Chiropractic Care
What is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is a patient-centred, non-invasive, hands-on, regulated health care profession focused on your spine, muscles, joints, and nervous system.
Chiropractors use the best available evidence and clinical expertise to diagnose issues that affect your body’s movement. Chiropractic treatment is a drug-free, and very often hands-on form of manual therapy. The most common form of treatment used by a chiropractor is the manual manipulation of the joints of the body; this procedure is often referred to as a “chiropractic adjustment”. The adjustment restores joint mobility and decreases pain.
Chiropractors may also use soft tissue techniques to address the muscles, nerves, tendons and ligaments of the body. They may also use adjunctive therapies such as acupuncture/dry needling, and low-level laser therapy or ultrasound to decrease pain and improve the body’s own ability to heal.
The type of treatment you will receive depends on the condition being treated and your overall medical history. A proper assessment, including a history, neurological and orthopaedic examination, will help the chiropractor identify the underlying concerns and what, if any, form of chiropractic care is right for you.
What Happens During a First Assessment?
During a first visit assessment, Dr. Meldrum will take the time to assess your pain, dysfunction or concern by asking you various different questions about when the problem first started, was it triggered by an event or if there are any associated problems or symptoms you have noticed. She will also ask about your family history and your personal medical history. Following this, Dr. Meldrum will conduct a physical examination that will include a neurological assessment as well as an orthopedic assessment. By analyzing the movements of your spine and joints, strength of your muscles and painful areas, we will be able to determine the root cause of your injury or concern. Then Dr. Meldrum will discuss with you what is likely the cause of the underlying problem and the various different options available for treatment; if x- rays are required she will provide you with a requisition, or if she requires reports from your family medical provider she will request a copy of any test results that have recently been completed.