Chiropractor sees past experience in ballet world as natural fit for her work today

Dr. Jacquelyn Nicholls was just three years old when she began formal dance training, mainly studying Highland Dancing and ballet. What began as a weekly beginner class, though, soon turned into several times a week – including competitive classes with competitions in Canada, the U.S. and Scotland.

What she couldn’t have known at age 3 is that dance — and the science of human movement – would come to define her professional life.

Her passion for dance stayed with her as a young adult all the way to York University where she completed a double major – a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

Nicholls then attended the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College for her four year Doctor of Chiropractic. It was during this time she also went to McMaster University to study under Dr. Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco MD, learning contemporary medical acupuncture.

Alberta Bound

Nicholls then moved to Alberta and it was here she began her work with the Alberta Ballet Dancers, while also running her own private practice. She was the Resident Chiropractor at the Alberta Ballet of Canada, based in Calgary.

“This meant I was backstage for all performances to help with any physical ailments the dancers may have, and I worked in the studio with them throughout the week,” she says.

“I had my own treatment room near their rehearsal space and was a part of their health team.”

This included an orthopedic surgeon, medical doctors, radiologists, a naturopathic doctor, massage therapists, a physiotherapist, and an acupuncturist.

“I would say the most significant lesson I learned was the value of working in an integrated health team and learning how collaboration created better results and faster recoveries for the dancers,” she says.

Nicholls also saw a vast array of injuries from concussions to shoulder issues, as well as the expected foot injuries.

“Working together, we had the opportunity to access mentors in other fields to learn their methods and reasoning skills.”

It was this experience that led her to treat the Olympic Men’s Curling team who was training in Calgary at the time.

Back in Lindsay 

Nicholls says since returning home to Lindsay, she has worked very hard to create a collaborative, multidisciplinary team, to serve all ages and types of patient care – something she learned through her experiences in Alberta.

“Our city is a great community of health professionals and one where I see a lot growth happening,” she says, and adds that she is “continually encouraged and inspired” by her colleagues.

“I have been able to expand our team here at Adelaide Clinic to include a group of practitioners that truly want to work together towards our patients’ health.”

Adelaide’s services include chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy and physiotherapy with on-line booking.

Nicholls notes she has also established a strong partnership with doulas and midwives in the area, offering pre-natal training.

“To enhance the health of expectant mothers, I am the only certified Webster Technique provider in the City of Kawartha Lakes,” says Nicholls.

(A Webster certified chiropractor is trained specifically to assess and adjust the pelvis of pregnant women. The treatment is designed to decrease pressure on the joints, muscles and nerves of the spine and pelvis which in turn improves pelvic biomechanical function and decreases pain often associated with pregnancy.)

Adelaide Clinic is located at 1 Adelaide St. N., in Lindsay. Call 320-7811 or visit www.adelaideclinic.ca