Real Patient Stories

R.M came to Dr. Natalie after weeks of pressure behind his right ear that made yawning uncomfortable and sleeping difficult. He had already seen her family doctor, who tested for and ruled out an ear infection. He had seen his dentist, who recommended a mouthguard for possible teeth grinding, even though R.M was not grinding. Neither option fit what he was experiencing.

The uncertainty was difficult. He kept thinking: what if it is something serious?

He mentioned it to his close friends and one person suggested he look into his jaw. R.M had never heard that connection before. He went home, searched for a chiropractor who treats jaw pain in Mississauga, and booked.

At the first visit, Dr. Natalie assessed how R.M’s jaw joint moved, where the tension was, and how it connected to the surrounding areas. She examined his neck, shoulders, and upper back.

After his assessment, Dr. Natalie, explained that the pain was a referral from the jaw joint (TMJ) and thats why the previous ear assessments with his doctor were negative. R.M’s TMJ was hypomobile, meaning the joint was not moving the way it should, resulting in tension in the surrounding muscles. The way R.M was using his jaw day to day was feeding into the irritation.

Finally, there was an answer.

• The muscles around and inside the jaw joint were released using internal jaw muscle techniques.
• The joint itself was mobilized to restore its natural movement.
• The areas connected to the jaw tension, including the upper neck, shoulder blades, and mid-back, were treated as well.
• Between visits, R.M was given rehab strategies and self-management tools for when clenching, stress, or everyday jaw overuse triggered a flare-up.

Before: Ear pain, jaw stiffness, trouble sleeping. Doctor ruled out infection. Dentist recommended a mouthguard that did not help.

During: Two sessions per week for two weeks, then once per week. Consistent, unhurried visits.

After: Ear pain resolved. Jaw movement returned to normal. Moving into maintenance care to keep the joint moving well.

M.C had been dealing with hip and pelvic pain since her pregnancy. After her C-section delivery, it did not let up. By the time she came to Tip Top Health, the pain was affecting everything: getting out of bed, walking, holding her baby.

She could not comfortably multitask with her newborn while managing hip pain. She was supposed to be resting and bonding. Instead, she was managing pain that no one had been able to fix.

M.C was not new to chiropractic. She had seen a chiropractor during her pregnancy and got some relief. After delivery, she went to two more chiropractors hoping someone would address what was going on. Neither did. Appointments felt rushed with the focus just on quick adjustments. Not enough attention to muscle tension, soft tissue, or anything specific to what she was actually experiencing.

A colleague referred her to Dr. Natalie, describing her as someone who does advanced soft-tissue work.

At her assessment, Dr. Natalie examined M.C’s hips, pelvis, and low back. She was not just looking at where the pain was. She was looking at the whole picture.

What she found was SI joint pain, not sciatic pain. The two can feel similar, but they are very different in how they need to be treated. When Dr. Natalie put the full context together, the picture was clear.

Pregnancy had changed how M.C’s body was loading and moving. Recovery from a C-section had added another layer. Reduced glute strength, pelvic floor changes, swelling, inflammation, and increased stress through the SI joint were all contributing to pain that simple adjustments alone could not fix.

Previous treatments had focused primarily on symptoms, while Dr. Natalie wanted to understand the cause.

• Joint mobilization to address the SI joint dysfunction directly
• Targeted muscle release for the tension around the hips and pelvis
• Stretching and retraining for the supportive muscles that had been compensating
• Gentle home exercises appropriate for early postpartum recovery so M.C could participate in her own healing between visits

Before: Hip and pelvic pain since pregnancy, worse after C-section. Could not comfortably hold her baby and walk at the same time. Two previous chiropractic experiences did not help.

During: One to two sessions per week. Joint mobilization, muscle release, stretching, retraining, and home exercises tailored to early postpartum recovery.

After: Meaningful relief after the very first session. Ongoing care. Full story to be added once treatment is complete.