Dr Daniel Prinsen

BHSc (Hons), DC — Chiropractor, Acupuncture Provider

Native to the city of St. Catharines, Dr. Daniel Prinsen spent most of his weekends and summers working on a local farm in Niagara-On-The-Lake tending to the peaches, grapes and flowers found in many Niagara supermarkets. Dr Prinsen’s ambition to become a healthcare professional was sparked during medical campaigning tours in Peru and Ecuador where he provided medical services to various communities in need. He had a personal interest in athletics and health, and went on to receive a 4-year Bachelor of Health Sciences from Brock University. He continued his education with another 4 years at Toronto’s Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College from which he received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Dr. Prinsen is proficient in Diversified (hands-on) Chiropractic Technique, muscle-release Therapy and Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Therapy (IASTM) and various auxillary modalities. Certification in Functional Integrative Acupuncture provides him with a biomedical approach to acupuncture that addresses function and movement along with pain and nervous system modulation. Dr Prinsen is a Concussion Management Practitioner, trained through Complete Concussion Management Institute, and is equipped to effectively manage concussions and conduct comprehensive pre-concussion baseline testing. Click Here to book Baseline Testing or other Concussion Assessment/Treatment appointments

In 2022, Dr Prinsen broadened his reach of service by becoming a firefighter and now carefully allocates his time between both serving the community and delivering the quality care his patients know him for.

Dr. Prinsen has a passion for sports. While his personal athletic interests include playing soccer and volleyball, he also sets aside time as a coach for youth soccer with Club Roma. A history of playing & coaching competitive sports provides him with a greater knowledge of an athlete’s health. Understanding movements and stresses experienced allow him to better care for and train his patients. Dr. Prinsen believes in prevention as the best medicine. For injuries and physical care he follows a practical approach prioritizing patient knowledge and function. Improving strength, range of motion, and control in combination with health education/guidance are at the core of his Chiropractic treatment philosophy.

FAQs with Dr Dan..

What are the most common reasons for which people come to see you?

Most of my patients present with the two classic chiropractic complaints - neck pain and low back pain. While the root causes for these complaints vary widely, the approach to care for these complaints generally includes many similar components: education and reassurance, manual therapy and/or modalities supplemented with intensity-appropriate active rehabilitation to help the patient reach their goals.

What types of treatments/modalities do you provide?

As a Chiropractor I provide Manual Therapy in many forms. It may include spinal or extremity manipulation which can be hands-on adjustments or using an arthostim (mechanical manipulation). Mobilizations (where a joint is slowly brought to it’s end-range) are an alternative to those. 

Muscle release techniques and PNF stretching are also common parts of treatment with me. 

Acupuncture is also one of my tools; it’s a powerful modality that helps modulate pain, reduce muscle tension and improve blood-flow to an injury, helping the natural healing process. 

I am also certified as a Complete Concussion Management practitioner. 

What is one of your favourite conditions to treat? 

Shoulder conditions may be my favourite. While they are not always the easiest to deal with, I’m always interested in their complexity, and thorough investigation often leads to a good range of treatment approaches.  

Secondly, I definitely find concussions the most rewarding to care for. Concussions can be scary and stressful; witnessing a patient's transition from dealing with the multitude of post-concussive symptoms to being fully cleared to ‘return to play’ is always a treat.

Do you always need x-rays to see a chiro? When do they have to be done ahead of time?

No, a chiropractic visit here does not always require x-rays. If I order x-rays it’s a means of assessing trauma or age-related bony changes. Sometimes the results of our exam don’t add up, or a pathological symptom is suspected and additional investigation is warranted. 

What's the most difficult part of a chiro treatment plan for patients? How do you help make that as easy as possible?

I find patients mostly have a difficult time adhering to advice once they’ve left the office. It can be difficult to keep going with the prescribed instructions for the recommended length of time, when other life-issues can get in the way. How we get around that is reviewing instructions at follow-up visits, messaging to check-in, and written reminders of their treatment prescription. Once a patient experiences the results of following through with advice, they're much more likely to repeat it.

How often do you see pregnant patients or children?

I see children and pre-teens quite often! Most of these are for sport-related or other odd injuries that occur at home while rough-housing with siblings or friends.

Pregnant patients are not as common for me as children are, but when I do my approach includes careful manual therapy and appropriate exercise prescription. Methods include a variety of techniques that ease the symptoms and stress of carrying a tiny human for 9 months. 

What conditions do you find are best helped with orthotics?

In my experience orthotics go a long way with helping plantar fasciopathy, symptoms arising from long-term use of poor (ie. narrow or unsupportive) footwear, and sore/fatigued feet in those that spend the majority of their day standing or walking.

Can you describe your most common patient? 

My best guess is the most common patient I see these days is a middle-aged adult who has hurt their back, neck or shoulder doing a normal activity that they do frequently; taking out the trash, personal hygiene, picking up a twig off their lawn, replacing a lightbulb, doing errands, repeated activities at work, etc. A common question is usually "Why did this happen?" The answer to this could be a variety of things: fatigue, a moment of poor coordination, improper preparation, or reduced tissue tolerance due to repetitive stress. However, the most common reason would be a previous related injury that was not addressed appropriately and was re-aggravated.

How many times do people typically see you?

While this is very dependent on the presenting condition, it would be typical to see someone 6-8x within a month or two, especially if the condition is either painful or interfering with their quality of life.  

Some patients prefer to continue on a monthly basis because they feel they benefit from regular care. Others feel 100% and prefer to call back later if another issue arises. In that case I address the need to continue practicing healthy habits - exercise often, eat well and sleep enough - to remain injury-free. 

What do you like best about being a Chiropractor?

This is an easy one. There is nothing more rewarding than having a hand in improving someone's quality of life by simply providing a direction and an approach to care that fits them.