What can I expect on my first visit?
On your first visit, a complete history and examination will be performed to identify which tissues are causing your pain (primary pain generators) and what movement patterns or individual weaknesses are contributing to your problem. This may include specific spinal strength testing depending on how severe your symptoms are. This allows us to determine which treatment is right for your particular condition.
How do you differ from other chiropractic clinics?
We set ourselves apart from other chiropractic clinics by blending traditional chiropractic care with innovative therapies like MedX spinal rehabilitation, dry needling, cupping, and other physiotherapy modalities. This allows us to create highly personalized treatments addressing a broad range of conditions. Our team is committed to staying current with the latest research and techniques to ensure top-tier care, all delivered in a warm, welcoming environment.
Why is physiotherapy included in our treatment?
Physiotherapy is included alongside chiropractic treatment in our clinic to provide a more comprehensive approach to patient care. This combination can help to address the root cause of your pain, enhance your mobility, and improve your overall quality of life. Our goal is not to keep you as a perpetual patient, but to empower you with the tools and exercises needed to maintain a pain-free lifestyle and prevent future injuries. By incorporating physiotherapy into your treatment plan, we're better able to help you get back to your regular activities, stronger and pain-free.
Do you accept insurance?
Yes, we accept a variety of insurance plans. You can see our full list on our accepted insurances page.
Do you offer spinal decompression?
Yes, at The Center for Total Back Care we provide spinal decompression therapy. We use VaxD, which is a non-invasive treatment for acute and chronic spinal pain associated with herniated, ruptured, bulging or degenerative discs and sciatic leg pain or spinal stenosis associated with these conditions.
Why We Use VAX-D
Today there is an entire industry of ‘spinal decompression’ devices, all based upon developments pioneered by Allan E Dyer, PhD, M.D., a former Deputy Minister of Health in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Dyer also pioneered and published the research leading to the development of the transthoracic heart defibrillator while completing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Dyer himself suffered a herniated disc. After conventional therapy failed, Dr. Dyer formulated the theories that lead to the design and development of VAX-D® (Vertebral Axial Decompression) and patented the process known as vertebral decompression.
Do you offer cupping?
Yes, our clinic offers cupping therapy, a traditional treatment technique used for various health conditions. This method involves placing special cups on your skin to create suction, helping to alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and promote relaxation. Feel free to reach out to us for more information or to schedule your cupping therapy session.
Do you offer dry needling?
Yes, we certainly offer dry needling services. We use this technique, which involves the insertion of thin needles into precise points in your muscles, called trigger points. This method can help reduce pain, decrease muscle tension, and enhance movement. This treatment is performed with great care and precision. If you're interested or have more questions about dry needling, feel free to reach out to us.
What is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture?
While both dry needling and acupuncture involve the use of thin needles, they are fundamentally different treatments. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice aiming to balance the body's energy flow to boost overall well-being. On the other hand, dry needling is a modern technique that specifically targets trigger points in your muscles to alleviate pain and enhance movement.
How does muscle weakness in my back cause pain?
Muscles cause movement across a joint and stabilize those joints during movement. You must have the strength to not only perform your normal activities of daily living and demands of employment but the endurance to be able to perform them throughout the day. When weakness develops in the spinal muscles, there is a breakdown in this ability. We then develop improper movement patterns and a loss of stabilization of the spine. Other muscles take over to compensate for this weakness, which allows you to continue to perform your normal activities, but performing those normal activities will overload this weak area and cause pain. This may manifest anywhere from pain with activity to a loss of the ability to perform normal activities of daily living. To help you withstand these stresses and strains placed on the body on a daily basis, you need to have optimal strength in the spinal musculature. During one of your first few visits, we will usually test your spinal strength to determine how weak your muscles are compared to age-matched norms (other men or women your age and weight). We can then predict not only if you are going to respond to our treatment but have a better idea of how long it will take to return you to your normal strength. Once we return you to your normal strength, your spine should be able to withstand the stresses and strains placed on it by your daily activities and demands of employment.
I’ve tried chiropractic and physical therapy before and it didn’t work for me. Why is this going to be any different?
We have specialized testing and rehabilitation equipment called MedX, which isolates the deep intrinsic muscles of the spine and tests them individually. Because of the elaborate patented restraint system, we are able to eliminate recruitment of other muscles that may assist the test or exercise, which allows us to isolate the weakness and rehabilitate it specifically. Based on the test, we are able to start you with enough weight to cause growth of the muscle but not enough to overload the spine and cause pain. This allows us to be more aggressive with the rehabilitation without increasing the pain. We always test and exercise through a pain-free motion, and because of this isolation, we are able to have success where other clinics haven’t.
How long is an appointment?
A usual visit will take ½ to 1 ½ hours depending on the severity or complexity of your case and your individualized treatment program. We know your time is as important as ours, so we will schedule your appointments to help avoid any waiting.
How long before I see progress?
Because we are able to isolate the functional strength deficit that is usually causing your neck or back pain and are able to exercise it specifically, you should note a difference after the first few visits. People frequently note a significant difference after the first visit.
When can I start exercises?
People with chronic pain can oftentimes start following the initial examination. Those who have been involved in an injury such as a car accident or work injury may need to wait 30 days before beginning the MedX rehabilitation to allow healing of the damaged tissues, but are often given mild mobility exercises within the first few weeks following the injury.
How long does it take for the total rehabilitation program?
The length of treatment often depends on the severity of the injury and how long it has lasted. Research has shown that 6-10 weeks is a typical length of rehabilitation. Research has also shown that the strength you develop using MedX is maintained by normal activities. This means, in general, you DO NOT have to keep using MedX after your rehabilitation.
Why can’t I just exercise at home or the gym?
Home exercises or exercising equipment at the gym are helpful but cannot isolate the deep extensor muscles that are usually the culprit when it comes to chronic neck or back pain. MedX testing and rehabilitation machines are the only machines that will isolate the spinal muscles in the neck and back while eliminating the ability for you to recruit other muscles to assist the test or exercise.
What is MedX?
MedX is a specialized spinal testing and rehabilitation system, designed to treat acute and chronic neck and lower back pain through targeted strength training. Developed by Arthur Jones, founder of Nautilus exercise equipment, MedX machines isolate and strengthen specific muscle groups in the spine that are often the underlying cause of chronic spinal pain. Patients are seated comfortably in either the cervical or lumbar machine, where exercises, tailored to the individual, are performed under computer monitoring. This approach ensures effective, gentle, and safe strengthening of the neck or back muscles. In addition, MedX's advanced data recording and processing software allows for the accurate tracking of a patient's physical progress over time, providing valuable information to healthcare providers, patients, and insurers.
How does MedX work?
MedX works by isolating the spinal muscles in both the neck and back through an elaborate restraint system, which allows testing of the weakest areas of the spine and exercising of those weak muscles specifically without allowing you the ability to recruit other muscles to assist either the test or exercise.
What makes MedX so much more effective compared to the usual ball exercises?
It simply isolates the muscles of the back and neck through an elaborate restraint system, which allows testing of the weakest area of the spine and then compares that to other men or women your age or weight. We are then able to begin the rehab with enough weight to cause growth of the muscle but not enough to overload the spine and cause pain. Because we are exercising the weak link specifically, we are able to be more aggressive with the rehab, which allows us to see improvements rapidly. Ball exercise, while appropriate in some cases, is not nearly as effective.
If you can compare my strength to someone my own age and weight, how does that help you know this is going to benefit me?
This allows us to be more effective in predicting outcomes. A 21-year-old male is much more active than an 85-year-old male. If we compared the strength of this 21-year-old to the strength of an 85-year-old male, even if there was a significant strength deficit, it would still look pretty good. By comparing him to another 21-year-old, we get a true representation of where his strength is and where it should be compared to other 21-year-olds his age and weight. By comparing you to someone your age, weight, and gender, we are able to more accurately predict your response to our treatment.
If someone is in pain, are they still able to have a test on MedX?
Yes and no. Someone who is seeing us for chronic neck pain or chronic low back pain would probably be tested on the first visit unless they were in severe pain or there is significant pain with movement. We always test through a pain-free range of motion and can limit the motion in the cervical spine from anywhere between 0° to 126° and in the lumbar spine from anywhere between 0° to 72°. If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident or work injury or other injury for that matter, we would need to defer the testing until 30 days have elapsed since the injury to allow the tissues to heal.
When I’m done with treatment, will I have better motion in my back and neck?
Yes. Improving spinal strength decreases muscle spasms and improves mobility.
Why don’t more clinics have MedX machines?
There are a number of factors for this. These machines, while being extremely effective for strengthening the spine, are extremely expensive, and insurance reimbursement is the same whether you exercise on a MedX machine, on a ball, or on the floor. Because of the restraint system, you need someone who is highly trained to administer the test and rehabilitation. Finally, these take up considerable room, and a lot of clinics don’t have the space. Another factor is research education. Many clinicians think they can do as much on a ball as you can on the MedX, but this is just not the case, and research proves it.
If I have a bulging or herniated disc, can the MedX help me?
The MedX equipment is specifically designed to isolate low back or neck movement, thus helping the patient move in a safe manner and restoring normal movement to the spine, which also increases nutrition to the discs. Even if a disc has a bulge or herniation, it still responds to movement, which is limited initially, and correct movement and spinal strength are essential to restoring disc health.