UHR is a multidisciplinary healthcare facility offering treatment to those suffering from chronic pain and injury. We offer a variety of treatment options to help maximize your healthcare needs. Our Multidisciplinary approach to care helps us to minimize your treatment duration while maximizing your healthcare rehabiliation.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a health care professional whose purpose is to diagnose and treat mechanical disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system with the intention of affecting the nervous system and improving Health. It is based on the premise that a spinal joint dysfunction can interfere with the nervous system and result in many different conditions of diminished health.

Chiropractors use the term "subluxation" to describe such disruptions. Interruption of nerve flow can eventually lead to pain, disability, and an overall decrease in the quality of life. Conversely, the removal of that interference has been shown to have significant, lasting health benefits. Through the adjustment of the subluxation, the Doctor of chiropractic endeavors to restore normal nerve expression. The body is then able to respond appropriately to any imbalance in the system, thus relieving symptoms and restoring health 

Chiropractic Philosophy

As a profession, the primary belief is in natural and conservative methods of health care. Doctors of chiropractic have a deep respect for the human body's ability to heal itself without the use of surgery or medication. Chiropractic physicians devote careful attention to the biomechanics, structure and function of the spine, its effects on the musculoskeletal and neurological systems, and the role played by the proper function of these systems in the preservation and restoration of health. A Doctor of chiropractic is one who is involved in the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of public health, and a wellness approach to patient healthcare.

Safety in Chiropractic 

The World Health Organization states that when "employed skillfully and appropriately, chiropractic care is safe and effective for the prevention and management of a number of health problems. The International Chiropractic Association (ICA) suggests that chiropractic is one of the safest health professions and chiropractors have some of the lowest malpractice insurance premiums in the health care industry.  Records form insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today.

Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare. To learn more about the safety record of chiropractic please visit the website Chiropractic Is Safe at www.chiropracticissafe.org. 

Research in Chiropractic

Numerous studies have shown that chiropractic treatment is both safe and effective.  The following are excerpts from a few of the more recent studies.  By examining the research supporting chiropractic care, you will find that chiropractic offers tremendous potential in meeting today’s health care challenges.

The Manga Report:

The Manga Report was an outcomes-study funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and conducted by three health economists led by Professor Pran Manga.

The Report supported the scientific validity, safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic for low-back pain, and found that chiropractic care had higher patient satisfaction levels than conventional alternatives.

The report states that "The literature clearly and consistently shows that the major savings from chiropractic management come from fewer and lower costs of auxiliary services, fewer hospitalizations, and a highly significant reduction in chronic problems, as well as in levels and duration of disability.

American Medical Association (AMA)

The AMA (American Medical Association):

In 1997, the following statement was adopted as policy of the AMA; "Manipulation (Adjustment)  has been shown to have a reasonably good degree of efficacy in ameliorating back pain, headache, and similar musculoskeletal complaints

WebMD:

WebMD has published several studies that promote the efficacy of chiropractic adjustments. The first of these was published on October 12, 2004. This study showed that not only did Chiropractic cut the cost of treating back pain by 28%, it also reduced hospitalizations by 41%, back surgeries by 32%, and reduced the cost of medical imaging, such as X-rays or MRIs, by 37%.

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics:  

For Acute and Chronic Pain; “Patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractors showed greater improvement and satisfaction at one month than patients treated by family physicians. Satisfaction scores were higher for chiropractic patients. A higher proportion of chiropractic patients (56 percent vs. 13 percent) reported that their low-back pain was better or much better, whereas nearly one-third of medical patients reported their low-back pain was worse or much worse.”

-- Nyiendo et al (2000), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

In Comparison to Other Treatment Alternatives; “Acute and chronic chiropractic patients experienced better outcomes in pain, functional disability, and patient satisfaction; clinically important differences in pain and disability improvement were found for chronic patients.”

-- Haas et al. (2005), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

“The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches. Four weeks after cessation of treatment, the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values.” ‘

-- Boline et al. (1995), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

Cost Effectiveness

“Chiropractic care appeared relatively cost-effective for the treatment of chronic low-back pain. Chiropractic and medical care performed comparably for acute patients. Practice-based clinical outcomes were consistent with systematic reviews of spinal manipulative efficacy: manipulation-based therapy is at least as good as and, in some cases, better than other therapeusis.”

--Haas et al. (2005), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

British Medical Journal

In a Randomized controlled trial, 183 patients with neck pain were randomly allocated to manual therapy (spinal mobilization), physiotherapy (mainly exercise) or general practitioner care (counseling, education and drugs) in a 52-week study. The clinical outcomes measures showed that manual therapy resulted in faster recovery than physiotherapy and general practitioner care. Moreover, total costs of the manual therapy-treated patients were about one-third of the costs of physiotherapy or general practitioner care.

 -- Korthals-de Bos et al. (2003), British Medical Journal.

Annals of Internal Medicine

“In our randomized, controlled trial, we compared the effectiveness of manual therapy, physical therapy, and continued care by a general practitioner in patients with nonspecific neck pain. The success rate at seven weeks was twice as high for the manual therapy group (68.3 percent) as for the continued care group (general practitioner). Manual therapy scored better than physical therapy on all outcome measures. Patients receiving manual therapy had fewer absences from work than patients receiving physical therapy or continued care, and manual therapy and physical therapy each resulted in statistically significant less analgesic use than continued care.”

– Hoving et al. (2002), Annals of Internal Medicine.

“Chiropractic is the largest, most regulated, and best recognized of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions. CAM patient surveys show that chiropractors are used more often than any other alternative provider group and patient satisfaction with chiropractic care is very high. There is steadily increasing patient use of chiropractic in the United States, which has tripled in the past two decades.”

– Meeker, Haldeman (2002), Annals of Internal Medicine.

Duke Evidence Report

For Headaches; “Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache.”

-- McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001), Duke Evidence Report. 

American Journal of Public Health

Patient Satisfaction

“Chiropractic patients were found to be more satisfied with their back care providers after four weeks of treatment than were medical patients. Results from observational studies suggested that back pain patients are more satisfied with chiropractic care than with medical care. Additionally, studies conclude that patients are more satisfied with chiropractic care than they were with physical therapy after six weeks.”

-- Hertzman-Miller et al. (2002), American Journal of Public Health.

Chiropractic Testimonials

"There is really no better profession than chiropractic. You really helped me…I depend on chiropractic and so does my whole family. I found it was better to go to the chiropractor before you get injured. Chiropractic is truly one of the few professions that really helps people in a straightforward way with no monkey business, like some of the other professions promise to help, but this chiropractic is the real thing. That's what chiropractors do, take care of people like no other kind of healer."Arnold Schwarzenegger

"I got a chiropractor to come along to the [Patriot] shoot, because they can actually stick you back together within 15 minutes. He used to come every other week, from Los Angeles to South Carolina—spend a week and work on the entire crew. The guy's amazing." Mel Gibson

"Thank God I have a great chiropractor. I wish I'd never introduced him to Madonna and Janet (Jackson) and Tina (Turner). Now I have to share him.'' Cher

"Chiropractic helps athletes and people working out, engaging in a sport or even just performing daily functions such as walking and sitting to operate at their peak levels of performance without pain. I highly recommend that you pay a visit to your local chiropractor." Dr. Joyce Vedral, Fitness Expert

"I've found that it's a great stress reliever to get adjusted. It takes away a lot of the tightness in the muscles and when calcium deposits form in the neck and lower back, adjustments seem to disperse the deposits." Jose Canseco, Retired MLB

"I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring...I believe in chiropractic. The majority of boxers go to get that extra edge." Evander Holyfield

"I've been seeing a chiropractor and he's really been helping me out a lot. Chiropractic's been a big part of my game." Joe Montana and 35 of his teamates received chiropractic care right before the 1990 Super Bowl Game

"Being a chiropractic patient has really helped me a lot. When I was in a growth spurt, my back became very sore and I was weak. My chiropractor really helped me. Not only did he adjust my spine, he also gave me strengthening exercises to do. If you are tall and gangly like I am, or play sports, I would recommend chiropractic." Tiger Woods

"If not for chiropractic, I would not have won the gold medal! It is essential to me in my training routine. You obviously can't compete at your fullest if you're not in alignment. Every track and field athlete that I have ever met has seen a chiropractor at one time or another". Dan O'Brien, 1996 Olympic gold medalist, decathlon

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy (or physical therapy) is a healthcare profession concerned with prevention and management of movement disorders occurring throughout the lifespan. Physical therapy can only be performed by either a qualified chiropractor or physical therapist (physiotherapist). 

Physiotherapy involves using a variety of techniques to help your muscles, joints, heart and lungs work to their potential.  Physiotherapy can help individuals living with congenital or chronic diseases or other debilitating conditions and can assist those recovering from: surgery; illness; neurological conditions such as stroke; injury; industrial or motor vehicle accidents; or age related conditions.

At Universal Health & Rehabilitation, we will work with you to integrate your care into your lifestyle. We are skilled in providing treatment, preventative advice, rehabilitation and care for people with long-term or terminal illness and will develop a full treatment plan to suit your unique needs.

Universal Health doctors have both clinical and academic training in physiotherapy including neuromuscular re-education, proprioceptive training, balance training, movement rehabilitation, car accident / whiplash rehabilitation and chronic pain management.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture treats the human body as a whole. Disease is understood as a loss of balance between the yin and yang energies, which bears some resemblance to homeostasis among the several systems of function, and treatment of disease is attempted by modifying the activity of one or more systems of function through the activity of needles, pressure, heat, etc. on sensitive parts of the body of small volume traditionally called "acupuncture points" in English, or "xue" (穴, cavities) in Chinese.  

Treatment of acupuncture points may be performed along several layers of pathways, most commonly the twelve primary pathways meridians, located throughout the body. Other pathways include the Eight Extraordinary Pathways Qi Jing Ba Mai, the Luo Vessels, the Divergents and the Sinew Channels. Unaffiliated, or tender points, called "ah shi" (signifying "that's it", "ouch", or "oh yes") are generally used for treatment of local pain.

Chinese medical theory holds that acupuncture works by normalizing the free flow of qi (a difficult-to-translate concept that pervades Chinese philosophy and is commonly translated as "vital energy"), blood and body fluids (jin ye) throughout the body. Pain or illnesses are treated by attempting to remedy local or systemic accumulations or deficiencies. Pain is considered to indicate blockage or stagnation of the flow of qi, blood and/or fluids, and an axiom of the medical literature of acupuncture is "no pain, no blockage; no blockage, no pain". The delicate balance between qi and blood is of primary concern in Chinese medical theory, hence the axiom blood is the mother of qi, and qi is the commander of blood. Both qi and blood work together to move (qi) and to nourish (blood) the body fluids.

Indications for Acupuncture

The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (2004) states: "In the United States, acupuncture has its greatest success and acceptance in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain." They say that acupuncture may be considered as a complementary therapy for the conditions in the list below, noting: "Most of these indications are supported by textbooks or at least 1 journal article. However, definitive conclusions based on research findings are rare because the state of acupuncture research is poor but improving.

Massage Therapy

Massage is the treatment and practice of manipulation of the soft body tissues with physical, functional, i.e. mechanical, medical/therapeutic, and in some cases emotional purposes and goals.  Massage involves acting and manipulating the patient's body with pressure, tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as, lymphatic vessels, and/or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty different massage modalities.  The most cited reasons for introducing massage was patient demand and perceived clinical effectiveness.

Theories behind what massage might do include blocking pain signals to the brain (gate control theory), activating the parasympathetic nervous system which may stimulate the release of endorphins and serotonin, preventing fibrosis or scar tissue, increasing the flow of lymph, and improving sleep but such effects are yet to be supported by well designed clinical studies. 

Whiplash Injury Treatment Program (WITP)
 
WITP
 
This program was designed by our doctors in order to help provide whiplash injury specific treatment and to help reduce overall pain symptoms and improve potential outcome after suffering injuries as the direct result of a motor vehicle accident.  Unfortunately in today’s healthcare schools, whiplash specific injury and treatment protocols are not taught in depth regardless of the profession, medical, chiropractic, physiotherapy, etc.  This is due to the relative “newness” of the condition as it has only hit epidemic standards in the late 1990’s due to inductions of mandatory safety and crash test laws.  For this reason, many providers may treat this injury condition as a typical “sprain/strain,” however, it is not.  This along with the exclusion of treatment to vitally important musculature can result in delayed overall recovery and prolongation of care. 
 
The benefits of this program  is enriched by our doctors experience and expertise.  Currently, our doctors have taken over 50 post graduate courses in whiplash including hundreds of academic training hours and treated thousands of patients.  Additionally, your doctors have participated and studied Live Full Scale Human Volunteer Crash Testing which provides them with a better appreciation of the injuries YOU sustained and how the mechanics of that injury affect specific muscle groups.  Lastly, our doctors are the only doctor in North America currently endorsed to teach healthcare providers about whiplash injury and treatment by both the medical and chiropractic community. 

Treatment Provided

·                     Chiropractic
·                     Physiotherapy
·                     Acupuncture                                                                               
·                     Stress Management
·                     Ergonomic Instruction and Education
·                     Neuromuscular Re-Education
·                     Proprioceptive Training
·                     Therapeutic Exercises
·                     Therapeutic Activities
·                     Nerve Mobilization

Who Can Attend this Program

This program is designed for anyone who has been injured in a motor vehicle crash and continues to suffer from pain and dysfunction. 

Location                       

28 Finch Avenue, Suite 212, Toronto Ontario M2N 2G7
Tel: (416) 628.1336
www.Pain-Drs.com

Attendance Benefits
 
Whiplash is a dynamic injury process encompassing four different forces acting on the spine and surrounding tissue.  Without specific and intimate training and knowledge of injury mechanisms, crash forensics, occupant kinematics, occupant biomechanics, risk factors and spinal motion during a collision it can be very difficult to say the least for your chosen healthcare provider to determine the exact extent of injury and provide an appropriate and injury specific treatment plan that is not “factory like.”  This can result in delayed healing; prolong recovery and even chronic pain and disability.  
 
Is this the Right Program for YOU

1. Did your chosen healthcare provider explain why you have all of your injuries and symptoms?  If not, you may want to consider this program
2. Have you had symptoms for over 6 weeks without resolution or at least a great percent of reduction of pain? If so, you may want to consider this program
3. Does your doctor treat you on every visit? If not, you may want to consider this program
4. Do you receive more than just massage, acupuncture and modalities in your treatment? If not, you may want to consider this program
5. Do you feel like you get the same treatment as everyone else even though your injuries are different? If so, you may want to consider this program
6. Where you recommended to a healthcare facility by a non healthcare provider? If so, you may want to consider this program

Universal Health 12 Week Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP)
 
Effective pain management begins with a comprehensive assessment. The assessment must be comprised of a thorough evaluation of the triphasic model of pain management, treating not only the physical but the psychological side of pain.  This assessment allows the health care provider to characterize the pain, clarify its impact on your health and well being, and evaluate other related/non-related side effects/ problems resulting from the pain you are currently experiencing. The assessment determines whether additional evaluations with different medical specialist are warranted or if treatment can begin using a multidisciplinary approach to care to help alleviate your current symptoms.

Because pain is subjective, only the patient can describe it adequately.  For this reason we use a variety of outcome studies which have been shown through peer-reviewed scientific literature to accurately depict the type and amount of pain that you are currently experiencing and which help to monitor your progress in pain improvement as you navigate through the 12 week program.  The assessment also requires a physical examination, orthopedic examination, neurological examination, soft tissue examination and a review of your previous medical and social history.

Our Chronic Pain Program uses a Multidisciplinary Approach to Care allowing us to appropriately treat all phases of Chronic Pain.  Chronic Pain is defined by the Biopsychosocial pain Model which encompasses the biological, psychological and social aspects of pain.  Our program is designed to include treatment therapies for all three of these biopsychosocial factors using alternative therapies. We accomplish these goals through four phases of care/treatment.
 
Phases of Care:
 
Phase 1: Diagnosis
Phase 2: Passive Rehabilitation
Phase 3: Active Rehabilitation
Phase 4: Social Rehabilitation

Our Services Include:
 
Chiropractic
Physiotherapy
Acupuncture
Kinesiology
Soft Tissues Massage
Active Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Exercises
Active Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Activities
Neuromuscular Re-Education
Proprioceptive Training
Stress Reduction Therapy
 
UHR Statement: “Those in pain are stuck in a negative cascade of events that helps to perpetuate there current pain symptoms.  Once a pain process has begun, this negative cycle continues to cause secondary disorders and symptoms.  Pain is chemical process which affects the release of neurochemicals that control mood, sleep and behavior.  Continued over excitability of this process can lead to increased/decreased production of neurotransmitters that will adversely affect sleep, behaviour and mood.  As sleep, behaviour and mood are affected this will adversely affect the neurochemicals produced with pain leading to a negative cycle of events that helps to perpetuate your current pain complaints.  This cycle will continue, leading to central sensitization, allodynia, and neuronal sprouting unless it can be effectively and appropriately interrupted.  Our therapy goal is to interrupt this negative cascade of events to help reduce your overall subjective pain while helping to improve your overall quality of life.”