Manage Aches and Pains to Live Your Best Life
Chiropractic care can help you feel good again, so you can get back to what’s important.
Your calendar is packed with fun activities. You’ve got your pickleball game on Monday, plans to take the kids ice skating on Wednesday, and a party to host with the extended fam on Friday, not to mention, the hours spent sitting at your desk, working away. Nothing can stop you, except perhaps something that can make those activities more difficult, or in some cases impossible—body aches and pains.
Fortunately, those aches and pains can be alleviated with chiropractic care, a non-invasive and drug-free treatment performed by Doctors of Chiropractic (DC). Chiropractors must complete a rigorous academic and practical education (including a clinical internship), and pass national licensing examinations, before they can practice. “We’re guided by the best available scientific evidence, our job is to integrate our clinical expertise with a patient’s preferences and values, for a positive treatment outcome,” says Dr. Ayla Azad, Ontario Chiropractor. “The goal of chiropractic care is simple: To improve the body’s overall function and prevent pain from returning, so you can get back to living your life.”
Each year, nearly five million Canadians trust one of Canada’s 9000 chiropractors to diagnose their pain, improve joint and muscle function, and restore proper movement. You can access chiropractic care without a referral from a doctor, and it may already be included in your extended healthcare coverage or insurance plan.
No matter your aches or pains—whether they be neck pain, back pain, headaches, arthritis, injury-induced, acute or chronic—chiropractic care can help you feel better and get moving, no matter your age or fitness level. Curious about how you can benefit from chiropractic care? Below, three people share their experiences and what their chiropractor was able to do for them.
Dan, a tennis player in his 20s with hip and back pain:
Dan plays tennis four to five times a week but began experiencing pain in his hips and lower back when serving the ball. Although the pain wasn’t affecting his day-to-day life, it was significantly impacting his performance on the court. “Pain shouldn’t be holding me back in my mid-20s,” he says, so he decided to seek care from a local chiropractic clinic.
Before the appointment, Dan was asked to fill out an intake form, then he sat with the chiropractor to review his health history and discuss his desired outcome: to play tennis again pain-free. Dan’s chiropractor tended to his pain using a combination of treatments including manual therapy, acupuncture, shockwave, an adjustment, and recommended exercises for him to do at home to help ease the pain. The result after just five treatments? “I was able to play 4-5 days per week without pain and felt more mobile,” he says. What’s more: “I was able to win several local tennis tournaments shortly after seeing my chiropractor.” Although he can’t confirm his wins were a result of the chiropractic care, he notes his treatment certainly helped get him feeling his best so he could push himself to victory.
Now, Dan continues to work with a chiropractor to ensure his body is in tip-top shape before every tournament.
Molly, a mother in her 40s with body pain affecting her sleep:
Hip pain and stiffness would radiate down Molly’s legs and cause significant knee pain. It was affecting her sleep, and her overall physical activity. “I was unable to enjoy hiking with my daughter, and I was sleep deprived, so my energy level declined,” she says. Molly had previously received chiropractic care to relieve a stiff neck, and trusted that her chiropractor could help. After filling out a thorough intake form, her chiropractic doctor reviewed her health history and had her complete a physical examination. With all that information, the chiropractic doctor was then able to select the best treatments for her, including soft tissue therapies and joint mobilizations.
After seeing her chiropractor, Molly finds herself to be much more flexible and feels only occasional soreness after soft tissue work. To help minimize any pain or discomfort, her chiropractor recommended specific exercises for her to do and suggested she take baths in Epsom salt to help soothe muscles and relieve tightness.
Today, Molly continues to do the exercises that were prescribed to her and feels so good that she doesn’t find a need for any additional visits with her chiropractor at this time.
Rebecca, a woman in her 30s with a desk job who’s noticed numbness in her hands:
A tingling sensation began to stem from Rebecca’s neck and down into her elbows and fingertips. “I started to panic because I thought, how am I going to sit at my desk job and type all day?” she says. “When I began feeling numbness in my hands and started dropping things all the time, I felt clumsy and hopeless.” The pain became so pronounced that she could barely hold a pen. When she went to consult her general practitioner, Rebecca got bad news: She would need extensive carpal tunnel surgery to repair the damage done in both her wrists. Luckily, Rebecca discovered a less invasive course of treatment with the help of a chiropractor.
“The experience I had seeing a chiropractor was unparalleled to any healthcare I had received up until that point.” From the intake to the treatments themselves, everything was tailored to Rebecca’s unique needs and goal: To be able to sit and type, pain-free. Working with a chiropractor for two 15-minute sessions a week, Rebecca received manual therapy, shockwave therapy, massage, and exercises to do at home. After just two weeks, she started to feel the pain subside, and after completing eight weeks of treatment, her pain was gone. Rebecca no longer needed to have surgery and could get back to work without pain and having gained renewed confidence.
Visit the Canadian Chiropractic Association’s website, chiropractic.ca, you can find a chiropractor near you by selecting ‘Find a Chiro.’
