Our Vision for Care

We envision people, families and communities throughout greater Edmonton feeling informed, supported and confident in the choices they make about their health.

We believe every person brings a different history, body, lifestyle and set of goals to our office. That is why care should never feel automatic or identical. It should begin with listening, continue with an appropriate assessment and remain responsive to the person in front of us.

Chiropractic care is one part of a broader approach to health. Movement, strength, nutrition, sleep, recovery, mindset, relationships and access to appropriate healthcare all matter. When chiropractic care is clinically appropriate, our role is to assess and care for the musculoskeletal system while helping each person better understand their body.

We welcome individuals and families through many stages of life—from infants and children to teens, adults, pregnant individuals and older adults. Every assessment and any care provided are adapted to the person’s age, size, health history, clinical findings, comfort and informed consent.

Our hope is to create a welcoming community where people feel heard, respected and involved in decisions about their care.

Our Approach to Chiropractic Care

Your body reflects a lifetime of experiences. Work, sport, pregnancy, growth, injury, daily movement, posture, recovery and other physical demands may all influence how your muscles and joints feel and function.

These influences can sometimes be associated with:

• Joint stiffness or restricted movement
• Muscle tension, weakness or imbalance
• Changes in posture
• Reduced mobility
• Difficulty or discomfort with certain activities
• Recurring patterns of musculoskeletal discomfort
• Changes in physical performance or confidence with movement

These findings do not automatically mean that chiropractic care is required. They provide information that must be considered alongside your health history, symptoms, goals and examination findings.

In our office, the term joint dysfunction/subluxation may be used to describe an area where altered joint movement or related musculoskeletal findings have been identified through assessment. It is not used to suggest that a spinal finding is the cause of unrelated diseases, developmental disorders or systemic health conditions.

Our role is to identify relevant musculoskeletal findings, explain them in understandable language and discuss the care options that may be appropriate. When chiropractic care is not indicated—or when your needs extend beyond chiropractic scope—we will recommend medical assessment or collaboration with another qualified healthcare professional.

My Approach to Chiropractic: Why Care Is Individualized

By Dr. Wendy Coburn
One Village Family Chiropractic Community

One of the questions I am asked most often is:

“What technique do you use?”

The answer is both simple and layered.

I have completed training in a variety of chiropractic approaches, including Diversified, Thompson Drop, Sacro Occipital Technique, Activator Methods, Integrator, tonal approaches, cranial techniques and the Webster Technique. I also adapt my assessments and techniques for children based on their age, size, clinical findings and comfort.

However, my focus is not on using a technique simply because it has a particular name. My focus is on the person in front of me.

Before recommending care, I consider your health history, examination findings, current needs, preferences, goals and any relevant risks or precautions. The technique selected—and whether an adjustment is appropriate at all—is based on that clinical assessment.

No two people are exactly alike, and the same person may present differently from one appointment to the next. Care may therefore change as findings, circumstances and goals change.

You Are More Than a Diagnosis

A diagnosis can be important. It can help identify a condition, guide appropriate care and determine when referral or further investigation is required. But it does not tell the whole story of the person living with it.

People may come to our office with concerns such as:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Headaches associated with neck or musculoskeletal findings
• Joint stiffness
• Reduced mobility
• Pregnancy-related musculoskeletal discomfort
• A musculoskeletal injury
• Postural or movement concerns

Every person also brings a unique health history, lifestyle, set of responsibilities, physical demands, strengths and goals.

My role is to complete an appropriate chiropractic assessment, identify relevant musculoskeletal findings and determine whether chiropractic care is suitable. I also want to understand what matters to you—whether that is moving with greater comfort, returning to an activity, managing the physical demands of work or participating more fully in daily life.

Your diagnosis matters, but so do you.

Understanding Musculoskeletal Adaptation

Life places different physical demands on all of us.

Our muscles and joints continually respond to movement, work, training, pregnancy, growth, injury, rest and recovery. Sometimes those responses are helpful and temporary. At other times, a person may develop stiffness, muscle tension, weakness or compensatory movement patterns.

A chiropractic assessment may examine:

• Spinal and joint movement
• Muscle tone and tenderness
• Posture
• Range of motion
• Strength and relevant functional movement
• Orthopedic or neurological findings when indicated

These findings help determine whether chiropractic care may be appropriate and whether another type of assessment is needed.

Chiropractic care is not presented as a way to treat stress, emotional trauma, fatigue, sleep difficulties, digestive concerns, developmental disorders or other conditions outside the chiropractic scope of practice. However, those factors may still be relevant to a person’s health history and may influence their comfort, activity and recovery. When appropriate, we encourage patients to involve their medical doctor or another qualified healthcare professional.

Why an Adjustment May Look Different

Patients sometimes notice that their adjustments do not look exactly the same at every appointment. This is intentional.

Your chiropractor should assess what is clinically appropriate before providing care. The technique, location, direction and amount of force used may vary based on factors such as:

• Current examination findings
• Age and body size
• Comfort and treatment preference
• Pregnancy
• Recent injury
• Joint mobility
• Bone health
• Previous response to care
• Relevant health conditions or precautions

Some appointments may involve a manual chiropractic adjustment. At other times, a drop table, handheld instrument or lower-force technique may be selected. There may also be occasions when an adjustment is postponed or not recommended.

Every technique should have a clinical reason behind it. I will explain what I am recommending, answer your questions and obtain your consent before proceeding.

Gentle Care Is Still Purposeful Care

A common misconception is that a stronger adjustment must be more effective. More force is not automatically better.

The appropriate amount of force depends on the individual, the area being addressed, the clinical findings and the technique selected. Lower-force approaches may be appropriate for infants, children, pregnant individuals, older adults or anyone for whom a gentler technique is clinically indicated or preferred.

“Gentle” should not be used as a guarantee that care is risk-free or that it will produce a particular outcome. All healthcare interventions have potential benefits, limitations and risks. These will be discussed as part of informed consent.

The goal is to provide care that is appropriate, measured and responsive to the individual—not simply to use the greatest amount of force.

Chiropractic Is One Part of the Picture

Chiropractic care does not replace the many other factors that contribute to health.

Depending on your needs and goals, we may discuss general considerations related to:

• Daily movement
• Strength and mobility
• Posture and ergonomics
• Sleep routines
• Nutrition
• Breathing and relaxation practices
• Recovery between activities
• Returning to work, exercise or sport

These discussions are intended to provide general education and support informed choices. They are not a substitute for individualized medical, nutritional, psychological or rehabilitative care from the appropriate regulated professional.

When your needs extend beyond my role, I will recommend assessment or collaboration with another qualified healthcare provider.

Movement, Strength and Healthy Habits

Bodies benefit from appropriate movement. Muscles, joints, bones and other tissues respond to the activities and demands placed upon them.

Strength and mobility can contribute to physical capacity, balance and confidence with everyday activities. Rest, nutrition and recovery also play important roles in overall health.

What is appropriate will be different for everyone. A person recovering from an injury will have different needs from someone training for a race. An infant, a pregnant individual and an older adult each require different considerations.

General lifestyle information may complement chiropractic care, but it does not guarantee a particular clinical result. Recommendations should be realistic, appropriate and adjusted when circumstances change.

A Collaborative Approach to Care

One of my favourite things to tell patients is:

“We are on the same team.”

My role is not to make decisions for you. My role is to listen, assess, explain my findings and help you understand the reasonable options available.

I bring my education, clinical training, assessment and professional judgment. You bring your experiences, preferences, questions and goals.

Together, we can decide whether chiropractic care fits your needs. If care begins, we will monitor your progress and revisit the plan when appropriate. You are always welcome to ask questions, request a change, seek another opinion or pause or decline care.

There is no promise of a particular result. People respond differently, and recommendations may change according to your experience and clinical findings.

My Commitment to You

I am a chiropractor and educator committed to providing thoughtful, principled and individualized chiropractic care.

Each person who comes into One Village brings a different history, body and set of goals. I will listen carefully, complete an appropriate assessment, explain my findings clearly and recommend care only when it is clinically appropriate and within my scope of practice.

When chiropractic care is recommended, it will be provided respectfully and with your informed consent. I will explain what I am recommending, why I am recommending it, the reasonable benefits and risks, the available alternatives and what you may expect from care.

You are always welcome to ask questions, participate in decisions and pause or decline care.

I do not promise a particular result. Every person responds differently. Progress will be monitored through your experience, relevant clinical findings and the goals we establish together. Recommendations will be reviewed and adjusted when appropriate.

I will be honest about what chiropractic care may and may not address. When your needs extend beyond my role, I will recommend medical assessment or collaboration with another qualified healthcare professional.

My purpose is to help you better understand your body, support your musculoskeletal health and make informed choices about your care.

I will continue to learn, serve with integrity and help create a welcoming place where individuals and families feel heard, respected and cared for.

This is my commitment to every person who enters One Village Family Chiropractic Community.

— Dr. Wendy Coburn

 

 

This is my commitment to every person who enters One Village Family Chiropractic Community.

 

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