Frequently Asked Chiropractic Questions
in Ontario NY

In our clinic, we incorporate physical therapy in addition to Chiropractic in order to maximize patient results.

Our priority is to restore proper joint and muscle function after acute injuries or chronic pain from wear and tear.

Physical Therapy is a way to assess biomechanical issues from poor posture, sports injuries or work injuries, and general overuse injuries from activities of daily living.

We use a thorough assessment that can include full spine and joint motion study X-rays, orthopedic tests, and palpation to assess how best to move forward with care.

Our key goals with physical therapy is to help find and fix the root cause of the patient's pain, and then educate and recommend home care exercises to manage their condition independently.

The benefits of physical therapy in our clinic is to ultimately:

-manage pain and help relieve discomfort without drugs or surgery

-help restore function after an illness, injury or surgery

-promote overall fitness, health, and injury prevention

-help prevent loss of movement or disability

-improve strength, balance, mobility, coordination and flexibility

Techniques we utilize include:

-Therapeutic exercise that includes strengthening, stretching and also balance training on a whole body vibration therapy platform at 30hz frequency to maximize proprioceptive stimulation

-Manual therapy with hands on soft tissue stretching and mobilizing

-Neuromuscular reeducation

-Modalities such as Class IV MLS healing laser therapy, muscle stimulation, and application of heat and cryotherapy

-We also educate our patients about posture, home and work ergonomics, and functional training for daily activities and sport and work related movements

- Neck and lower back pain along with neuropathy down the arms or sciatica down legs due to disc bulges and herniations

- Headaches and migraines due to cervical nerve stress and pressure

- Sports injuries that commonly include shoulders, elbows, ankles, knees and hips

- Quicker recovery after orthopedic surgeries such as hip and knee replacements

- Post concussion recovery with two class IV laser therapy units

Ultimately, our goals are using better movement patterns and healing technology to maximize recovery and help minimize the need for pain medications and allow for better long term recovery.

A chiropractic adjustment is performed by hand or adjusting instrument to the spinal vertebra in order to restore proper joint motion and maximize proprioceptive communication to the brain. Chiropractic adjustments do not simply improve and restore intersegmental function to help minimize pain, but research has shown to initiate a cascade of neurophysiological responses from the peripheral and central nervous system which are then responsible for the clinical outcomes.

We take X-rays and do a motion assessment to find the spinal segments that are causing spinal nerve pressure or stress to the vertebral segment. Along with posture, range of motion, muscle tension, and palpable tenderness, we find the segments that are showing signs of improper motion and alignment. We then perform the adjustments by hand or with an Arthrostim instrument to help move and align the vertebral segment to the corrected and most beneficial position to help the body function better.

Short answer is yes, it is very safe.

Statistically speaking, Chiropractic is considered one of the safest health care professions based on its holistic approach in helping patients feel better and function better without the use of drugs or surgery. An important aspect for safety is to make sure that Chiropractic adjustments are only performed by a licensed and trained physician. Our clinic is unique in the fact that we have on-site digital x-rays, and we only recommend and perform gentle adjustments after a thorough consultation, examination, and X-ray analysis.

In addition, a good way to measure safety rating between different health care providers is to look at litigation and malpractice insurance premiums. Chiropractors have the lowest yearly premiums at approximately $2500. Primary care physicians in family medicine can range $15,000 to $20,000, while more risky specialties such as anesthesiology and surgical specialities can range from $30,000 to $70,000 +

Our approach by addressing musculoskeletal issues, nutrition, exercise and rehab is a much better and safer approach to help you experience pain relief and improved function without invasive and risky procedures.

This typically depends on the severity of the condition. Acute trauma and recent injuries can take a few weeks of care to a few months. Chronic conditions also vary in time and frequency from a few weeks to many months. After our first consultation, X-ray analysis, and response to our initial treatment, we normally have enough data to go over recommendations when we review X-rays on your second visit. After we sit down together to review all imaging and findings, we will decide together how best to move forwards with care.

Chiropractic care helps by restoring proper spinal and joint function to decrease pain, improve mobility and range of motion, and maximize your quality of life. By improving spinal postural curve, decreasing pressure on the nerve system, and improving joint communication (also known as proprioception) to the brain, this allows your brain and body to improve homeostasis and coordination ultimately allowing for peak health and neurological function.

What sets us apart from other chiropractic and physical therapy clinics is our integrated approach. We take the benefits of Chiropractic adjustments and add cutting edge technology such as whole body vibration therapy at 30Hz, MLS class IV healing cold laser therapy, spinal decompression therapy, home rehab, and functional nutritional supplementation to maximize your results.

To maximize results and offer an even more holistic full body approach, we opened Eupraxia Functional Fitness in 2019 in our 5000 sq ft building to help our patients and members of our community. Eupraxia is a structured group fitness program with a team of 5 instructors, leading each class to make sure everyone has good form and is having fun while pushing themselves to the best of their ability.

Our 6 week challenge program also measures body composition, metabolic age, and helps with meal planning, whole food nutrition, and clinical functional medicine supplementation to restore inefficiencies. No other clinic in upstate NY offers all these services under one roof.

The mission in our clinic is to help find the root cause of your pain or health challenge without the use of drugs or surgery. Chiropractic is the science and art restoring proper joint function to the vertebral segments of the spine in order to help you function and move better. The spine protects the nerve system which is the master controller of how your body communicates with the rest of your body. The benefits of our style of Chiropractic treatment is a scientific approach based on motion X-ray analysis so we can target the specific vertebral segments that are causing the compromise in function and pain.

Our treatment approach is actually allowing your body to heal and function at a higher level and reach your true potential by addressing the root cause. When you start feeling and moving better, it’s not because we are masking your symptoms short term with a drug. Your results are due to true functional improvements.

Statistically speaking, any risks with Chiropractic treatment are extremely low when performed in the correct manner and only after a thorough analysis. Our technique is modified to each patient and their particular challenge. Dr.T is trained in advanced Chiropractic techniques and adjusts manually with his hands. He may also incorporate gentle “drop” table adjustments, use an “Arthrostim” electric powered adjusting instrument, and soft tissue stretching and manipulation to improve results and decrease any risk of side effects. Though very rare, some mild soreness can be expected as a result of stretching techniques on joints and muscles that have become very stiff over time.

Our style and technique of adjustments are not painful since we make sure to modify our technique to each patient and based on case history and X-rays. We utilize Active Release Technique soft tissue therapy, whole body vibration therapy at 30Hz to help prepare the nerve system and loosen up the body before getting adjusted.

Because we care about finding and fixing the root cause of your pain and health challenge. We are the only clinic in the area with our unique 5 step approach and have invested in advanced technology and methods to get you feeling better as soon as possible. With our comprehensive approach, we are able to improve the structure of your spine and musculoskeletal system to help keep you stable and feeling your best.

Our comprehensive 5 step system combines the best of chiropractic, physical therapy, spinal decompression table therapy, whole body vibration therapy, and cutting edge advanced Class IV 25 watt healing laser technology:

Our priority is making you feel comfortable and we take the time to listen to what is challenging you. Dr.T will sit down with you to ask questions and get a thorough health history. Dr.T will then complete a specific orthopedic and spinal postural analysis examination, followed by using our on-site seated motion study digital X-rays to actually find areas of spinal nerve stress or pressure.

Once Dr.T reviews your X-ray findings

Our health care team is here to make you feel comfortable and we about finding what is the root cause of your pain or symptoms. We do not try to mask your pain or challenge with any medications or invasive procedures, but use the most advanced technology available to get objective measurements which allows us to be specific with our chiropractic adjustments and maximize your results in minimal time. After asking questions to get a detailed health history, we don’t guess about your health and want objective tests to be able to help you as soon as possible.

We are the only chiropractic clinic in the area using on site motion study digital X-rays on site on your first visit. After completing a comprehensive case history, and thorough orthopedic, neurologic and postural examination, we invite our patients to come back on their second visit to take extra time to review X-ray results and any other important findings together. It is at that time that we review treatment plan recommendations, expected insurance reimbursement and out of pocket expenses before moving forward with care.

We are with you every step of the way to make sure you will get the results you deserve.

We utilize a comprehensive treatment protocol combining the best of chiropractic adjustments, whole body vibration therapy, MLS class IV healing laser therapy, physical therapy, spinal decompression therapy and home rehabilitation recommendations to help you feel better as soon as possible while also staying feeling your best as long as possible.

To answer how long an adjustment lasts is difficult to answer because of the wide range of symptoms or chronic nature of patient conditions that we treat. Many of our patients come in for monthly adjustments to stay pain free and feeling great, while others come in only when they are suffering and need quick improvements in their condition.

Unlike a pain medication or anti-inflammatory injection which eventually your body metabolizes and the drug benefits start to disappear, a Chiropractic adjustment can help correct the spinal nerve stress or irritation so that it can last for weeks, months or years.

To help your result “last longer” we emphasize a home care protocol that may include nutritional supplementation, neck orthotic, wobble disk, and home core exercises to make sure you feel good as long as possible

Chiropractors have a similar length of time and hours in formal schooling as other doctors such as your MD’s or Dentist’s, however our training is focused on the spine, nerve system, musculoskeletal conditions and nutrition. To quote BJ Palmer, one of the original developers of chiropractic, he stated “Medicine is more about diseases and what makes people die. Chiropractic is more about life and what makes people live.” Or in other words, in order to allow you to reach your full health potential, you must eat well, think well, and move well.

I completed my 4 year pre-med bachelors degree in Kinesiology and Human Biology/Physiology from the University of Western Ontario in Canada while playing on a championship and hall of fame rugby team. Our rugby program was the strongest in the country at that time and we had the opportunity to represent Canada on a tour of Ireland and a few years later on a tour of South Africa. I was also grateful to be able to treat many sports injuries as a team athletic trainer for the football and track team in the fall as part of my post graduate training.

I was exposed to and played with some of the top athletes in Canada and I completed certifications and advanced training in athletic therapy and became certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist. After university, I worked as a health center manager and personal trainer at a large fitness chain called in the Toronto area.

I then moved to the USA to complete another 5 years of Chiropractic school to earn my Doctorate of Chiropractic and completed all 4 National board exams and Physical Therapy. Since 2005, I have continued to complete advanced training at seminars across North America, and met Arnold Schwarzenegger a few times while teaching seminars in Columbus Ohio at the Arnold Fitness Classic and Sports exposition.

We take care of many pregnant women and have a special Chiropractic table designed to make it extra comfortable for them to lay on their stomachs while taking all the pressure is minimized off their belly and to help them relax. We modify our technique and treatments to the phase of their pregnancy. We may also utilize a special and gentle device called an “Arthostim” instrument to help gently adjust the spine and allow for pain relief.

Only if you enjoy feeling your best! Our patients come in whenever they feel the need to get out of pain and feel better. However, it is not “addictive” in the chemical/drug or pharmaceutical dependence that many may think of when they hear the word addictive.

That sound that patients experience as a “crack” or “pop” during an adjustment is not the bones grinding or but actually the sound of the fluid in the synovial joint moving.

Inside the joints in your body, such as finger joints or in this case, spinal facet joints in your back, there is a lubricating fluid called synovial fluid that has dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen and carbon dioxide)

When we deliver a quick and gentle controlled thrust or “adjustment” this causes a rapid stretch in the joint capsule. This is followed by a drop in pressure inside the joining, which allows the dissolved gasses to form a bubble, and then in milliseconds that bubble rapidly collapses.

Ultimately, it is the rapid gas release that creates the audible “pop”.

No. Even as a trained Chiropractor, I cannot adjust myself. An adjustment is a specific force to a specific fixated segment that we find after X-ray analysis and physical touch with motion assessment.

When you attempt to twist your own neck or back, you may get a joint cavitation that may help short term. However, what happens is that this is non-specific and the stuck segments stay stuck, while the joints that are already moving easily tend to move again. This can cause temporary relief but it can create hyper-mobility of the healthy joints, while the degenerative or fixated joints stay locked. Self adjustments can also cause damage over time if done too forcefully or too repetitively as it can become habit forming. That small relief starts to subside and can get worse with time.

A better option we recommend is to do range of motion exercises, use a neck cervical wedge to lay on, use heat or take a hot shower, and do “bird dogs”, planks,and other core exercises to help improve posture, mobility and strength.

To summarize, you can make yourself pop. You cannot safely replicate a specific, controlled, segmental chiropractic adjustment on yourself.

Yes! We are in network with insurances that help reimburse or contribute to our treatments. How much insurance companies reimburse can vary a lot between different companies and individual plans. However, we offer affordable treatment plans and healing technology for even those with minimal or no insurance coverage at all.

Yes. Back pain is one of the most common complaints and motivating factors that our patients come to see us. In addition to chiropractic adjustments and rehab, our clinic has specialized equipment and technology to help fix the root cause of your back pain as soon as possible. Some of our patients have been referred to us by their primary physicians after they did not get helped by medications and even surgery. After a thorough assessment and X-ray analysis, we try to determine and find the root cause of your pain where the spinal joints can lose normal motion or become irritated.

Yes, our patients have experienced great results with neck pain. We focus on restoring normal joint function by reducing muscle tension and improving joint mobility. By improving postural bio mechanics and muscular balance, we focus on and decrease stress on the nerve system and therefore decrease pain. We also address contributing factors like poor work posture, nutrition, and soft tissue therapy to help get you better and help keep you feeling better. For more challenging cases such as numbness or tingling down into the arms and hands, we may implement our spinal decompression table and MLS Class IV lasers to help hydrate the cervical discs, open up the nerve channels, help calm and heal the nerve roots, and restore optimal communication so that your arms and hands function normally again. By correcting the neck and joint bio mechanics, you may experience many other beneficial effects like improved sleep, better concentration and focus, and better range of motion in addition to helping eliminate neck pain.

Yes, especially for cervicogenic or neck related headaches. The most common vertebra in your neck that tends to impact headaches is the top bone in your neck which is also known as your atlas bone. We take specific motion study neck X-rays We help to diagnose the type of headache that you may be experiencing by taking a thorough health and lifestyle history. Headaches can sometimes be caused by hormone changes, dehydration, stress, poor sleep etc.

Chiropractic is based on the principle that it is most important to take care of your spine (vertebral column) which contains and protects your spinal cord and nerve system. Your spine and nerve system is literally the lifeline that communicates and connects your brain with your entire body. For your heart to beat, for your lungs to breathe, for your ability to control your arms and legs, and ultimately for your body to work correctly, you have to make sure you have no nerve stress on your spinal nerves.

We are a drug free profession and we try to find the ROOT CAUSE of your pain or health challenge.

As a Chiropractor, we take X-rays to find the compromised segments, and adjust your spine to help move the stuck vertebra and restore proper nerve function to help your body function better again. We have implemented advantage techniques such as vibration therapy, spinal decompression therapy, MLS laser therapy, and home rehab to help maximize your results and make everything available in one holistic health based clinic.

Yes. Chiropractors have become an integral part of almost every professional athletic team. However, some Chiropractors have more specialty and focus on sports injuries based on their clinic goals and personal experience. Our clinic has put a large emphasis on sports injuries and we have invested in technology and specific techniques to help with recovery.

I have personally been working with athletes since 1998 when I started working as an athletic trainer while doing my pre-med degree in human physiology and bio mechanics at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. I started my pre-med because I was initially planning on becoming an orthopedic surgeon focusing on sports medicine.

I personally have had many injuries in my sporting career playing football, international rugby, and racing motocross. From each injury, I learned how to recover and get back to 100% as soon as possible. A short list of my more serious injuries include: compound fracture R tibia, dislocated and fractured left elbow, fractured mid back, twice broken nose, foot fractures, multiple concussions from head traumas, and the expected sprains, strains, contusions of muscles and joints throughout my body.

As the only clinic locally to the area trained in Chiropractic Biophysics, one of our key metrics to improving your function and long term health is a program specifically designed to correct posture. We take seated positional X-rays and take objective measurements to find the root cause of why you are in pain or having health challenges. We then use whole body vibration while standing in a more ideal posture, do specific chiropractic adjustments to work on restoring proper spinal cures, and send you home with a neck orthotic to lay on to reduce forward head posture. After we correct your pain pattern and restore better range of motion, we then do a follow up X-ray to actually measure your postural improvements. Our patients are actually excited to see measurable progress and enjoy it when friends or family also notice their improvements.

During an adjustment, either by hand or with our specialized powered adjusting instrument called an Arthrostim, we help restore proper joint motion and alignment to the vertebral segment. Those improperly moving and misaligned segments can put pressure and stress onto the nerve roots and then prevent that nerve flow from connecting to the body. So an adjustment is what we do as Chiropractors to help the brain connect to the rest of the body.

Yes, extremely safe. The techniques we use are very gentle and combine some light hands on work and also with a gentle adjusting instrument. We take care of young babies, toddlers, and children to help them feel and function at their best. From falls and injuries, sports traumas, developmental challenges like scoliosis, posture issues from sitting in school and looking at technology, proper spinal alignment and nerve system function is important for overall health. We also take care of moms during their pregnancy to help them feel more comfortable.

We also address nutritional needs and help guide families with meal plans and functional supplementation for optimal health and development. Our goal is to help children develop optimally both physically and mentally.