Anjou, Quebec, CANADA -- Justice Gilles Pigeion rendered a judgment May 2, 1996 that clearly confirms once again that physiotherapists in Quebec do not have the right to perform spinal manipulations; that this is a therapeutic procedure which may only be carried out by a chiropractor.
The Ordre des Chiropraticiens du Quebec (OCQ) emphasized before Justice Pigeon that physiotherapists graduate from Quebec universities without receiving any training in performing spinal manipulations or x-ray examinations. This assertion was confirmed at the trial by a physiotherapy expert, Mrs Maheu.
The OCQ further established before the court that spinal manipulations performed by therapists without the expertise of the doctor of chiropractic to diagnose and treat the condition can cause the patient serious injury, ranging from fractures and paralysis to neurological/vascular complications and death.
"That is why our legislature has granted chiropractors the exclusive right to practice spinal manipulation," the OCQ lawyer told the court. The court was informed of the educational requirements of the doctor of chiropractic at the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, the only educational establishment in Quebec which graduates doctors of chiropractic: a five-year university program of 5,000 hours of courses and extensive training in diagnosis and spinal manipulation.
"Anyone wishing to receive a clinical and x-ray examination of the spinal column, accompanied by a professional diagnosis, should consult a chiropractor," OCQ President Normand Danis, DC, told the press. "Chiropractors are the only health professionals with the necessary university training to provide this service competently," he added.
Editor's note: For further information, contact:
Normand Danis, DC
Ordre des Chiropraticiens du Quebec
7950, Boul. Metropolitain Est
Ville d'Anjou, QC H1K 1A1
(514) 355-8540
Fax: (514) 355-2290
DC
