New Saint John Chiropractors Offer So Much More Than Just ‘Cracks’
Every so often, someone will come into Sarah Middlemiss and Corey Armstrong’s business and ask, “are you going to crack me like a glowstick?”
They have probably been scrolling TikTok or fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole watching videos of chiropractors coaxing thundering “cracks” from pretzeled patients.
Middlemiss gets it. She jokes that even she finds some of those videos “terrifying,” but she says many are exaggerated. The “adjustments” most chiropractors use are only a small part of the overall care they provide.
In fact, many people likely don’t realize the full extent of the care chiropractors like her and Armstrong offer.
Earlier this year, the couple opened their own clinic, CORE Health Group, in Uptown Saint John. Their goal is to provide their patients with multi-disciplinary care.
To that end, Middlemiss and Armstrong have partnered with registered massage therapist Holly MacIsaac and physiotherapist Marika de Winter at CORE Health Group.
“The idea is people can come to one spot and know they are going to be looked after,” Armstrong says.
Middlemiss explains that she and Armstrong always ensure their patients are active drivers in their own care. That means if they have specific preferences, such as not having adjustments, other treatment techniques can be utilized.
“We have people come who are fearful about the idea of adjustments and I always say, ‘first of all, I’m never just going to go ahead and adjust you without talking to you about it. Second, there’s a thorough and informed consent process where we talk through your issues and what we feel would give you the most benefit,’” Middlemiss says.
She explains that no single treatment is a standalone, and also may include soft tissue therapy, gentle joint mobilizations, acupuncture, rehab exercises, and other active care.
“We have our clinical expertise and experience, but we also look at what the scientific evidence says about different treatment techniques and protocols. And then there’s also the patient’s preferences that are important. We need to balance all three of those things to come up with a treatment plan,” she says.
The pair met in chiropractic college and decided early on they wanted to open their own clinic. Armstrong explains the pandemic simply accelerated their timeline. Various Covid-19 lockdowns afforded them the time required to plan opening a clinic directly out of school.
He says opening their own clinic right away allowed them to build a practice exactly how they wanted, so they can provide patients the care they think works best.
“The biggest thing going for us right now is people are blown away when they realize how much time we spend on the first day going through things like their health history, physical exam, a report of findings, and treatment,” he says.
Once that initial appointment is finished, Armstrong says CORE’s prime, uptown location makes it simple and accessible for professionals to get treatment over their lunch break or on their way home from work.
CORE Health Group opened in February and had its official grand opening in June. It is now fully up and running and accepting patients. For more information, visit Core Health Group online.
The story is sponsored by CORE Health Group.