Doctor Bonar, Do You Do Physio?

Without hesitation I smile and answer Y-E-S to avoid confusion, but in the back of my head I'm thinking Chiro's are doctors of musculoskeletal medicine and can manage any muscle or joint in the body. While I can appreciate there are many areas that we can discuss which differentiate physio from chiro, with even one elephant in the room being the negative bias that capital M- Medicine still holds against Chiropractic, but I'd like to assert one simple hang-up, language.

Chiro - by Hand

What's in a Name

Physiotherapy simply in the name seems to own physical therapy as an act, but the word Chiro in Greek is "by-hand" and makes us physical/manual therapists. Physical therapy simply includes exercise as a tool; which is used by any good Chiropractor that practices evidence based care. The term manual therapist refers to someone who uses their own physical forces to manually move and manipulate your body to therapeutically break-up restrictions in tissues. There are Physiotherapists who do less manual therapy than others and may use other tools in the tool box like electro-modalities which are hands off and have limited efficacy or research support. Many studies demonstrate that hands off treatments like ultrasound or TENS can be placebo. Often when someone asks if I do physiotherapy, they are looking to get some massage and manual therapy to fix pain; Doctors of Chiropractic like me are fantastic at this and HANDS ON.

Multi-Disciplinary Care is Best

My first several years post-grad in practiced in physiotherapy clinics, and was immersed in Interprofessional Education that was being conducted in partnership with U of T. I subscribe to -team work makes the dream work- and I know multidisciplinary care is best; but realistically my high quality education at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College gives me the skills to do the manual therapy most folks are asking about. I also found that both as a practicing chiropractor and in my other role as a clinical educator it was apparent that our diagnostic skills are superior. A chiropractor is able to better diagnose your condition and conduct that initial examination. Then an excellent Chiropractor will also refer you to all of the appropriate therapists or specialists necessary to best mange all 360 degrees of your injury or complaint. Chiropractors now have the ability to refer to specialists where before we would have to send a letter requesting your Doctor/General Practitioner do the referrals.

Therapist not Title Dependent

Ultimately if one was to do some internet research they would get an oversimplified explanation of how Chiropractors and Physiotherapists differ and suggest we focus on the spine. Simply put, 4 years if way too much time in Chiropractic college to just learn about one part of the body. We are doctors educated on the whole human body so that we may treat you holistically and not compartmentalize all of your aliments as modern medicine. In the end the quality of your musculoskeletal care is dependent on the skills and experience of your therapist whether they are trained as a Chiropractor or Physiotherapist initially. It's important to know that their is a spectrum within manual therapy: I have close physiotherapy friends who have done many years of extra training to do spinal manipulation/chiropractic adjustments, and Chiro friends who run fitness courses or who have stopped using their hands as much. Finding a therapist that understands your injury and individual needs can be a process, so have an open mind and ask lots of questions during your initial assessment. Often the patient is left with having to assemble the multidisciplinary team that fits their needs without much guidance but it can help to read a therapists profile looking for keywords like manual therapy or soft tissue therapies can help if you or your GP think you need physio. I have even heard of patients straight-up asking the receptionist if the therapist uses mostly machines and assistants or their own hands. Don't by shy ask all the questions you have to ensure your getting the best care for you. Consider reaching out to a Chiropractor in your area and see if they do complimentary consultations like me, and have a friendly chat with no commitments.

Chiropractor adjusting patient's spine in a clinical setting