A Multidisciplinary Approach Often Produces the Best Results
If you are a veteran receiving chiropractic care through Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), you may be wondering whether you can also access other treatments at the same time. The short answer is yes — VAC recognizes that many musculoskeletal conditions benefit from a multidisciplinary approach, and veterans can often receive chiropractic care alongside other covered therapies. At Fredericton Family Chiropractic, we frequently coordinate with other providers to ensure our veteran patients receive comprehensive care.
What Other Therapies Does VAC Cover?
In addition to chiropractic care, VAC covers a range of healthcare services for recognized service-related conditions. These commonly include physiotherapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, psychology and mental health services, prescription medications, and in some cases, acupuncture and other complementary therapies. The specific therapies available to you depend on your approved conditions, your treatment plan, and what your case manager and treatment providers recommend. Each therapy requires its own Treatment Authorization, but multiple authorizations can be active simultaneously.
Why Combining Therapies Makes Clinical Sense
Chronic musculoskeletal conditions — the kind most commonly seen in veterans — rarely respond optimally to a single treatment modality in isolation. The clinical evidence strongly supports multimodal care for conditions like chronic low back pain and chronic neck pain. A 2018 systematic review published in the European Spine Journal found that combining manual therapy (including chiropractic adjustments) with exercise therapy produced better outcomes than either treatment alone for chronic spinal pain. For veterans, this means that chiropractic care combined with physiotherapy-directed exercise, or chiropractic adjustments complemented by massage therapy for chronic soft tissue tension, can produce results that neither therapy would achieve independently. At our clinic, we already incorporate rehabilitation exercises and soft tissue work into our chiropractic treatment plans. Adding other therapies to the mix can further enhance your progress.
Chiropractic and Massage Therapy
This is one of the most common and effective combinations we see among our veteran patients. Chiropractic care addresses joint dysfunction, spinal alignment, and nerve irritation, while massage therapy focuses on chronic muscle tension, fascial restrictions, and soft tissue adhesions. For veterans with longstanding conditions, years of compensatory muscle tension often develop around dysfunctional spinal segments. Treating the joint without addressing the surrounding soft tissue — or vice versa — often yields incomplete results. At Fredericton Family Chiropractic, we offer both chiropractic and massage therapy under one roof, which makes coordinating these services straightforward. When both therapies are authorized by VAC, they can be scheduled on the same day or on alternating days depending on your treatment plan.
Chiropractic and Physiotherapy
Chiropractic care and physiotherapy are complementary rather than competing approaches. While there is overlap in some areas, each profession brings specific strengths. Chiropractic adjustments are particularly effective for restoring joint mobility and addressing segmental spinal dysfunction, while physiotherapy often excels at progressive exercise rehabilitation, modality-based pain management, and functional movement retraining. For veterans recovering from more complex conditions or surgical procedures, having both a chiropractor and physiotherapist involved can provide a broader range of tools. We communicate with physiotherapists and other providers when appropriate to ensure that your overall treatment plan is coordinated and not contradictory.
Chiropractic and Mental Health Support
The connection between chronic pain and mental health is well established in the medical literature. Veterans with chronic spinal conditions frequently experience concurrent depression, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep disorders. Research published in Pain Research and Management has shown that psychological interventions alongside physical treatments produce better long-term outcomes for chronic pain than physical treatments alone. If you are receiving psychological or psychiatric support through VAC, this does not conflict with chiropractic care — in fact, addressing both the physical and psychological components of chronic pain simultaneously is considered best practice. We are not mental health providers, but we understand the bidirectional relationship between pain and mental health, and we support veterans in accessing all the resources available to them.
How to Get Multiple Therapies Authorized
Each therapy you access through VAC requires its own authorization. Your case manager can facilitate requests for multiple simultaneous therapies if the clinical rationale supports it. We can provide documentation explaining why chiropractic care is best delivered alongside other treatments for your specific condition. In our experience, VAC is generally supportive of multidisciplinary care when the clinical justification is clear and well-documented.
Coordinating Your Care
The key to successful multimodal care is coordination between providers. At Fredericton Family Chiropractic, we are happy to communicate with your other healthcare providers — whether that is a physiotherapist, massage therapist, family physician, or specialist — to ensure that everyone is working toward the same goals and that treatments complement rather than duplicate each other. We also provide VAC with comprehensive progress reports that account for your full treatment picture.
Make the Most of Your Benefits
You have earned these benefits through your service. Using multiple therapies together, when clinically appropriate, is not taking advantage of the system — it is using the system as it was designed to work. If you are currently receiving chiropractic care and want to explore adding other therapies, or if you are starting from scratch and want a comprehensive approach, contact Fredericton Family Chiropractic at (506) 472-7000. We will help you build a treatment plan that addresses your condition from every angle. Serving Fredericton, Oromocto, CFB Gagetown, New Maryland, and surrounding communities.
Continue Reading: DVA Chiropractic Resources
This article is part of our comprehensive DVA Chiropractic Care Guide for Veterans in Fredericton. Explore more topics below:
- How DVA Chiropractic Coverage Works in Canada
- Do Veterans Need a Referral for Chiropractic Care Through DVA?
- What Conditions Does DVA Cover for Chiropractic Treatment?
- What to Expect at Your First DVA Appointment at FFC
- Neck and Back Pain in Veterans: Why It Often Becomes Chronic
- How Long Does DVA Treatment Approval Usually Take?
- Why Veterans Choose FFC for Musculoskeletal Care
Were you also involved in a motor vehicle accident? Learn about our MVA injury treatment services.