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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.