At Gray Chiropractic St. Catharines we are NOT the average Chiropractic Clinic. We do not offer a one-size-fits-all approach for your muscle and joint health. Instead we utilize a variety of progressive and cutting-edge techniques so we can most effectively match our treatment approach to your specific problem.

Here are a few of the main treatment techniques we use in everyday practice.

Active Release Techniques (ART)

ART stands for Active Release Techniques. It is a state of the art, highly successful soft-tissue assessment and treatment technique that is quickly becoming the gold-standard for treatment of muscle, tendon, ligament, and nerve problems –  including sports injuries, back pain, shoulder, elbow, and knee pain,, foot pain including plantar fasciitis, and many more common conditions.

You can think of an ART treatment as a type of active massage. The practitioner will first shorten the muscle, tendon, or ligament and then apply a very specific tension with their hands as the stretch the tissue. As the tissue lengthens we are able to assess the texture and tension of the tissue to determine if it is healthy or contains scar tissue that needs further treatment. When scar tissue adhesions are felt the amount and direction of tension can be modified to treat the problematic area. 

In this sense, each ART session is actually a combination of assessment and treatment, allowing the practitioner to continually assess the health of the tissues and the progress of treatment.

Both Dr Jason Gray and Dr Stephanie Gray are full-body certified in ART Treatment. They have been practicing ART for over 15 years.

Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)

Functional Range Conditioning (or FRC) is a comprehensive joint training system developed by world renowned movement and rehabilitation expert Dr. Andreo Spina. 

With FRC there are 3 main goals:

  1. Mobility Development – Mobility refers to the amount of active, usable motion that one possesses. The more mobile a person is, the more they are able to maximize their movement potential safely, efficiently, and effectively.
  2. Joint Strength – While improving mobility and movement potential, the FRC® system also acts to ‘bullet proof’ (or safe-guard) your joints so that movement can be executed safely.
  3. Body Control – Training with FRC® improves the function of your nervous system. This leads to a reduction of pain and injury, joint health and longevity, as well as an increased ability to move freely and easily.

Dr. Jason Gray is a certified Functional Range Release provider. Learn more about this innovative treatment and assessment technique at https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/

 

Functional Range Release (FR)

Functional Range Release technique (or FR Release) is an advanced, comprehensive, hands-on technique and system of soft tissue assessment and treatment used by some of the most highly regarded manual therapists around the world.

In conjunction with a sound medical history, advanced diagnostic procedures (when needed), and functional assessment, the FR management system utilizes a scientifically guided approach to the assessment and treatment of specific anatomic structures using palpation.  This allows us to not only more effectively locate specific anatomic structures (muscles, ligaments, nerves), but also to better feel and “see” these structures with our hands, allowing us to more effectively diagnosis and treat soft tissue conditions. 

Dr. Jason Gray is a certified Functional Range Release provider. Learn more about this innovative treatment and assessment technique at https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/

 

Functional Range Assessment (FRA)

Functional Range Assessment (or FRA) is a specialized method of joint assessment that provides objective measures of movement flexibility and movement capacity. These measurements can be applied to every joint in your body –  including your toes, foot, knees, elbows, spine, shoulders, and neck – and allows us to (1) better determine treatment needs and goals, (2) to effectively gauge progress of your treatment plan, and (3) to more accurately determine whether your joints have the ability to move the way they need to to effectively and safely do the the things you want and need them to do at work, sport, and in life.

Dr. Jason Gray is a certified Functional Range Release provider. Learn more about this innovative treatment and assessment technique at https://functionalanatomyseminars.com/

 

Cox Flexion-Distraction

Cox Flexion-Distraction therapy is a gentle, comfortable, hands-on, treatment for spinal pain and dysfunction. In recent decades Cox Therapy has emerged as a safe,effective, and well-researched treatment for spinal conditions, including spinal arthritis, sciatica, back pain, neck pain, and spinal stenosis.

Cox Treatment is performed using a specially engineered treatment table that gently pulls and stretches the joints of the spine. With the patient lying on the table the lower portion of the table supporting the patient’s legs can be slowly pulled down and away. (The same procedure can also be used for the neck, but in this case it is the headpiece that moves). 

This motion gently stretches the joints of the spine, pulling pulls the spinal bones away from each other. This movement acts to “decompress” the joint and gently stretch the muscles and ligaments around the joint. As the spine stretches the doctor is able to focus the release pressure at very specific levels of the spine by applying a specific pressure to any problematic areas (i.e., to any painful, degenerated, or arthritic areas) with a specialized hand contact. 

The ability to direct the traction/distraction effect to the exact level of joint restriction makes Cox Flexion-Distraction treatment different than traditional stretching exercises and other distraction therapies or devices which apply only a general stretch or traction. Each decompression stretch is held for about 5 seconds and is applied in a rhythmical push-pull action five or six times. This process is usually repeated three to four times. In our experience the majority of people with pain and stiffness related to the spine respond very well to this approach.

 

Shockwave Treatment

Shockwave treatment (more formally known as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy – ESWT) is a new, non-invasive therapeutic modality which utilizes high energy sound waves that can help alleviate pain and enhance tissue healing and regeneration.

Researchers believe that when focused on damaged tissues these high energy sound waves induce a cascade of biological responses and cellular changes which  stimulate cells in the body that are responsible for bone and connective tissue healing.

Perhaps the most important of these effects is the stimulation of new blood vessel formation (a process known as neovascularization). These new vessels greatly improve the delivery of important chemical mediators and molecular building blocks to the damaged area, enabling the body to repair the injured tissue more quickly.

Keep in mind that this stimulation of new blood vessel formation is much more powerful that just increasing blood flow to the area. Shockwave treatment actually increases the number of blood vessels supplying the damaged area. This is like adding more highways so commuters can more effectively arrive at their required destination as opposed to just directing more traffic down existing roadways.

Shockwave treatment is often used to treat soft tissue conditions such as tendonitis / tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, tennis of golfer’s elbow, and a number of knee and shoulder conditions.

 

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a form of treatment that involves inserting very thin needles through a person’s skin at specific points on the body. Although it has been around for thousands of years, the modern practice of acupuncture has changed considerably since first introduced in China.

It is now known that acupuncture acts to stimulate neurochemical pathways in your brain and peripheral nervous system. Essentially, as these extremely thin (and therefore quite comfortable for most people) needles are inserted along specific areas it acts to stimulate the nerves that supply those areas.  The nerve then sends signals to the brain with then in turn releases various neural chemicals and hormones that can help reduce pain and in some cases promote tissue healing.  

Dr Stephanie Gray uses Acupuncture in the treatment of various musculoskeletal conditions including back and neck pain, sciatica, and nerve disorders.