Honestly-you won’t know until after you’ve had an examination during a chiropractic appointment.
We know that pain and symptoms are a sign that your body needs care. Remember, that is only one kind of signal.
To know if Chiropractic can help, we need to learn more about you and your current concern. We won’t know for sure if we can help you without first performing a consultation, and thorough examination.
The complimentary consultation will let us know more about your case history. This leads to an examination.
The examination will indicate:
If you do not have a problem with your spine or nervous system, it means that you do not have a problem we can help you with. We will then refer you to another appropriate health care practitioner that can help you.
In Canada, Chiropractors are legislated as Primary Health Care Practitioners. This means that patients can consult Chiropractic Doctors directly, without needing a referral.
At Ease Family Chiropractic we understand how daunting your first chiropractic appointment can be. Please expect to be warmly greeted, because we pride ourselves on friendly, professional service.
Your first visit will take approximately 45 minutes. Dr. Natalie will get to know you better by thoroughly going through your case history. If it appears you would benefit from Chiropractic care, Dr. Natalie will then perform a thorough physical exam. This includes orthopedic, neurological and chiropractic testing. These tests are designed to assess how your body is functioning, and narrow down the possibilities of what could be causing your complaints. Dr. Natalie will evaluate for spinal misalignments in your spine, which may be contributing to your complaints and negatively affecting your nervous system, and overall health.
If x-rays of your back, neck or other areas are required, we will send you to that appropriate place to have them taken.
After the history and examination, we will schedule your second chiropractic appointment called the “report of findings.” On this visit we will provide a thorough explanation of the exam findings (including any x-rays taken) and review the care plan Dr. Natalie has designed to help you achieve your specific goals. Once all of your questions are answered, and you and Dr. Natalie agree on your unique action plan, your care can begin right away.
At Ease Family Chiropractic, your health is an ongoing dialogue with Dr. Natalie. We encourage you to take an active role in your healthcare, and share any questions or concerns you may have. We are here to serve you, so that you can reach your highest health potential!
An adjustment is a high velocity (fast!), low amplitude (gentle!) thrust into a joint in order to correct its position and/or motion. When delivered by a Chiropractor, this act has proven to be remarkably safe. Sometimes you may hear a “click” or “crack” sound after an adjustment is performed. This sound is related to the release of gas from the joint, much like when people “crack” their knuckles, and is not related to bones contacting one another.
The number of visits you will need to reach your health goals changes depending on:
When examining your results we will come up with a recommendation for your personal visit frequency.
How we maintain our integrity to you is by checking in with you regularly, and performing comparative assessments to ensure you are on track to achieving your health goals.
When Dr. Natalie decides on recommendations for your care, she considers your personal health goals, how severe your problem is, and how long it has been present for.
While some patients may experience instant results, most patients notice significant changes within 6 to 12 weeks of care.
One third of our new patients seek care because they want to be healthier or perform better. Not because they have a specific problem or concern. These same patients report experiencing these common benefits:
To be clear- Chiropractic is not a treatment or cure for any disease, symptom or condition. When your spine and nervous system are functioning at their best, your bodies ability to heal and recover improves. This moves your system towards better health and ease.
As Chiropractors, the primary problem we deal with in our office is your spine and nervous system. Secondary conditions (listed below) are often caused by a primary problem, and may improve with regular Chiropractic care.
Here is a list of some health problems we have seen improve under regular Chiropractic Care in practice:
Unfortunately Chiropractic care is not covered by OHIP. If you are fortunate enough to have health benefits, you can consider using them as a “health coupon” towards your care. It is always best to contact your insurance provider to be familiar with your specific insurance plan.
Most women experience some degree of discomfort during pregnancy, often in the form of low back, mid-back, pelvic or rib pain. Most women also believe that they need to “tough it out” and accept this discomfort as a normal part of pregnancy, but the truth is they don’t.
Pregnancy is an important time to seek Chiropractic care, as growing and maintaining a baby is hard work! Chiropractic can help a pregnant woman manage aches and pains, but most importantly it can help her nervous system function optimally. This best supports her good health and the health of her growing baby. A well functioning nervous system is crucial for pregnancy and birth.
Having a Chiropractor check your spine during pregnancy helps to manage the postural changes that naturally occur as the pregnancy progresses. Checking the low back, mid back and pelvis are crucial to supporting the changes that take place. This ensures the nervous system is functioning properly and that the baby has room to get into optimal birth position.
In the third trimester, hormones begin to ramp up in preparation for birth, and as a result joints become loose. This creates additional pressure on joints in the pelvis & spine and the nervous system, which changes the way your body moves and functions. It is of vital importance to ensure your spine and pelvis are able to function at their best during this crucial stage.
Yes. Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individuals needs regardless of age. There are many different Chiropractic techniques that differ between adults and the pediatric population. Adjustments for children typically require no more pressure than the amount you would use to test the ripeness of a tomato.
Children are very physically active and get many bumps and bruises from their day-to-day activities, and sports they participate in. In the case of infants, the birthing process can be considered the first physical trauma. Stresses on a child’s nervous system can go undetected for years and result in decreased health and performance.
Many parents are choosing Chiropractic as a safe, proactive and natural choice to better support their child’s health and wellbeing. For more information please visit Chiropractic and Pregnancy, as well as Chiropractic and Children.
Why would a baby need to have a chiropractic adjustment? Being born is hard work! As a baby passes through the birth canal significant pressure and forces are being exerted on the babies body. This also applies to C-section births. Within the first year of life 65% of neurological development occurs and babies’ bodies grow and change at an incredible rate. For these reasons, it is vitally important that your babies’ spine and nervous system are functioning optimally, to best support their growth and development.
A researcher named Gutmann examined more than 1000 infants and determined that more than 80% of all newborns experienced some type of birth trauma. This finding prompted him to state:
“The trauma from the birth process remains an under-publicized and therefore significantly under-treated problem.”
Many parents (Dr. Natalie included) have children’s spine and nervous system checked on a regular basis because it helps supports a healthy lifestyle and ensure they are able to develop to their full potential.
The common belief that you should only visit a Chiropractor when you are injured or in pain is changing. Many families are experiencing the health benefits from being under regular Chiropractic care.
Children experience many stresses coming into this world (please see “Pregnancy and Chiropractic” for more information.) After birth, they continue to play, grow and experience scrapes, falls and bruises. Healthy children are resilient to these minor stresses, but like anything in life, your child’s body requires support to stay functioning optimally.
Children experience minor stresses every day. Be it riding the bus, sitting in the car, playing sports, sitting in a desk at school, carrying a backpack, or taking a tumble, kids are constantly being challenged physically in ways that may causes dysfunction in their spine and nervous system.
Repetitive movement or prolonged postures like sitting in their desk at school, watching television or playing on a tablet or phone can impact a spine at any age. In children these postures may not initially cause pain but can change the health of your child’s spine and nervous system in ways that a Chiropractor can find. Research shows that many of the health problems we experience later in life begin very early in childhood.
Chiropractic adjustments have been demonstrated to be safe for all age groups. Specifically looking at the pediatric population, in 2011 Dr. Matthew Doyle examined the available published literature and found no incidence of a significant adverse event resulting from Chiropractic care of children since 1992. That’s over 25 years of safe treatment documented in the published literature.
There are many different Chiropractic techniques that differ between adults and the pediatric population. Adjustments for children typically require no more pressure than the amount you would use to test the ripeness of a tomato (that’s gentle!). Chiropractors traditionally use their hands for adjusting, and may also use an adjusting instrument to help correct misalignments within the spine.
Regardless of age and technique, Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individuals needs, and has been demonstrated to be safe, gentle and effective.
88 Cornelia Street West,
Unit A3,
Smiths Falls,
Ontario
K7A 5K9.
Wednesday 10:00am to 12:30pm
and 2:00pm to 5:30pm
Friday 9:30am to 1:30pm
Saturday 9:00am to 12:30pm