Health Care Services

·  Chiropractic

·  Acupuncture

·  Soft Tissue Therapeutics

·  Custom Orthotic Prescription and Casting

·  Exercise Prescription

Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a drug-free, regulated health profession in Canada focussed on the treatment of the neuromusculoskeletal system (nerves, muscles, bones and joints).  Chiropractors commonly treat conditions such as back pain, neck pain, certain types of headaches, sports and workplace injuries from either single traumas, or repetitive/overuse injuries and other conditions treatable through manual therapy and education.  Chiropractors commonly use spinal adjustments / spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapies, electrical modalities, exercise prescription, ergonomic and postural advice and other educational tools to help their patients to heal from injuries and reduce the chance of reinjury.  Chiropractors undergo 4 years of formal education subsequent to at least 3 years of undergraduate University level education.  In Canada there are only two accredited institutions to attain a Doctorate in Chiropractic; The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, and Université du Québec à Trois Rivières in Trois Rivières Quebéc.

Acupuncture

Dr Mueller is trained in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture (CMA) at McMaster University.  This training is only made available to health care professionals such as Chiropractors, Medical Doctors, Physiotherapists, and Naturopaths.  The course is credited as 300 CME (Continuing Medical Education) category 1 AMA (American Medical Association) hours exceeding by 50% the recommended training laid out for health professionals by the WHO in 1996.  Acupuncture is a powerful adjunctive treatment as utilized by chiropractors to treat conditions of the neuromusculoskeletal system.  The WHO supports recognizes the benefits of Acupuncture for conditions including but not limited to the following:

CMA is performed by fine, sterile needles inserted into points selected for their use in the Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) model, as well as points chosen relative to their anatomical locations.  Many TCM models have which have been demonstrated to have powerful physiological effects are also rationalized in the CMA model due to their anatomical relationship to peripheral nerves, blood vessels, muscle, tendon, capsule and other tissues with a high number of autonomic, sensory and motor nerve fibers.  Physiological reactions include but are not limited to local vasodilation (opening of blood vessels near to the insertion points), reflex relaxation of local muscle fibers, deactivation of trigger points and modulation of acute and chronic pain as well as systemic autonomic function.

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Soft Tissue Therapeutics

Dr Mueller has training in a number of soft tissue techniques including but not limited to Trigenics, myofascial stripping and release, trigger point therapy as well as various stretching techniques such as PIR (post-isometric relaxation).  These techniques are used an a powerful adjunct to spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and exercise to help patients to help patients recover from conditions of pain and neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction.   

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Custom Orthotic Prescription and Casting

Lower back, lower limb and even headaches in some cases have been associated with altered foot biomechanics.  Tools such as postural and gait analysis are linked with clinical history and physical exam to determine whether or not orthotics may be of benefit to patients.  If indicated, patients can be assessed and have their feet foam casted at the clinic and determine their specific needs whether they be for daily use, athletic use, or to support other chronic conditions of the arches and/or joints of the foot or ankle.  Dr Mueller sends those casts to the Ontario Orthotic Lab through which patients may also choose to order quality shoes with or without special orthopedic modifications.   Specially designed orthotics are available for athletic use, business shoes, ice skates, golf and other specific purposes.  Ask Dr Mueller which design will be ideal for you.

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Exercise Prescription

Specific exercise prescription may be as simple as advice on how to incrementally increase cardiovascular activity (beneficial for achieving diverse goals from weight loss and decreasing blood pressure to modulation of depression and decreasing cancer risk), to specific exercises and techniques to decrease stress and strain on the job, core stability, or rehabilitation from sports injuries. 

One example of a set of exercises especially utile to chiropractors is core stability exercises due to their benefit for low back pain.  Dr Mueller has developed an 8 week program based on the research of McGill, Jull, Richardson and McKenzie and protocols developed by  Dr Craig Liebenson complemented by Dr Mueller's experiences as an athlete, educator, and health care provider.  This program is ideal for patients with back pain, or those looking to improve general core stability to improve athletic performance.  Hopefully early in 2006 a new venue will be found to offer this outstanding program to small and medium sized groups...stay tuned!!  Similar protocols can also be offered to current patients as a part of their normal treatments along with take home information handouts.  The exercises are taught in logical and incremental fashion to be sure that participants and patients are able to perform the exercises in the class properly as well as to use critical thinking skills to integrate new exercises safely into their exercise regimes in the future.  Core stability and postural education can also aid patients in dealing with the stresses of the modern workplace.  

Dr Mueller has also organized a set of brochures outlining exercises to fight off the stresses of “Postural Strain” commonly found in students, clerical workers, long haul drivers, and others required to sit for prolonged periods.  Simple low cost solutions are preferred including tools such as elastic resistance bands/tubes, floor mats and inflatable exercise balls.  

The straight forward low tech approach of the rehabilitation programs developed by Dr Mueller are ideal since they can be easily performed in the comfort of any patient's home without the need of supervision.  For many conditions, personalized protocols are recommended to maximize results.  Motivated patients can then improve treatment results and gain powerful tools for long term self management of their given conditions.  The sense of empowerment gained by patients who learn to actively participate in their treatment is central to Dr Mueller's approach to patient management.

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