| THE CHIROPRACTIC PROFESSION |
WHAT IS CHIROPRACTIC?
Chiropractic is one of the largest primary-contact health care professions in Canada with over 6,000 practicing chiropractors. Approximately four and a half million Canadians use the services of a chiropractor each year (1).
Chiropractic is a regulated health profession recognized by statute in all Canadian provinces and American states. The benefits of chiropractic care are well recognized by other health practitioners. In a 1995 survey, 44 per cent of Ontario and Alberta physicians indicated that they refer patients for chiropractic treatment (2).
 Chiropractic spinal manipulation (commonly referred to as a chiropractic adjustment) is a drug-free, non-invasive, controlled manual procedure, which utilizes the highly refined skills developed during four intensive years of chiropractic education. The primary goal of chiropractic manipulation is to treat areas of decreased movement in the joints of the body, particularly the spine. These decreased areas of movement can create a reaction in surrounding tissues (ligaments, muscles and nerves) resulting in pain, inflammation, dysfunction and muscular spasm. Chiropractors assess disorders related to the spine, nervous system, and joints of the extremities and provide diagnosis, treatment and management of those disorders. Chiropractors are also trained to employ other treatments such as soft tissue therapy, acupuncture, electrotherapy, rehabilitative exercises, and nutritional counselling. If your complaint is not something that would respond favourably to chiropractic care, a referral will be made to the appropriate health care practitioner.
The vast majority of patients who seek chiropractic care do so for complaints of the musculoskeletal system, most often for conditions affecting the spine (3). Scientific study of spinal adjustment has clearly demonstrated that chiropractic treatment improves function and is effective for common conditions such as headache, neck and back pain. Between 86 and 96 percent of all visits to chiropractors are for these or similar conditions (3).
In addition to spinal complaints, chiropractic training today equips the practitioner with skills in examination, diagnosis, and physical treatment of many non-spinal complaints such as shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee and ankle dysfunction and pain. See Common Conditions Treated.
In many cases, such as acute lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. Where other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects of discomfort associated with the condition. Chiropractic care may also be palliative, providing symptomatic relief to patients with chronic conditions.
(1) Miller W. Use of Alternative Health Care Practitioners by Canadians. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 1997.88(3):154-58.
(2) Verbeof MJ & Sutherland LR. Alternative Medicine and General Practitioners: Opinions and Behaviours. Canadian Family Physician. 1995. 41:1005-1011.
(3) Chiropractors: Do They Help?, Kelner M, Hall O, Coulter I, Toronto, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1980.Waalen DP et al. Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Chiropractic Patients: A five year study of patients treated at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. 1994. 38(2):75-82.
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HOW IS A CHIROPRACTOR TRAINED?
In Ontario, chiropractic education is offered through the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto. This educational program is fully accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education of Canada (CCEC), which has adopted standards similar to those of the Council on Chiropractic Education in the United States, an entity recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Chiropractic students undergo a rigorous course of study similar to that of other health care professionals. Students are required to complete a minimum of three years of university education before they are eligible for admission to the CMCC accredited program. The CMCC program requires four years of full-time study, including a year-long internship in the College's clinics.
In addition to the academic program, chiropractic education requires hands-on clinical experience under the direct supervision of highly qualified, licensed chiropractic faculty. This experience includes clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. The faculty at CMCC has diverse backgrounds and offers students a wide range of expertise. Faculty comes from such disciplines as biological sciences, pathology, medicine and psychology, as well as chiropractic. Some of the courses in the CMCC program include:
Anatomy, biochemistry, neuroanatomy, physiology, neurology, embryology, histology, pathology, immunology, microbiology, clinical biomechanics, neuroscience, nutrition, orthopedics, radiology (biophysics and protection, x-ray interpretation and diagnosis), and clinical sciences specifically relating to diagnosis.
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THE CANADIAN MEMORIAL CHIROPRACTIC COLLEGE (CMCC)
The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College has been a leader in chiropractic research for more than five decades. The College has dedicated itself to the development of an ongoing, productive research program. Faculty have been successful in obtaining research grants from funding agencies and have published extensively in peer-reviewed and refereed chiropractic journals, as well as in multi-disciplinary journals such as the British Medical Journal, Spine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Pain, The Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine.
Over the years, CMCC has developed relationships with faculty in other academic institutions in North America. Research collaborations have taken place with faculty from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McMaster University, University of Western Ontario, Institute for Work and Health, St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, The Texas Back Institute, and St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton. In 1996, CMCC partnered with the University of Waterloo to establish Canada's first chiropractic research clinic within a university.
To learn more about Chiropractic Research, click here.
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HOW IS CHIROPRACTIC REGULATED?
Chiropractic is regulated by provincial statute in all provinces. For example, in Ontario, chiropractic has been governed by statute since 1925. Currently, it is regulated by the Chiropractic Act (1991), which is administered by the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO), created in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) (1991).
Chiropractors along with medical doctors, dentists, psychologists, and optometrists have the legislated right and obligation to communicate a diagnosis and to use the title doctor. The College of Chiropractors of Ontario, like the colleges in each of the other provinces, is established by legislation in the same manner, and with the same structure and similar regulations, as the regulatory bodies for other health professions. It is responsible for protecting the public, standards of practice, disciplinary issues, quality assurance and maintenance of competency. This self-regulating and disciplinary process ensures that the public's health concerns are the Chiropractic profession's highest priority.
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IS CHIROPRACTIC SAFE?
Before becoming licensed to practice chiropractic, all eligible candidates are required to pass rigorous national and provincial examinations before applying to the Licensing Board for the right to practice. Chiropractors are required to complete many hours of post-graduate instruction and continuing education as part of annual license renewal. Licensing colleges in respective provinces strongly encourage chiropractors to attend seminars, scientific symposia and read professional journals to keep up with ongoing research and development within the profession. This professional development keeps the chiropractor well- equipped with the skills needed to provide patients with safe and effective chiropractic care.
Just as the medical profession in general must be completely certain that the care they provide is safe, so too must the chiropractic profession. The safety and effectiveness of chiropractic treatment has been studied very carefully. Serious complications from chiropractic treatments are rare. Your chiropractor will discuss all potential side effects and any risks along with the benefits of the care you receive. If your chiropractor diagnoses a problem that would be better treated by another health care professional, he or she will make an appropriate referral.
Additional chiropractic resources and information can be found at:
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