FEATURE the specific needs of the individual pa-tient. After taking a complete history and diagnosing a patient, a chiropractor can develop and carry out a comprehensive treatment/management plan, recommend therapeutic exercise and other non-inva-sive therapies, as well as provide nutri-tional, dietary and lifestyle counselling. Chiropractic care is frequently the pri-mary method of treatment. Where other conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition. Chiropractic care may also be used to provide symptomatic relief for patients with chronic conditions. According to pa-tient surveys, by treating the musculoskel-etal elements of such disorders, chiropractic treatment has been shown to improve the general well-being of the patient.” VIEWPOINTS Rethinking subluxation BY DOUGLAS POOLEY AND KEITH THOMSON e used to hate the term sub-luxation as it applied to chiropractic treatment. That whole “bone out of place” thing just didn’t resonate with us. After all, we are a science-and evidence-based profes-sion. For most of my 39 years in prac-tice, we held firm to the tenant that the purpose of chiropractic treatment was to correct biomechanical dysfunction in the spine and related joints. Re-cently we read the Ontario Chiro-practic Association’s definition of chiropractic practice, which states: “Chiropractors practice a manual ap-proach, providing diagnosis, treatment and preventive care for disorders related to the spine, pelvis, nervous system and joints. Chiropractors use a combination of treatments, all of which are predicated on PURPOSEFUL RECOGNITION W An attempt to identify what it is that makes chiropractic valuable DR. DOUGLAS POOLEY graduated from the CMCC and has practiced in St. Thomas, Ont., for the past 39 years. He has represented the profession on national and provincial boards and has lectured nationally and internationally. DR. KEITH THOMSON is both a chiropractor and a naturopathic doctor. He is a former president of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario. He has been in practice in Peterborough, Ont., for almost 40 years. 22 Canadian Chiropractor July/August 2018 We looked hard at what was written and then held it up against what we actually do in practice. We noticed that there were a couple of very important and defining components of our prac-tice missing, such as reference to mechanical interference in the spine being a cause or at least related to anything, or that the adjustment serves as an effective tool to correct. Where are the defining components that tell the consumer what they are getting if they decide to purchase the service? Aspects of that very same definition used by the OCA could be used to describe physiotherapy, osteopathy, naturopathy, or massage therapy. It forced an instant pause as we realized all the major players in health care were instantly recognized by what they do and how they do it. There is no doubt what a dentist does, or an op-tometrist, psychologist or a medical doctor. The name and the core ser-vices provided are self-evident. So, why does chiropractic not enjoy purposeful recognition? And has our lack of clear definition and purpose served to diminish the profession competitively? It is only logical to as-sume yes. With this in mind, we dis-mantled the profession in an attempt to identify what it is that makes us valuable, what our core purpose is, what separates us from competitors and what unique service provision defines us to consumers. www.canadianchiropractor.ca Photo: Adobe stock
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