Our Services | Chiropractic

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care is offered by Dr. Jeffrey Tuling at both our Stratford and St. Marys locations.

What is Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Canada with over 6,000 practicing chiropractors. Approximately four and a half million Canadians visit a chiropractor each year.

Chiropractors assess disorders related to the spine, nervous system, and joints of the extremities and provide diagnosis, treatment and management of those disorders. Chiropractic spinal manipulation (commonly referred to as a chiropractic adjustment) is a drug-free, non-invasive, controlled manual procedure, which uses the highly refined skills developed during four intensive years of chiropractic education. The primary goal of chiropractic manipulation is to treat areas of decreased movement in the joints of the body, particularly the spine. These decreased areas of movement can create a reaction in surrounding tissues (ligaments, muscles and nerves) resulting in pain, inflammation, dysfunction and muscular spasm. Chiropractors are also trained to employ other treatments such as soft tissue therapy, acupuncture, electrotherapy, rehabilitative exercises, and nutritional counselling.

The vast majority of patients who seek chiropractic care do so for complaints of the musculoskeletal system, most often for conditions affecting the spine. Scientific studies of spinal adjustments have demonstrated that chiropractic treatment improves function and is effective for common conditions such as headache, neck and back pain. In addition to spinal complaints, chiropractic training today equips the practitioner with skills in examination, diagnosis, and physical treatment of many non-spinal complaints such as shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle dysfunction and pain. If your complaint is not something that would respond favourably to chiropractic care, a referral will be made to the appropriate health care practitioner.

In many cases, such as acute lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. Where other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects of discomfort associated with the condition. Chiropractic care may also be palliative, providing symptomatic relief to patients with chronic pain conditions.

Common Conditions Treated

Chiropractors assess, diagnose, and treat disorders of joints, muscles, tendons, bones and nerves. The primary therapeutic goals of chiropractic treatment are:

• Decrease tissue inflammation
• Enhance and stimulate the healing process
• Ensure that the healing process is occurring correctly
• Increase pain free ranges of motion in muscles and joints
• Decrease stiffness and pain
• Improve balance, strength and coordination
• Implement strategies to prevent future relapses

Common conditions that may be successfully treated with chiropractic care include:

DISCLAIMER: This is a basic summary for educational purposes only. It is not intended, and should not be considered, as a replacement for consultation, diagnosis or treatment by a duly licensed health practitioner.

Is Chiropractic Safe?

Prior to becoming licensed to practice chiropractic, all eligible candidates are required to pass rigorous national and provincial examinations before applying to the Licensing Board for the right to practice. Chiropractors are required to complete post-graduate instruction and continuing education as part of annual license renewal. This professional development keeps the chiropractor well- equipped with the skills needed to provide patients with safe and effective chiropractic care.

Just as the medical profession in general must be completely certain that the care they provide is safe, so too must the chiropractic profession. The safety and effectiveness of chiropractic treatment has been studied very carefully. Chiropractic care is safe for individuals of all ages. Serious complications from chiropractic treatments are rare. Your chiropractor will discuss all potential side effects and any risks along with the benefits of the care you receive. If your chiropractor diagnoses a problem that would be better treated by another health care professional, he or she will make an appropriate referral.

Additional chiropractic resources and information can be found at:

The Ontario Chiropractic Association | www.chiropractic.on.ca
The Canadian Chiropractic Association | www.ccachiro.org

How is a Chiropractor Trained?

Chiropractic students undergo a rigorous course of study similar to that of other health care professionals. Students are required to complete a minimum of three years of university education before they are eligible for admission to the CMCC accredited program. The CMCC program requires four years of full-time study. This educational program is fully accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education of Canada (CCEC).

In addition to the academic program, chiropractic education requires a 12 month hands-on clinical experience under the direct supervision of highly qualified, licensed chiropractic faculty. This experience includes clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. The faculty at CMCC has diverse backgrounds and offers students a wide range of expertise. Faculty comes from such disciplines as biological sciences, pathology, medicine and psychology, as well as chiropractic. Some of the courses in the CMCC program include:

* Anatomy, biochemistry, neuroanatomy, physiology, neurology, embryology, histology, pathology, immunology, microbiology, clinical biomechanics, neuroscience, nutrition, orthopedics, radiology (biophysics and protection, x-ray interpretation and diagnosis), and clinical sciences specifically relating to diagnosis.

For a complete and detailed list of courses in the CMCC program visit the Undergraduate Studies Section of CMCC's website :
http://www.cmcc.ca/page.aspx?pid=291

The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC)

The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College has been a leader in chiropractic research for more than five decades. The College has dedicated itself to the development of an ongoing, productive research program. Faculty have been successful in obtaining research grants from funding agencies and have published extensively in peer-reviewed and refereed chiropractic journals, as well as in multi-disciplinary journals such as the British Medical Journal, Spine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Pain, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine.

Over the years, CMCC has developed relationships with faculty in other academic institutions in North America. Research collaborations have taken place with faculty from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, University of Western Ontario, Institute for Work and Health, St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Guelph, University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, The Texas Back Institute, and St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton. In 1996, CMCC partnered with the University of Waterloo to establish Canada's first chiropractic research clinic within a university.

How is Chiropractic Regulated?

Chiropractic is regulated by provincial statute in all provinces and all American States. For example, in Ontario, chiropractic has been governed by statute since 1925. Currently, it is regulated by the Chiropractic Act (1991), which is administered by the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO), created in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) (1991).

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. The College of Chiropractors of Ontario, like the colleges in each of the other provinces, is established by legislation in the same manner, and with the same structure and similar regulations, as the regulatory bodies for other health professions. It is responsible for protecting the public, standards of practice, disciplinary issues, quality assurance and maintenance of competency. This self-regulating and disciplinary process ensures that the public's health concerns are the Chiropractic profession's highest priority.

Rehabilitative Exercise Preparation

Regular exercise has long been identified as an essential component to good health. It can increase the ability to cure, diminish and eliminate many chronic ailments plaguing people today. There are many health benefits attributed to exercise. The most likely reason for this is that exercise influences every organ and structure in our body in a positive manner. Exercise prescription is a common form of treatment utilized by Dr. Tuling. Exercise should be viewed as guided and coordinated movements that strengthen our bodies to withstand our everyday occupational and recreational activities. Dr. Tuling will ensure that appropriate and safe exercises are prescribed for you. Exercise prescription may consist of the following:

• Stretching exercises to promote flexibility within tight, injured, or weakened muscles and the joints that they may influence
• Strengthening exercises to rehabilitate injured or weakened muscles and the joints they influence
• Stabilization exercises to help train your nervous system and teach your body its most efficient and balanced position in space
• Cardiovascular exercise for general fitness, weight loss, and rehabilitation
• Tips on starting a safe and effective exercise program
• Ergonomic advice and corrective exercises to combat postural strain

Exercise activities should be appropriate and linked to the physical capabilities of the individual. An exercise program that may be considered safe and appropriate for one individual may not be safe for another individual because of age, physical limitations, and other general health concerns. It is for this reason that a beneficial exercise program can vary greatly from one person to the next, and should only be prescribed by a knowledgeable and experienced individual.

To make a chiropractic appointment, please call:
Stratford: 519.271.8323
St. Marys: 519.284.3883