The Hope Healing and Health Chiropractic and Related Services facility promises to deliver a balanced health care model for the maintenance, prevention and immediate relief from muscular-skeleton issues for seniors and all ages in the Hope area.
Heading up the facility is Dr. Shawn A. Eldridge who provides chiropractic care and a full range of services including exercise therapy, kinesiotaping, orthotic therapy, custom bracing, traction therapy and instrument and manual soft tissue therapies to a majority of seniors in Hope.
Eldridge emphasizes first assessing and addressing the issues of his clients and dealing with them in a proactive and preventative manner. Part of his extensive diagnostic and treatment process includes discussing nutritional needs, lifestyle changes, exercise and regular sessions to effectively treat his patients differing needs.
“A lot of issues that my senior patients have is with mobility, so what I do is all about enhancing mobility and improving pain and loss of function,” Eldridge told The Hope Standard.
As people age they tend to develop osteoarthritis and suffer from hip and knee pain.
“Osteoarthritis is defined by the deterioration of the joints, it is a gradual thing that happens to everyone as they age and it’s simply a manner of discerning how much it affects the quality of a person’s life.”
Mobility is everything to ensure a healthy and active lifestyle among seniors. Often when people feel pain they have a tendency not to move, but Eldridge emphasizes the necessity of movement to help with pain management, resolution and prevention.
It’s up to the patient to take the tools from an assessment and utilize them to make a plausible and successful course of action for improving longevity and quality of living as well as feeling better.
“I’m addressing the motion of the joints, tension and flexibility — I can build custom braces for knees and other joints while addressing alignment issues and orthotics,” said Eldridge of the extensive and integrated services he provides.
After evaluating his patients by ascertaining a thorough history and disclosing their pain level and mobility, Eldridge is able to formulate a plan of management which involves setting health goals, whether that be reducing inflammation, or providing sound dietary advice with an exercise regime that involves strength training exercises designed to target pain.
Eldridge recommends supplements and additional supports that are related to muscle and joint care as well as Omega 3 fish oils that support the healthy function of bones and joints.
The value of chiropractic care is immeasurable according to Eldridge, who carefully discussed the nature of the complex workings of the nervous system and how they are connected to the muscular skeleto elements in the body.
“After four to six visits there can be a dramatic effect and the majority of my patients often get better, but if something is acute or chronic it may take some time.” he said. “I try to keep my patients comfortable and encourage them to visit sooner while guiding them further through their health needs and goals.”
After nine years of intense study in kinesiology at the University of Windsor and then on to a chiropractic certification, the highly credentialed doctor was adamant that he could treat anyone of any age with immediate issues, or help them to sort out preventative goals.
Starting out as a personal trainer, and going through the co-op program at University helped Eldridge to work in different areas of kinesiology which helped him to determine his career path.
The Hope doctor is all about staying in motion.
“Movement is medicine — usually the tendency is for people to stop moving when they feel pain, but the majority of cases I treat involve movement therapy,” he said.“When I recognize the problem my goal is to treat it so the patient can feel better. I want to ensure that I’m providing a preventative model of care.”
The accomplished doctor began his practice here in 2009 and enjoys providing a facility that offers a plethora of services to help keep people healthy and feeling good.
“I hope to make a difference in people’s lives and take them from a point where they have a lack of mobility and optimize their quality of life. I’m fascinated with the human body and human movement. It’s about improving somebody’s life or taking an athlete and helping them to maximize their performance.”