Canadian Chiropractic Conference 2011

The goal of the Canadian Federation of Chiropractic Regulatory and Educational Accrediting Boards is to promote interest in regulatory practice across Canada.

On Saturday, November 12, 2011, the Federation manifested this goal by hosting the Canadian Chiropractic Speciality Conference at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto.

Thanks to the collaboration of the Federation, the College of Chiropractic Sciences, the College of Chiropractic Orthopedists, the Chiropractic College of Radiologists, the Chiropractic College of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Royal College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences, representatives of all disciplines were present to ensure the conference’s success.

Exhibitors included the Canadian Chiropractic Association, the Ontario Chiropractic Association, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Canadian Chiropractor magazine, Antibex Software, Atlas Medic Inc., Douglas Laboratories Pure Encapsulations, Ideal Protein, Medelco Inc., Natureteq Inc. and Thumper Massager Inc. and were present to support the conference, stimulating the spread of public awareness.



Each lecture at the conference presented ways for chiropractic practitioners to focus on the efficiency of patient treatment.

Joe Lemire, BSc, DC, FCCS(C), MSc, introduced the concept of a five-minute neurological exam. With more than 600 diagnosable neurological disorders, the typical neurological examination is viewed as time consuming and labour intensive. Instead of evaluating the entire nervous system, a practitioner may focus on one of the nine levels of the nervous system that has been affected. In this way, neurological signs of deficits may be screened quickly; if there are signs of abnormality, additional afflictions may be examined.

The morning continued with presentations centred on the common pain syndromes encountered by chiropractors. John Crawford, BSc (Hons), MSc, DC, Ph.D.(Path), FRCCSS(C), defined neuropathic pain and gave a profile of complex regional pain syndrome. Rocco Guerriero, BSc, DC, FRCCSS(C), FCCRS(C), FCCO(C), reviewed evidence-based examination procedures used to diagnose myelopathy, radiculopathy and peripheral nerve compression. The conservative management of common peripheral neuropathies was discussed before the morning session was wrapped up with a “grand rounds.” A string of challenging case studies were addressed by a panel of five chiropractic specialists. The cases gave practitioners the opportunity to envision how pain management approaches could be introduced into a patient’s treatment.

A surprise presentation was made to Peter Waite, CAE, from the Canadian Chiropractic Specialty Colleges to commemorate his outstanding dedication and service to the Federation as he is stepping down after 14 years as executive director. Previously Waite had served as Executive Director of the Ontario Chiropractic Association, so his tenure with the profession dates back to 1990.

The afternoon sessions diverged from the morning’s focus, turning to the subject of advanced diagnostic testing. David Bereznick, BSc, MSc, DC, Ph.D., compared surface electromyography (EMG) with indwelling or needle EMG. The practical applications of musculoskeletal sonography in the field of chiropractics were then presented.

The final lecture on interdisciplinary management of chronic pain eloquently concluded the topics discussed throughout the day. “Chiropractic is no longer CAM (complementary/alternative medicine)” stated the first slide of presentation by Eldon Tunks, MD, FRCP(C). Howard Vernon, DC, Ph.D., FCCS(C), FCCRS(C), and Dr. Tunks reviewed the concept of chronic pain, proposed mechanisms of pain identification and acknowledged the epidemiological evidence for the significance of considering comorbidity in a patient. The presenters concluded with recent findings of the Neck Disability Index in whiplash-associated disorders.

This year’s conference chose the topic of clinical neurology, achieving great success in providing chiropractors with practical information to improve their practices. The Federation and the Specialty Colleges aim to plan a conference next year focusing on topics that will continue to encourage practitioners to diagnose pain-related diseases efficiently, and in the interests of the patient.

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The Canadian Federation of Chiropractic Regulatory and Educational Accrediting Boards (the Federation) is a national association of provincial and territorial chiropractic licensing authorities and accredited educational programmes and is incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act.

All health care professions are regulated at the provincial and territorial level, as such, the role of the Federation is to provide a forum at the national level for the exchange of information, resources and experience in order to assist the member regulatory boards to best carry out their responsibilities.

For more information, please visit: www.chirofed.ca