For close to 30 years, Dr. Michael Feijo has been providing the Brantford community with chiropractic services, giving many people the opportunity to feel better through personalized therapies and treatments.
Feijo, who is the Owner and Doctor of Chiropractic at Chiropractic Health Services in Brantford, discussed his path to becoming a chiropractor.
“Having been born, raised, and living in Brantford for my entire life, I initially intended to pursue a medical career…[after] attending a high school career day and hearing a talk on chiropractic care changed everything; I immediately felt a passion for the profession and decided on the path to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic,” he said. “Also, my personal background in sports—playing hockey, soccer, and high school football, and later golf—made the focus on natural healthcare and sports injuries a natural fit. This connection continued as I watched my own children compete in hockey, soccer, rugby, and golf. As part of my commitment to the community, I’ve spent years giving healthcare talks across Brantford to nursing homes, church groups, and high school civics and careers classes, as well as lecturing various sports teams on stretching, injury therapies, and general wellness.”
While chiropractic sometimes faces undeserved negative perceptions, Feijo has relished the opportunity to educate people and change minds.
“I find it incredibly rewarding to educate patients on the true facts of chiropractic care, dispelling the common myths they may have encountered. I often hear people tell me that they were skeptical or had been advised against it, only to find that just a few visits have significantly helped their condition. It’s truly inspiring to see patients achieve better results with chiropractic than they did with other therapies,” Feijo explained. “While our field sometimes struggles with its reputation, the vast majority of people who have actually experienced chiropractic will confirm they’ve benefited. The profession has progressed dramatically over its 100-plus-year history, and it’s a great sign for future chiropractors that more and more people are choosing this route to address their injuries and health problems.”
Feijo provided more detail, particularly when explaining chiropractic treatments.
“The core principle of chiropractic is that the spine is key to your body’s health. Your spine is made up of seven cervical (neck), twelve thoracic (mid-back), and five lumbar (lower back) vertebrae. Nerves exist at each of these vertebral levels and connect directly to the body’s organs, muscles, and tissues,” he said. “When we perform a chiropractic adjustment, we gently affect the nerve at the specific spinal level corresponding to the area of pain – whether it’s headaches, sciatica, shoulder pain, or neck pain. By treating the coordinating spinal level, we help alleviate the underlying problem, enabling your body to heal itself.”
Nevertheless, there are different modalities that chiropractors will use, as Feijo explained.
“There are a variety of adjunctive therapies that are used, including acupuncture, laser therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and magnetic wave therapy. In many clinics, including mine, we employ a collaborative, multi-practitioner approach. This means working alongside other professionals such as naturopaths, physiotherapists, and massage therapists. We also partner with the medical world, viewing health care as a team effort to address a patient’s issues, aches, and illnesses with a combination of treatments,” he said. “Low-level light laser therapy (or light therapy) is a specific treatment used because light is a natural healer. It works by targeting the affected area to decrease pain and promote healing. By directing a specific light wavelength, the therapy helps reduce inflammation, stimulates cell regeneration, and flushes out inflammatory cells, significantly aiding the body’s natural repair process.”
Along with laser therapy, Feijo has specialized in various other therapies providing patients with treatment options.
“During my time in chiropractic college and throughout my career, I’ve actively sought extensive training in various techniques. Over the years, I’ve attended seminars for 15 to 20 different methods, allowing me to incorporate a wide array of approaches into my practice. These techniques include Activator Methods, Logan Basic Technique, Diversified Technique, and Thompson Drop Table Technique,” Feijo stated. “Having these various methods allows me to customize treatment for every patient. Different patients require different approaches; for example, I use lower-force techniques for elderly patients and infants compared to the slightly higher-force adjustments often used for middle-aged patients. This versatility ensures the safest and most effective care for their specific needs.”
For Feijo, it has been a rewarding experience helping many people at his practice.
“In my nearly 30 years in practice, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of people with a wide range of issues. I often look back on patients who I’ve helped return to their sport or get back into the workforce after a debilitating injury. For many, common chronic issues like back pain, neck pain, and headaches have plagued them for years [and] it’s incredibly rewarding to see these patients come into the office and, within just a few weeks of treatment, be back to their lives, functional and healed,” he said. “Beyond direct treatment, another rewarding aspect is the diagnostic role we play. By carefully reviewing patient X-rays, we’ve been able to diagnose several underlying conditions that required more extensive medical intervention. Guiding those patients back to their medical doctor for further testing, such as MRIs and CT scans, and ensuring they connect with a specialist has been crucial, providing them with the comprehensive care they need.”
However, he has learned a great deal from his time as a chiropractor in the community.
“In my years of practice, I’ve learned that truly helping people requires time and attention. Patients often arrive not just with physical problems, but with underlying mental health concerns, family issues, or stresses from their daily lives. By simply taking the time to talk and listen to them, I help guide them through these challenges. It’s immensely rewarding to support them with their mental and emotional [hurdles] alongside their physical ailments,” said Feijo. “This philosophy extends to how I view healthcare [which] I believe is a team approach. The patient’s well-being is a shared responsibility, not something that belongs to a single practitioner. Therefore, I readily provide necessary referrals to other healthcare providers [and always] fostering a collaborative environment that serves the patient best.”
Feijo also delved into the future of chiropractic care in Brantford.
“The future is very promising. We have many young chiropractors joining the community as the established practitioners retire. I firmly believe that in this field, it’s not a competition, it’s a team approach. Every chiropractor has their own niche, serving different kinds of patients, and there are certainly enough people in this community for all of us to help and serve,” he said. “I had the privilege of serving as the president of the Brantford Chiropractic Association for many years, where we met monthly. My hope is that the next generation, like my son Josh, can pick up that mantle and bring the association back together. They can share ideas, concepts, and treatment plans to ensure it remains a positive, growing profession.”
Nevertheless, Feijo is excited with how Brantford has continued to grow and for its future.
“Brantford has grown immensely over my last three decades, and I truly anticipate continued growth for chiropractic and healthcare in this community. I’m very fortunate that my eldest son, Josh, will be joining the practice in about two years after completing chiropractic college, allowing him to carry on the Feijo Chiropractic legacy,” he stated. “With our population expanding and new developments—like the Brantford Bulldogs, the new arena, and the new hospital—these are all such positive, promising [factors] for the future; it’s wonderful for our younger generations to witness this growth firsthand.”
