Chiropractic in the News

The pandemic has impacted everyone. Working from home, higher stress levels, changes in family dynamics, have only added to the complexity of COVID-19. This places an even higher priority on the importance of practicing daily habits that promote your health and well-being.

As Mississauga’s leading health and wellness clinic, High Point Wellness Centre (HPWC) is committed to working with you to care for, educate, and inspire their patients in their journey towards optimal health. With nearly 50 years of serving the community, they offer clinical services in chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy, naturopathic medicine, nutrition, fitness, and virtual ergonomic assessments.

At OCA people-centred care, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), begins with our Partnership4BetterHealth online patient and family advisory community. Thanks to the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) for featuring the Partnership in its April 2021 publication.

For much of the past year, many of us have been in a constant rotation between our beds, our makeshift workspaces, and our couches; and some of us are working right from the bed or couch. It may seem cozy in the moment, but it’s doing a number on our bodies, say some experts.

“Most people who are working from home are finding any flat surface they can put their computer on and working,” says chiropractor Dr. Ashor Sworesho, of Hamilton Chiropractic and Wellness. “Sometimes it’s their own laps, and the worst is the people who are in bed with their laptop on their chest and working away.”

Dr. Sworesho says he and his colleagues at the clinic have seen an increase in patients with upper back, mid-back and neck pain issues.

Now almost a year into the pandemic, some Bradford residents have frozen or cancelled their unused gym memberships and have invested in fitness equipment to keep fit at home.

Dr. Leeann Ng, owner of Be Well Chiropractic Clinic in Bradford has been doing her workouts at home. Dr. Ng has been an active member of the Bradford West Gwillimbury Leisure Centre for years. In order to maintain the level of exertion needed to perform her duties as a chiropractor, Ng must be in top physical shape, she says. Since the lockdowns, she has had to find alternate resources to retain her muscle mass.

Dr. Ng plans on requesting a refund for her gym membership, as she hasn’t been to the leisure centre in almost a year.

Dr. Josh Binstock, OCA member and two-time beach volleyball Olympian (2012, 2016) has been elected to the FIVB Athletes’ Commission. Dr. Binstock was among the five members selected by more than 400 eligible voters from all over the world. “I am incredibly grateful and honoured to be elected for the FIVB Athletes’ Commission and bring Canadian representation to the council,” said Binstock, now a practicing chiropractor in Toronto.

“I plan to promote the values of volleyball and beach volleyball as a clean and fair sport. … As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I will also be focused on studying proposals for the athletes’ post-career opportunities since I believe engaging the FIVB athletes in the decision-making process through athlete consultation is paramount to a successful future and global growth of volleyball, all while keeping their health and safety at the forefront.”

As Canadians continue to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating a healthy workstation has become imperative. Chiropractor and OCA member Dr. Nekessa Remy, who is based in Mississauga, shares some tips on how you can improve your posture and create a better workspace. Dr. Remy provides advice on how to avoid eye fatigue, neck strain and headaches when working from home.

Chiropractor and OCA member, Dr. Nekessa Remy,  provides advice on buying a pillow to help aching backs and other body parts.

This World Federation of Chiropractic’s (WFC) Quarterly World Report features stories from around the world, including what we did to support our members during the COVID-19 pandemic’s early months (on pg. 64).

This feature highlights our efforts through the eyes of Linda Baldasio, our Member Support Lead.

Dr. Mark Dickson’s Movember moustache this year was truly epic. Epic enough to win second overall in the 2020 Global Movember Awards, ‘The Epic One’ category. Mark first joined the Movember cause (ca.movember.com) in 2015, raising awareness and funds for men’s health, which includes prostate cancer research, testicular cancer research and suicide prevention. This year he raised $4,000, bringing his six-year total to $13,928. It was the most he raised in a single year, topping $2,500 from 2019 and just over $3,000 in 2018.

Chiropractor and OCA Member Dr. Nekkesa Remy joins The Morning Show with simple stretches to combat muscle pain during winter months.

Dr. Kevin Matheson and his wife Lee Anne couldn’t have imagined that they would be marking the 10th anniversary of their Orillia chiropractic practice in the midst of a global pandemic. And yet, there is nothing the couple would rather be doing than helping work out their clients’ tensions at Matheson Chiropractic Clinic during this difficult moment in our collective history. “It’s a blessing to be able to help out at this time,” Matheson told Simcoe.com.

With many employees still working from home due to COVID-19, it’s important to keep your back health in mind while sitting in one place for extended periods of time. Chiropractor and OCA member Dr. Ted Luck has some tips to share with those working remotely, and how it can actually be beneficial. “Personally, I think the current reality of people working from home can provide some excellent benefits especially when it comes to your spine and all the sitting we do now, especially at work,” Dr. Luck said.

Bad posture, back pain and sitting too long are just a few side effects of working from home. With many offices closing because of COVID-19 restrictions, more people are working in settings that are not as ergonomically correct, causing people to suffer from pain. “From spending more time in their home offices versus their regular workplace, they are getting more chronic postural issues,” explained chiropractor and OCA member Jason Price.

OCA member Dr. Kris Sheppard, owner of The Runner’s Academy in Toronto, which specializes in helping runners move well, shows four drills that only add about five minutes to your warm up and make a world of difference in your performance.

Chiropractor and OCA member Dr. Nekessa Remy joined CHCH to talk about at-home workouts and buying the right running shoes online.

Want to ward off the effects of sitting all day? Chiropractor and OCA member Stacy Irvine has the simple stretches that will bring relief to your back!

Back-to-school tips to help improve physical health

As part of its back-to-school episode, EPIC Generation TV – an educational program that aims to help kids (ages seven to thirteen) become empowered, positive, inspirational and creative – reached out to the OCA for posture tips and advice for kids as they prepare to return back to the classroom.

Dr. Patrick Welsh, a sports specialist chiropractor at High Point Wellness Centre shares a few of his back-to-school tips for kids to help improve physical health, and a challenge to make homework and studying easier.

Chiropractor Nekessa Remy, a member of the OCA, joins The Morning Show to share tips on which back to school backpacks to buy in order to avoid muscle aches and make sitting all day comfortable.

Article discusses guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP) and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) that states opioids should not be a first-line treatment option for non-low back, musculoskeletal injuries. It includes findings from opioid-use review by John J. Riva, DC, MSc, of McMaster University in Hamilton, an OCA member.

In June, the Orillia girl was diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The journey to finding out what was wrong began in the winter when Sienna was taking swimming lessons. Her grandmother noticed one of Sienna’s shoulders was slightly more elevated than the other. A chiropractor asked Sienna to bend over and touch her toes, and that’s when the curving in her spine became immediately noticeable.

Dr. Leah Lawson, chiropractor at Bayside Wellness in Collingwood and Vitality Health in Barrie, speaks about how improper at-home workstations can cause neck and back pain

Chiropractor and OCA member Dr. Nekessa Remy shares her tips on how to find the best running shoes online to fit your foot type and shoe size.

CTV News health journalist Paulina Chan speaks with Monica Huci, an operating room nurse at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Amy Brown, and Ontario chiropractor, on the health-related challenges health care workers are experiencing in the face of COVID-19.

Dr. Maja Edgar, from Edgar Family Chiropractic, discusses how her clinic is adapting to the ‘new normal.’

While chiropractors and massage therapists have been given the green light to reopen, it’s not business as usual.

As of June 1, several regulated health professionals in Ontario are now allowed to open their doors again amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Dentists, optometrists, psychologists, dietitians and denturists are just some of the professions on the province’s reopening list as it moves forward with easing restrictions.

Caroline Brereton, CEO, Ontario Chiropractic Association, discusses steps chiropractors are taking so they can return to practice and keep their patients, staff and colleagues safe.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Michael Tibollo, joins Dr. Luigi Nalli, DC, on his PinPoint Health Show to speak about the potential mental health consequences of COVID-19.

CBC journalist Rosemary Barton spoke with Dr. Marissa Verdone, a chiropractor based in Hamilton and sole proprietor, who recently applied for the CERB. Dr. Verdone shared her experiences with the application process and how COVID-19 has affected her professionally.

Interview Transcript