Meet Dr. Cassidy Quinton
I Wish I Had Known Then What I Know Now
When the majority of people think of a chiropractor they immediately think of back pain. The first visit I ever made to a chiropractor was, like most people, for this exact reason. The pain was minor and within a few visits I was out of pain and playing hockey again. I continued to see the chiropractor on and off when an issue arose related to my back.
Years later I suffered what I believed to be a growing pull during soccer and went to physiotherapy. While this offered some relief I could not run without pain and still had a slight limp after 2 months. Due to this constant limping my back started to ache, so I went to the chiropractor. While I was there he said he could probably help with the limp too. I was skeptical because, after all, in my head “this was a muscle and he works on bones” but I was willing to give it a shot. He proceeded to straiten my pelvis and performed something called ART (Active Release Technique) on my hip flexors.
It felt better immediately and within two weeks everything was back to normal. This was after 2 months of suffering and stretching with little to no relief.
He went on to explain why this was…when the joints are out of position the muscles realize something is wrong. They then respond the same way they respond when anything is wrong in the body, they tighten. They do this to try to protect the area and prevent further damage. This is great when you break a wrist or sprain an ankle but eventually you want to get those muscles to loosen up. The problem is until you get the alignment issue straitened out the muscles don’t want to relax and keep attempting to tighten to protect the perceived problem. This is why people can get muscles worked on over and over and they keep tightening up again, they haven’t gotten to the root of the problem. By straitening out the alignment the muscles are then in a position where they are able to relax. Active Release Technique, (which is an advanced form of muscle work, Visit the Active Release website for more information) can then be performed to loosen up the tight muscles.
It made perfect sense and most importantly, it helped. Now though I wasn’t quite sure what was and wasn’t a chiropractic problem.
Finding Chiropractic
Having had asthma for years there was constant chest tightness and deep breaths were not easy, especially in the nice Winnipeg winters. I asked if there was anything he could do for this? He said no he can’t do anything to fix asthma but the symptoms from it were another story. He said he could work on the joints and muscles to help with some of the motion. He adjusted my mid-back, performed ART on some muscles in the chest and told me to take a breath in, and I could… I could take that deep breath in without anywhere close to as much resistance. For anyone who can’t take a deep breath they will tell you what a relief it is when you finally can! While it still wasn’t treating the asthma itself the relief from the tension was immediate and I decided this is how I wanted to help other people feel.
Chiropractic Care Can Help You
While we as chiropractors believe that structure, function and how that relates to our nerves and nervous system is the most important aspect of what we do, we try to give our patients more when needed. Along with the adjustment, ART (Active Release Technique) is also performed. It is an advanced form of muscle work used at this clinic in order to achieve quicker, longer lasting results. It is also our belief that what we do for you will be greatly influenced by what you decide to do for yourself. This is why nutrition suggestions are sometimes given. Recommendations for diet changes as well as supplements will be given when needed, but as with the rest of your treatment what you decide to do about your health is completely up to you. We also give home care instructions, including stretches and strengthening exercises to help speed up the recovery process and try to stop the problem from returning once it has been resolved.
Taking A Holistic Approach
At our clinic we take a very natural, holistic approach to health care. We know that drugs and medications have their place, but we would rather start out with natural forms of intervention to allow the body to heal itself before resorting to chemical intervention.
We also practice what we preach and would never tell a patient to do anything we do not do or have not tried. My family eats a healthy diet (following “The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson which is a great lifestyle book, if interested), do at least some form of activity daily and get adjusted weekly.
Enough about me! How can we help you with today’s safe and natural chiropractic care? Call our office so we can help you take your first step towards better health.