Frequently Asked Questions

Please browse through our frequently asked questions to find answers to your questions.

Do chiropractors refer patients to other health care professionals such as medical doctors when necessary?

Do chiropractors take a medical history?

Do medical doctors refer patients to chiropractors?

Is chiropractic covered by government health plans?

Is chiropractic really scientific?

Is chiropractic regulated in Canada?

Is every patient's treatment the same?

Isn't there a risk of stroke associated with neck manipulation?

Once you go to a chiropractor, don't they make you keep going for the rest of your life?

What conditions do chiropractors treat?

What kind of education and training do chiropractors have?

Why do chiropractors take x-rays?

Why do chiropractors treat children?

Why refer to a chiropractor when a physiotherapist provides the same treatment?

Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?

How is chiropractic manipulation performed?

Can chiropractic treatment cure colds, earaches and other ailments?

Is chiropractic manipulation a safe procedure?

Can chiropractic treatment provide a preventative function?

Is chiropractic care effective?

What education and training do chiropractors have?

In what way is chiropractic care "holistic" and "natural"?

Do chiropractors refer patients to other health care professionals such as medical doctors when necessary?

Yes, like medical doctors, chiropractors refer patients to other health professionals when they feel it is appropriate. Chiropractors are well trained to recognize risk factors as well as individual disease patterns and will not hesitate to make a referral when it is in the best interest of the patient’s health. This process has been streamlined since 2009 when Alberta Health Care began to pay physicians their referral fee for accepting chiropractic referrals.

Do chiropractors take a medical history?

A Chiropractor will take a detailed health history during the first visit, prior to initial treatment. This will include details on lifestyle and risk factors to give the chiropractor a full picture of the patient’s health in order to determine the best treatment. As well, a detailed health history is important to rule out any contraindications to treatment and to fully investigate risk factors before a diagnosis and treatment recommendation can be reached.

Do medical doctors refer patients to chiropractors?

Yes, but it depends on the level of understanding and comfort with chiropractic of the individual doctor. We have had many patients referred for chiropractic care by their medical doctor yet there are others who actively discourage attending for chiropractic treatment. The Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons has removed any formal barriers to referrals by their members to chiropractors.

Is chiropractic covered by government health plans?

Chiropractic care is covered extensively by third party payers. These include the federal public service, worker's compensation boards, the automobile insurance industry, private health care insurers, large employers, the RCMP, and Veteran's Affairs Canada. Chiropractic services are also partially funded by the provincial health plan of Manitoba.

Is chiropractic really scientific?

Chiropractic is a healing discipline firmly grounded in science. Few other health care interventions have been assessed as extensively as chiropractic manipulation, both in terms of safety and effectiveness. There have been at least six formal government studies into chiropractic worldwide over the last 25 years and all have concluded that contemporary chiropractic care is safe, effective, cost-effective and have recommended public funding for chiropractic services. In addition, there have been countless scientific clinical studies assessing the appropriateness, effectiveness, and/or cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulation or chiropractic manipulation, most notably for low back pain. The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHI) now offers research grants in partnership with the Canadian Chiropractic Association to chiropractors and other scientists for high quality, chiropractic research.

Is chiropractic regulated in Canada?

Like medicine and dentistry, chiropractic is a self-regulated profession, and each provincial chiropractic regulatory body has the authority to grant a license to practice chiropractic. There are Chiropractic Acts in all 10 provinces and the Yukon Territory which establish a self-regulatory process which includes extensive testing for licensure. In all provinces, licensure requirements include university studies followed by graduation from an accredited chiropractic institution, and passing national and provincial board examinations.

Is every patient's treatment the same?

No, to an untrained observer it may seem the same as correction of different regions will use common patient and doctor positioning. The treatment a patient receives is related to the specific condition diagnosed by the chiropractor. Individual treatment plans are created and will vary from person to person depending on each person’s unique situation.

Isn't there a risk of stroke associated with neck manipulation?

If there is an association it is very small. Some suggest an incidence of 1 in 3 million while others like Dr. Hertzog a researcher at U of C feels there is not a causal relationship. In his lab he has been unable to create pathology in the vertebral artery at many times the forces and repetitions seen with neck manipulation.

Interestingly the most recent research found that an individual that experienced a stroke was more likely to have recently visited their medical doctor than a chiropractor. The reason for this was suggested that a person will contact their health provider in the early stages of a stroke. Both the patient and the doctor don’t recognize that the neck pain and headache are signs of this more serious underlying condition. As the symptoms of the stroke progress they mistakenly feel that there is a causal connection to the visit to the doctor.

Once you go to a chiropractor, don't they make you keep going for the rest of your life?

The hands-on nature of chiropractic treatment is essentially what sends patients back to the chiropractor a number of times. To be treated by a chiropractor a patient needs to be in his or her office. A chiropractor may provide acute, preventative and/or maintenance care thus making a certain number of visits necessary. How long you choose to continue to benefit from chiropractic treatment is always a patients choice.

What conditions do chiropractors treat?

Chiropractors are experts trained in the neuromusculoskeletal system. They provide conservative management of disorders of the spine and other body joints. This treatment consists of spinal adjustments and other manual therapies and also advice on corrective exercises, lifestyle and nutrition.

What kind of education and training do chiropractors have?

Chiropractors are educated as primary contact health care practitioners, with an emphasis on neuromusculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Preparation for the practice of chiropractic is concentrated on three areas: basic training in the biological and health sciences, specialized training in the chiropractic discipline, and extensive clinical training. Becoming a chiropractor in Canada requires a minimum of 7 years of post-secondary education including no less than 4 years of full-time classroom and clinical instruction at an institution approved by the Council on Chiropractic Education Canada.

Why do chiropractors take x-rays?

X-rays can play an important role in diagnosis and are taken when a need has been determined after taking a patient case history and conducting a physical examination. Chiropractors receive 360 hours of education in radiology covering a full range of topics from protection to X-ray interpretation and diagnosis. Governments in every province have recognized the training and competence of chiropractors to take and interpret X-rays and have granted them this right.

Why do chiropractors treat children?

The spine is important at every age and not just at adulthood or some arbitrary birth date. Chiropractors are concerned with prevention as well as treatment of spinal problems. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and traumas from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort. Also, left untreated the altered function can result in more severe problems in later years. Chiropractic care like any other therapy is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle.

Why refer to a chiropractor when a physiotherapist provides the same treatment?

The answer historically has been threefold. First unlike physiotherapists who worked under a doctor’s direction, chiropractors were trained as primary contact doctors so have the training and obligation to diagnose. Secondly chiropractic has a holistic perspective and tends to treat the whole person as opposed to treating just the presenting complaint in isolation. Finally, Chiropractors were specialists in adjustments to the spine as that was the focus of the four years of training. Although these differences still exist today physiotherapists are getting broader rights for diagnosing and working independently and some have acquired additional training and expertise in the area of manipulation.

Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?

Chiropractors are "primary contact" health care providers. This means that they are trained to render a diagnosis and determine whether a patient has a condition that is in the scope of chiropractic treatment which means you don’t need a physician referral.

How is chiropractic manipulation performed?

Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a manual procedure that utilizes the highly refined skills developed during four intensive years of chiropractic education. The chiropractor typically uses his/her hands to manipulate the joints of the body, particularly the spine, in order to reduce pain, and restore or enhance joint function.

This procedure is a highly controlled low amplitude high velocity manoeuvre adapted to meet the specific needs of each patient.

Can chiropractic treatment cure colds, earaches and other ailments?

Chiropractic care cannot "cure" these conditions, but there is some evidence to indicate that adjustment may have a beneficial effect on a variety of conditions. Adjustment may alleviate some of the secondary, or referred pain, arising from the response of the musculoskeletal structures to the primary cause. For example, research conducted in Denmark resulted in chiropractic treatment being recommended for the relief of infantile colic. Similarly, a recent U.S. study concluded that the application of manipulative techniques in children with recurring ear infections can prevent or decrease surgical intervention or antibiotic overuse.

Is chiropractic manipulation a safe procedure?

Chiropractic adjustment or manipulation is a drug-free, non-invasive approach to common musculoskeletal conditions such as headache, and neck and back pain. As such, it is a low risk therapy. Complications arising from adjustment are rare.

Can chiropractic treatment provide a preventative function?

Clinical experience suggests that individuals with chronic conditions such as degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) or recurrent neck pain, back pain or headaches may experience less frequent and less severe symptoms when under regular chiropractic care. We term this palliative care in that many of these conditions cannot be cured but the treatment helps patients have a higher quality of life. This also applies to individuals in highly stressful situations and those who experience repetitive physical and postural strain from their daily activities. Whether ongoing chiropractic treatment can prevent back pain from occurring in the first place is not known. A recent study in 2011 suggested that maintenance treatment of low back pain resulted in a better long term outcome with fewer re-occurrences at one year’s follow up.

Is chiropractic care effective?

There have been numerous government enquiries and several research studies which have documented the effectiveness of chiropractic. This efficacy is well established for mechanical low back pain, neck pain and whiplash associated disorders. There has also been significant support for the treatment of headaches and TMJ conditions. Preliminary studies have also shown efficacy for a wide range of conditions such as ear infections infantile colic and menstrual cramping.

What education and training do chiropractors have?

Chiropractors are educated as primary contact health care practitioners, with an emphasis on neuromusculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Preparation for the practice of chiropractic is concentrated on three areas: basic training in the biological and health sciences, specialized training in the chiropractic discipline, and extensive clinical training. Becoming a chiropractor in Canada requires a minimum of 7 years of post-secondary education including no less than 4 years of full-time classroom and clinical instruction at an institution approved by the Council on Chiropractic Education Canada.

In what way is chiropractic care "holistic" and "natural"?

Chiropractors are of the understanding that the body is a self healing and self regulating organism. Health is a condition of wholeness that is expressed by creating the right circumstances such as removing nerve interference, and correct diet, exercise and stress management. This is an inside out as opposed to an outside in approach to health! Chiropractors do not use surgery or prescribe drugs but instead focus on helping patients manifest this health potential by identifying and removing interference.

"In 2003, one-fifth of Canadians aged 12 or older, or an estimated 5.4 million people, reported having used some type of alternative or complementary health care in the year before the survey, confirming a trend toward higher use."

- Statistics Canada, "Health Reports: Use of Alternative Care"