Chiropractors are specialists in diagnosing and treating disorders and pain in the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments.
We are not a high volume chiropractic clinic. We schedule appointments at 15-minute intervals and appointment lengths vary from 15-25 minutes in length. Each treatment always includes a combination of some of the treatments outlined below.
Did you know that back pain, neck pain and headache are the most common reasons why Canadians first consult a chiropractor? If aching joints and muscle pain are affecting your ability to get through the day, and keeping you from your favourite activities, chiropractic care can help you.
Reasons why more than four and a half million Canadians visit a chiropractor each year:
▪ Back pain
▪ Neck pain
▪ Headache
▪ Whiplash
▪ Strains and sprains
▪ Repetitive strain injuries
▪ Work and sports injuries
▪ Arthritis restricted movement in the back, shoulders, neck, limbs
Active Release Technique
Active Release Technique is a specialized method of treating pain, tightness and injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Its aim is to remove scar tissue or adhesions in order to improve how these tissues function. Adhesions develop in tissues that are under constant stress due to prolonged athletic activity, poor posture, repetitive movements and after an injury.
Every ART treatment is a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses their hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of the involved tissue. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with patient movement.
Spinal Traction
Spinal Traction is used to treat acute and chronic low back pain. It is performed on a specially designed motorized table that pulls and stretches the spine and decreases pressure on the nerves that exit the spinal column. Our Chiropractor, Dr. Martin Dziak has one of these tables in each of his two treatment rooms. This table can be used to bring the low back into various degrees of back bending (extension) or forward bending (flexion) to create the angles of movement necessary in order to help with your condition. The speed of movement can be controlled along with the amount of side bend (lateral flexion). Often Spinal traction is used in association with other therapies in order to help you during your treatment plan.
Spinal Traction has been shown to have significant effects on decreasing low back pain that radiates or shoots down into the buttocks, leg or foot.
Conditions treated include:
▪ Sciatica
▪ Degenerated disks
▪ Spinal Stenosis
▪ Spinal Arthritis
Spinal Mobilization and Manipulation
Spinal Mobilization/ Manipulation is a technique used to treat the pain of spinal origin and/or to maintain proper functionality and mobility of the spine. Its purpose is to restore proper motion and to free up any tightness to the joints involved.
Spinal mobilization involves moving the spinal joints through increased ranges of motion without the creation of an audible click or popping sound.
Spinal manipulation involves moving the spinal joints slightly further than in a mobilization, resulting in an audible click or pop sound. The click heard is caused by the release of nitrogen gas which is under pressure inside the fluid that surrounds each spinal joint.
Both procedures are painless and result in an increase in the range of motion of the spinal segments that have been treated. Patients describe that they feel the release of tightness and tension and often the feel that their pain has been relieved.
McKenzie Method
The McKenzie Method is a system of evaluating and treating low back pain that radiates into the leg, and neck pain that radiates into the arm. It is an active treatment philosophy that involves specific movements guided by the clinician along with postural education to teach the patient how to help manage and treat the pain when they are not in the clinic.
Soft Tissue Tool Technique
Soft Tissue Tool Technique is an innovative, patented form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively break down scar tissue and fascial restrictions. The technique utilizes specially designed stainless steel instruments to specifically detect and effectively treat areas exhibiting soft tissue fibrosis or chronic inflammation.
Shockwave Therapy
At Target Therapeutics we have the most advanced and most highly researched Shockwave device available on the market. It is designed and manufactured by Electo Medical Systems from Switzerland.
How does Shockwave work?
Shockwave is based on the delivery of low energy acoustic pressure waves, to specifically target the affected area and produce a cellular response, causing the affected tissue to regenerate. Scar tissue and calcifications are disrupted and neovascularization (formation of new blood supplying vessels) promotes the removal of the broken down debris while macrophages stimulate cellular repair of degenerated tissues.
Shockwave is most effective for the treatment of tendon to bone connection (Entheisopathic) and ligament to bone (Desmopathic) conditions. The most commonly treated conditions are chronic and persistent and don’t seem to be responding to other forms of treatment.
They include but are not limited to:
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Calcific Tendinitis of the shoulder
- Rotator cuff Tendinitis of the shoulder
- Patellar tendonitis· Achilles tendonitis
- Golfer’s and tennis elbow
Medical studies have shown Improvement Rates of:
91% for Calcific Tendinitis (Journal of American Medical Association 2003)
77% for Tennis Elbow (The Journal of Orthopedics’ 2005)
90% for Plantar Fasciitis (Journal of Orthopedic Research 2005)
Does Shockwave treatment hurt?
You may feel some discomfort during treatment however the intensity of the treatment can be modified by your practitioner prior to and during the treatment to achieve the correct level of discomfort.
How quickly will I feel improvement?
Many patients report an improvement almost immediately following treatment. This effect is most commonly temporary and is associated with an anesthesia effect from the hyperstimulation of the treated area.
Within 2-4 hours after treatment, you may feel some soreness in the treated area.
Significant improvement is most commonly felt a few days after the second treatment.
The healing process will continue throughout the treatment plan and may take several weeks or to months to be fully complete.
How many treatments are needed?
Most conditions require 3 treatments and occasionally a fourth treatment will be needed.
How frequent are the treatments scheduled?
Treatments are always scheduled one week apart.
How long will my appointment be?
The initial appointment is half an hour long and it includes a history and physical exam as well as a Shockwave treatment. There may be other forms of treatment incorporated as well including A.R.T and/or laser therapy
Follow up appointments are scheduled to be15 minutes long. These appointments consist of a Shockwave treatment and there may be other forms of treatment incorporated as well including A.R.T and/or laser therapy.
Acupuncture – Medical
Acupuncture has been incorporated into medical practices all over the world, combining traditional knowledge with scientific studies taking place in biomedical science departments at many universities.
Western acupuncture uses specific acupuncture points based on anatomical landmarks, to target the area of your body that you are experiencing pain.
The sterilized needles which are about the thickness of a human hair and are available in different lengths are inserted into these points. They are hardly felt when inserted. Acupuncture needles allow our chiropractor or physiotherapist to be very specific in terms of location and depth so that they can be placed into the tissue that is causing your pain. The needles are often stimulated with small electrodes allowing the current to pass through the needle directly into the affected tissue giving the treatment increased effectiveness.
What is the evidence for acupuncture?
Considerable scientific evidence supports that natural painkillers or opioids are released during an acupuncture treatment which explains its painkilling effects. Changes in blood flow due to altered secretion of neurotransmitters and neurohormones have also been documented.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also now recognizes that acupuncture works and has evidence-based backing, and recommends it for many types of musculoskeletal pain including muscle spasms, tightness and inflammation.
Custom Knee Bracing
Custom knee bracing provides external support to knees that are:
- Unstable due to a ligament injury
- In post-surgical rehabilitation
- In an advanced stage of arthritis.
The purpose of the brace is to allow you to return to daily and/or athletic activities earlier and safer.
A custom knee brace is fitted using measurements from your knee and leg and each brace is designed with features that are specific for your injury/condition.
Each custom knee brace is made from high-grade aluminum or titanium. They are incredibly durable, waterproof and are extremely lightweight and streamlined.
What Conditions Can Custom Knee Bracing Help With?
Osteoarthritis. A brace can help to redistribute weight away from the arthritic portion of the knee, with an easy-to-use click wheel to adjust the degree of off-set.
Knee instability due to ligament injury.
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation.
Will my Insurance Cover the Cost of Custom Knee Bracing?
If you have extended health benefits, the cost of your custom knee brace may be covered. We recommend that you contact your health insurance provider to determine the details of your coverage. You may be required to have a prescription from a physician or your surgeon.
If requested, we can provide you with a cost estimate for your brace. This way you can submit for pre-approval to your insurance company, to ensure that you are covered prior to us proceeding with the examination and fitting appointment.
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