Chiropractic Vs Physiotherapy

There are lots of people out there who would have you choose one or the other, but I’m not one of them. I truly believe that physiotherapy and chiropractic work best when they work together. That’s why you’ll see your local physiotherapist getting adjusted here and why we proudly display their cards at our front desk.

As Chiropractors, we know our best skill and our best results are with adjusting spines. When the spine moves freely, so many other things can improve in your mechanics, inflammation, muscle tension, stress and even your balance and coordination, sleep and mood. And although we often include muscle work, stretching and strengthening in our care plans, there are many times when our patients need more and we refer to physiotherapy for a specialized glimpse into your movement, injury or functional fitness. When we work together, we get people better, back to work and enjoying their family time faster. Who doesn’t want that?

Some of our favourite things to co-manage with physiotherapy include concussion management, plantar fasciitis, disc injuries, whiplash, pregnancy and pelvic floor rehab, shoulder and knee injuries.

Just like chiropractic practices vary in their techniques, approaches to care and areas of focus, physiotherapy practices here in town all have their own unique styles, approaches and tools. Some modalities that we don’t offer, but can send to our friendly local physiotherapists include dry needling, spinal traction, laser and ultrasound.

Why do physiotherapists (and Massage Therapists and Naturopaths and Acupuncturists) send patients to see us? Their astute assessments often pick up on joint immobility that is our specialty. When people think of visiting a chiropractor, they often think of their bodies or spines as being “out”. I think what they mean is that their alignment is not normal, but what we really see in living, breathing, moving bodies is not a drastic change in alignment, but more specific segments of the spine or other joints that are stuck or restricted and not moving within their full, normal movement pattern as they should be. This is often felt when we press into the spine and there is no give, and by you when it’s a bit tender when we touch specific areas that are restricted. When restricted segments regain full movement, not only do you feel better, but the nerves that exit through those segments are better able to reset muscle tension and length away from a tight, defensive, protection pattern and more towards relaxation. When we’re able to tackle these complex joint and muscle cases together, it makes both of our jobs easier and helps you get better faster. Go team!