You may want to visit a chiropractor at various times throughout your life. A chiropractor can alleviate long-term or sporadic pain, promote health and help you live your best life.

Ever wonder when to visit a chiropractor? Whether we’re at home, at work or out and about, daily living puts strain on our bodies. As a result, you may suffer from persistent headaches, migraines, back, neck or joint pain. You may also have this type of pain due to an injury, accident, illness or long-term condition.

Taking pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications may temporarily alleviate your symptoms but may not address the underlying cause. They may also create new health challenges. Consider visiting a chiropractor instead. Using primarily their hands, your chiropractor will treat these issues without medication or surgery and help prevent them from returning. But you don’t have to have an issue or be in persistent pain to visit a chiropractor.  They can help you at many other times.

In Ontario, you can visit a chiropractor without a referral from a doctor, nurse practitioner or other health care professional. To learn what chiropractic care may be able to do for you, check/download this PDF pamphlet ‘How a Chiropractor Can Help You.’  To find a chiropractor near you, use the chiropractor locator on our website.

Attitudes of Ontarians Toward Chiropractors study, Interviewed May 29 – June 6, 2019,  Environics Research Group, Completed for OCA, June 2019.

After an accident or injury

A chiropractor will assess, diagnose and work with you to develop a rehabilitation plan to meet your needs. And if you have injuries outside of your chiropractor’s spine, muscle, joint and nervous system expertise, they’ll refer you to other health care professionals and collaborate with them to support your overall recovery.

In your low back or pelvis

Chiropractors are most sought after to treat low back pain — be it short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic).  If you experience back pain that lasts for more than a few days, consult a chiropractor for an assessment.

In your neck

You may have neck pain due to tension, strain or an injury. A chiropractor can help. Your chiropractor will assess, diagnose and work with you to develop a treatment plan, which may include manual therapy, soft tissue therapy, therapeutic exercises or modalities, such as acupuncture.

In your hip, knee, ankle or foot

Chiropractors are joint, as well as spine and muscle experts. They can assess, diagnose what’s causing your hip, ankle or foot pain and work with you to develop a treatment plan to alleviate it and get you back on your feet.

In your head

Sometimes a neck-based issue can create what’s called a ‘cervicogenic headache’. Other headache types include tension headaches and migraines. Either way, a chiropractor can help. Evidence demonstrates that chiropractic care can effectively treat neck-based (cervicogenic) and tension-type headaches and also decrease the intensity, as well as the frequency of migraines.

In your shoulder

Your shoulder is a mobile joint but it has little stability in certain positions. You can strain or injure the soft tissue within your shoulder while playing a sport, working or if you fall. Your chiropractor has the expertise to assess, diagnose and properly treat your shoulder until it’s fully rehabilitated.

In your elbow, wrist or hand

Chiropractors are joint, as well as spine and muscle experts. They can assess, diagnose what’s causing your elbow, wrist or hand pain and work with you to develop a treatment plan to alleviate it and get you back to enjoying your daily activities.

Due to arthritis, diabetes or other chronic conditions

Chronic conditions often come with back, neck or shoulder pain, as well as stiffness, which can prevent you from getting the exercise you need. Your chiropractor can work with the health care professionals in your circle of care to address the additional spine, muscle, joint pain you may experience with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Due to spinal stenosis

Spinal stenosis is a condition where the spaces within your spine narrow, which puts pressure on the nerves travelling through it and creates searing pain. You need help and often surgery is not the answer but a chiropractic treatment plan with varied manual therapies and a therapeutic exercise plan is.

Even visit a chiropractor for help with depression or other mental health issues

You likely know that many people deal with chronic pain or mental illness. But you may not know how often the two go together. If you have chronic pain, it impacts your mood and can lead to depression. If you’re dealing with chronic pain and mental health issues, chiropractic care can help. As part of your overall circle of care, a chiropractor can give you coping strategies, such as prescribing therapeutic exercises to help you manage your spine, muscle and joint conditions.

To improve your mobility, posture or range of motion

You don’t have to be in persistent or long-term pain to visit a chiropractor. Many adults visit chiropractors to alleviate sporadic pain, reduce their risk of injuries or improve their mobility, posture and range of motion so they can live their best lives.

During pregnancy

Pregnancy can bring many changes, including low and upper back, pelvic and foot pain, as well as carpal tunnel syndrome. A chiropractor can alleviate your aches and pains, improve your mobility and teach you how to reduce or prevent pain now and after your baby is born.

To improve your athletic performance

Chiropractic treatments, such as manual therapy and therapeutic exercises, can help optimize your performance. They can also help prevent injuries and if they do occur, reduce your healing time. And during a game or practice, a chiropractor can provide immediate care to assess and manage sprains to concussions.

To reduce the risk of a workplace injury

From office to industrial work, many jobs put extensive pressure on your spine, muscles and joints. They also put you at risk of injury. You, like workers from all fields, can visit a chiropractor to prevent or address workplace injuries, so you can safely and more easily move through your day.