Chiropractic Care

We live our lives through our nervous systems. Our motor nerves control the muscles which move our bodies and joints. Our sensory nerves perceive the world around us: sight, smell, positional sense (called proprioception), temperature, and pain stimuli are just some of their tasks. Our autonomic nerves control the things that we need to survive without having to think about it—think your heartbeat, your lungs breathing, and all of our organ function.

Chiropractors are often thought of as pain doctors, but really we are nervous system doctors. Through working with the spine and cranium we can affect our central nervous system that controls every process in the body. So yes, chiropractic is wonderful for solving many painful conditions, but some of the cool side effects our patients have also noticed are things like better sleep, improved digestion, better pelvic floor function and less urinary incontinence, better focus, improved breathing patterns, and much more!

If you have been on the internet in the last couple of years you may have seen some videos, both real and for comedy, of people getting adjusted. While there are some camps that are all about the crack (if I had a dollar for every time someone said they wanted to get cracked like a glow stick! ) others are a little more cautious about the noises. This is why there are a variety of different techniques that can be used.

Read more below about some specific populations and how we help.

PREGNANCY + POST-PARTUM

Hormonal and biomechanical changes to the body as you grow a tiny human can create all kinds of unpleasant symptoms or side effects. Your center of gravity changes and that puts stress on the structures of the pelvis especially but because everything is attached you can see widespread effects. The Webster Technique is a chiropractic technique and assessment system that address imbalances in the bones, ligaments and muscles of the pelvis and was specifically developed for the pregnant body. Historically it has been thought of as a technique for “flipping” breech babies. While better pelvic mechanics can give baby the room to get head down we are not doing anything to the baby. Besides allowing optimal positioning, regular chiropractic care during your pregnancy can help manage round ligament pain or “lightning crotch”, may lead to improved birthing outcomes such as shorter labour, less risk of shoulder dystocia, or baby getting “stuck”, and less risk of tearing. When the body is better aligned, the path to exit is a less winding one.

Additionally, those who continue care into the postpartum period report less discomfort from feeding, carrying and baby wearing. Depending on your birth provider, we may also see you more frequently postpartum than other professionals and symptoms of PPD and anxiety can be caught earlier, making the necessary referrals for help more timely. 

BREAST FEEDING + BOTTLE FEEDING

One of the most common concerns we see in the office is difficulty feeding. We focus on achieving proper oral function. The movement of the jaw and its ability to open and close is incredibly important to get a good latch. Tension in the muscles of the face, tongue and neck play a huge role in jaw function and latch. Since oral function plays a role in solid introductions, chewing and swallow patterns, speech and facial development, it is much more important than just being able to feed, it is about being able to feed well, no matter if your feeding journey includes breast or bottle feeding.

We assess tension and function during our infant evaluation. Signs of dysfunction that may indicate your infant would benefit from an assessment:

  • not feeding equally on both sides

  • nipple pain or damage

  • falling asleep during feeds

  • Prolonged frequent and/or long feeds

  • messy eaters: spilling milk from the sides of the mouth

  • Clicking sounds when sucking

  • Frequent spit up after feeds

  • Colic symptoms

  • Excessive painful gas, difficulty burping or pooping

Anyone who has witnessed birth can attest that it is an incredibly intense time. While we often acknowledge that giving birth is one of the hardest physical things the human body can do, we often forget about the baby’s journey of being born. Even a physiological “normal”, uncomplicated birth still can put a lot of stress on the body. Add in birth interventions like forceps, vacuum or a c-section delivery and that stress can multiply and manifest as tension in their little bodies.

This tension can show up in a variety of different types of symptoms:

  • torticollis or head tilt

  • difficulty feeding

  • “strong” newborns- a baby that can hold their head up at a few days old is tense not strong!

  • excessive gas, difficulty passing gas or bowel movements

  • colic (this prolonged crying is a symptom, not a diagnosis!)

  • altered sleep patterns

INFANTS

Chiropractic is a gentle, non invasive way to help release some of that tension. Adjustments for babies are not like the adjustments people think of for adults. There is no rapid movements, no twisting or cracking. Gentle pressure is held over the vertebrae or cranium to help release tension and restore normal function.

KIDS

As kids are learning and growing there are constant stressors on their bodies from falls as they learn to crawl, walk and run, to sitting for long periods at school, sports, and technology. Things that we specifically check for in childhood include muscle and alignment imbalances that can lead to gait issues, scoliosis, and pain or dysfunction later in life, as well as what are called primitive reflexes- these are reflexes that are present when babies are born and as they learn and grow will integrate as their brains develop. But sometimes these reflexes do not integrate properly, from traumas (can be physical, chemical or emotional trauma) or from improper milestone developments (eg skipping crawling or improper crawl patterns- looking at you, army crawlers and butt scooters!). When these reflexes remain present they can be related to a large variety of different symptoms- picky, textural eaters, kids who can’t sit still or are bothered by clothing and textures, as well as being associated with neurodivergent behaviours such as ADHD and autism. Chiropractic adjustments and primitive reflex exercises performed at home can help improve posture, attention, sleep and may prevent or delay pain or arthritic conditions.

TEENS

Aside from the first year of life there is no time where there is greater amounts of brain development than in your teens. Changes in hormones and rapid growth spurts as well as greater physical demands from sports and hobbies happen in this period. Often this is the time that some of the pain and compensation patterns can start to show more obvious signs. As a former teen ourselves, we are well aware of the injuries that we brushed off because we “recovered” (or at least could function) quickly and it is these injuries that can come to haunt us in our adult lives. The greatest risk of injury is actually a past injury, so it is much easier to rehab it when it first happens than when it turns chronic years later.

  • This is the technique that is most commonly associated with chiropractic. It involved manually moving the joints of the spine or extremities through their physiologic range of motion. The “thrust” is known as high velocity, low amplitude (HVLA), meaning that it is fast but the amount of movement produced is small. Often there is the stereotypical “crack” sound associated with this technique. The crack is simply gas being moved around the joint that is being adjusted, it is not bones cracking. While in general this technique is safe and effective, there are some conditions where it is best to use other methods of adjusting and your chiropractor will assess and discuss the best course of care for you specifically. There are people out there that come in and asked to be “cracked like a glow stick”, but there are also people who do not enjoy the crack sound and other techniques can be used.

  • The activator is a handheld instrument that uses a spring loaded handle to deliver a quick impulse, feeling like a quick tap, to the desired area of the spine or other joints of the body. It has multiple settings, allowing it to be used with the correct amount of force for different patient populations from pediatric to geriatric, as well as be changed for different areas of the body where there is more or less muscle mass surrounding the joints. This can also sometimes be described by patients as the “clicker”, due to the sound that it makes similar to a loud stapler.

  • This technique uses a specialized type of table where there are different sections of the table that move. The table is operated using different levers to raise a small amount (usually an inch or two) and then the chiropractor will contact the joint that is being adjusted and push, causing the table to drop back down. This technique is extremely gentle because it uses the physics of the drop piece to move the joint through it’s intended range of motion. While occasionally, like any joint can do if it is moved, there are some cracking sounds that can be made, most of the time the only noise made during this technique is the sound of the table dropping back down.

  • This technique is actually more of an assessment framework, as the technique used can be a combination of diversified, activator or drop. The analysis focusses on the alignment and movement of the sacrum, the triangle shaped bone at the base of the spine that sits between the two hip bones. It was developed for the pregnant pelvis, and at one time was known as the breech turning technique but communication around this technique is now clear that chiropractors are not turning breech babies, and the focus is on restoring regular pelvic biomechanics. It involves adjustments of the sacrum and pubic bone as well as release of some of the soft tissue surrounding the pelvis: round ligament, sacrotuberous ligament, as well as the posts and piriformis muscles. It is also beneficial for any weight bearing individual, not those who are pregnant or even female.

  • Like Webster, the MC2 technique is actually more of an analysis and the adjustments can be performed using any technique chosen by the chiropractor. This analysis is described as a “tonal technique”. The analysis involves checking that the patient’s feet are even, or balanced. If it looks like one leg is shorter than the other. Different vertebrae are contacted to determine if any of those contacts stimulate a temporary lengthening of the short leg, resulting in evening out of the feet. The contact that balances the feet, as well as the direction that it is contacted is the vertebrae that needs to be corrected and the range of motion in which it will create balance and even out the body. A true anatomical leg length discrepancy, that is if one of the bones does is not the same length as the other, will not balance out because the cause of the imbalance is not due to “tone” of the muscular or nervous systems.

  • This technique is used on every single baby that comes into the office, and although it is taught and was developed to address issues in feeding and oral motor development it can also be applied to anyone to address issues of jaw pain and dysfunction, dental and facial development issues, as well as other fascial and muscle patterns throughout the entire body. It addresses the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and its dysfunction, as well as the bones of the palate, which is actually three different bones until the skeleton matures and they fuse together as one. Also addressed is tension of the base of the tongue and the lingual frenulum. It can also be used to evaluate if there is any tethered oral tissues (TOTs) such as a tongue tie or a lip tie.

CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUES

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FEES & FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Initial Consult and Chiropractic Neurological Exam ———— $150.00

Adjustment ———— $50.00

 *Fees are subject to change

  • The cracking sound that is often associated with chiropractic is simply gas being released from the joints when they are moved. While some people, especially if they are already in pain, can experience mild discomfort with adjustments it is generally not painful. There are also many different techniques that can be used to find the best fit and comfort for every patient!

  • The initial exam is our opportunity to gain information about your past medical history, your current health status and do a thorough neurological and physical exam. We may also send you for imaging. We want the ability to get a full picture of your health, thoroughly analyze the findings and look for patterns or connections, and then to be able to sit down and explain the findings with you before you begin care. We want you to be able to make informed decisions on your health care and having all of the information helps us do that.

  • For every population that we see we will tailor the technique for the person that is in front of us. The amount of force and type of adjustment used for a baby will vary greatly from that used for a teenage athlete, a person during their pregnancy, and someone in their golden years. Think of going to the grocery store and picking up a peach to check its ripeness. This is the amount of force we use on a baby, and it is generally just a held contact on the vertebrae, no twisting or cracking involved.

  • The Webster technique was specifically developed for the pregnant pelvis, but most full spine chiropractic techniques are safe and gentle throughout an entire healthy pregnancy. Make sure to let your chiropractor know if there have been any concerns to ensure the technique they are using is appropriate.

  • While there are many people who choose to use chiropractic as part of their wellness or maintenance routine, similar to exercise or a healthy diet, you are the boss in your healthcare journey. You are welcome to stop any time, we won’t be mad! We’ll be here when you need us again.

FAQ