This was an article that appeared in the October issue of the BC Chiropractic Association newsletter. The article was written by a physical therapist; Dr. Jacques Beauchamp, PT, DPT, SCS, OCS, ATC, CSCS. It gives a brief insight on the difference between Chiropractors and Physical Therapists. The whole article actually compares the difference between; Chiropractors, Physical Therapists and Medical Doctors but I have decided to just high-light the difference between Chiropractors and Physical therapists here. So the following is a mere excerpt of the entire article.
" A Chiropractor is a health care professional that diagnoses, treats and assists in the prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, particularly the spine, as theoretically these disorders affect a patient‟s general health via the nervous system. A chiropractor‟s purpose is to restore function and stability to your spine. This is done by realigning the vertebrae in a patient‟s spine using spinal manipulation. Releasing tension in the spine allows for muscles to be relaxed and relieving pain associated with the mis-alignment such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches, to name a few. A chiropractor also affects the patient‟s nervous system. The nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. The brain is at the very top of the nervous system. The spinal cord runs through the spine and branches off in pairs at each vertebral level. The nervous system controls every muscle, organ and cell of your body. With correct alignment of the spine, it allows the brain to talk to every part of your body which pro-motes better movement and balance.
A physical therapist, on the other hand, is a health professional that evaluates, diagnoses and provides treatment to individuals to develop, maintain and restore maximum move-ment and function throughout life. This includes providing treatment in circumstances where movement and function are threatened by aging, injury, disease or environmental factors. Components of movement and func-tion that are evaluated by a physical therapist include strength, range of motion, flexibility, balance, posture, body mechanics, coordination, endur-ance and general mobility such as walking, stair climbing, and getting in and out of a chair or bed. A physical therapist evaluates the components of movement and develops an individual-ized program to decrease deficits and restore function. Physical therapists help people with orthopedic conditions such as low back pain or osteoporosis; joint and soft tissue injuries such as fractures and dislocations; neurological conditions such as stroke and Park-inson's disease; workplace injuries including repetitive stress disorders and sports injuries. Physical therapy treatment programs consist of educa-tion about the cause of the problem, “hands on” manual techniques and instructions in exercise to improve function."
So I hope this sheds some light on the differences between some of the differences between Chiropractors and Physical Therapists.
However, I will share some observations that I have seen in my years of practice so far. Any good health care professional that you see to address pain and dysfunction should also be advising you on home care. By that I mean proper stretches and exercises you can do at home or the gym on your own time. Anyone that you see for treatment that lets you leave without advising you on stretches or exercises is probably doing you a disservice. So be wary. If you must, insist on stretches and exercises that you can do to speed your recovery and possibly prevent future problems. But then again, if you have to 'insist', that might be a bad sign alone.
Secondly, I know Physical Therapists are becoming increasingly instructed on 'joint manipulations' to improve function and reduce pain. But I can tell you, Chiropractors learn the technique very early on in their four year education program. Personally, I started adjusting and treating real live people 6 months into my four year program. So I got lots of practice. I'm not sure how long Physical Therapists are trained on manual manipulations but I'm pretty sure it's not as long.
There are nuances about manipulations or 'adjustments' that take a great level of skill and technique to perform safely. Yes, I do mean safely because you can possibly harm someone if you don't do it correctly. (From my own experience, I remember a classmate of mine actually causing some back pain where there was previously none because I volunteered to be his subject so he could practice Chiropractic adjusting..... Oh well. I suppose, every health care provider should understand what it feels like to be on the 'other side' and appreciate what our patients are dealing with when they seek care.)
So that's it in a nutshell. If I were a patient suffering from back or neck pain or any other musculoskeletal ailment for that matter, I'd want to go to the professionals I knew specialized in the stuff and practiced lots. A whole lot!
If you're in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver come visit Dr. Dominic Chan DC or visit the website;
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