound can be heard when adjusting certain joints such as the spine. This is to be expected and does not hurt. Complications are rare and side-effects, such as temporary soreness, are usually minor. Your chiropractor will determine if your problem will respond to chiropractic care or if you require a referral to another health care provider.

​

 

2. How long will I need chiropractic care?

​

After the initial visit, the chiropractor and the patient will discuss a treatment plan. This is patient dependent. Some individuals will require only a few treatment sessions to feel better when others feel a benefit from seeing the chiropractor on a regular basis.

 

3. Does OHIP cover chiropractic care?

​

OHIP does not currently cover chiropractic services but most extended health care benefits cover a portion of the chiropractic service.

​

4. What are some conditions that chiropractors treat?

​

The most common conditions that are seen in a chiropractic office are back pain, neck pain, migraines, and shoulder injuries. Additionally, chiropractors commonly treat sports injuries, arthritis, and other joint problems.

 

5. Do I need a prescription or referral to go see a chiropractor?

​

No, as a primary health care provider you do not need a referral to go to a chiropractor. Often times medical doctors do refer patients to chiropractors if their injury is believed to be musculoskeletal in nature and can benefit from chiropractic care. Likewise, if a chiropractor thinks a patient needs additional care they will refer a patient to their medical doctor or another practitioner.

​

6. What is the difference between a physiotherapist and a chiropractor?

​

A chiropractor spends 4 years learning how to diagnose and treat spine problems. They also learn how to diagnose and treat problems in the rest of the body, but they specialize in spine care.

 

A physiotherapist spends 2 years learning about the whole body and then decides where to focus after they graduate, which can include spine care, but also stroke rehab, post knee surgery, pelvic floor rehab, etc. Depending on what an individual chiropractor or physiotherapist decides to do after they graduate, they may work in very similar or very different roles

​

7. Will a chiropractor give me exercises?

​

This is completely dependent on the chiropractor. Some chiropractors will only use manual therapy such as adjustments to treat patients. Many chiropractors today will prescribe and perform rehabilitation exercises with patients as part of their treatment plan. At All Systems we believe that exercise and movement play a vital role in preventing injury, helping recover from injury, controlling pain, and optimizing performance. Additionally, specific exercise has been proven in the research to help

individuals with many conditions such as arthritis and tendon injuries.

 

8. How long do chiropractic visits last?

​

Typically, chiropractors spend a lot of time on the history and physical portion of an initial patient visit. This can take up to 30 minutes- 1 hour depending on the type of complaint. After a treatment plan is agreed upon between the doctor and patient treatment sessions are generally a lot shorter. If a treatment plan consists of only manual therapy and an adjustment it may take 15 minutes. If the patient's plan has acupuncture and/or exercise components their session maybe 30 minutes.

 

If you have any additional questions contact us at All Systems Performance and Chiropractic. If you have a question you think others may also benefit from feel free to share it with us and we can have a part 2 of frequently asked questions in our blog.