Chiropractor Dr. Lacina at Unpain Clinic integrates chiropractic and shockwave therapy to treat chronic pain, scars, and complex conditions effectively.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Dr. Lacina Barsalou is a chiropractor on the Unpain Clinic team in Edmonton.
- Her clinical focus is on the neuromusculoskeletal picture: how nerves, joints, and muscles work together, and what happens when that relationship breaks down. She has particular interest in concussion care, TMJ disorders, and chronic pain that has not responded to single-discipline treatment.
- She practices the way Unpain Clinic was built to work: collaboratively, with cross-referral between chiropractic care, physiotherapy, focused shockwave therapy, EMTT, and other modalities as the case requires.
- New patient assessments with Dr. Barsalou are available now. No referral is needed.
INTRODUCTION
One of the things we look for when we bring a new clinician onto the team at Unpain Clinic is a clinician who already thinks the way we do: that no single discipline has the whole answer for chronic pain, and that the best outcomes come from people who are honest about what their own tools can and cannot do. Dr. Lacina Barsalou fits that profile. She came to chiropractic from a path that started in pre-medical sciences, and she practices with the kind of clinical curiosity that makes a multi-disciplinary clinic actually work.
This post introduces her, walks through how she practices, and explains where she fits in the broader Unpain Clinic team.
THE PATH TO CHIROPRACTIC
Dr. Barsalou did not start out planning to be a chiropractor. She was on a pre-medical path, with the intention of going to medical school, when her own experience with chronic pain changed the direction. As a young person, she had persistent ear pain that did not respond to the kinds of treatments she had been offered. A chiropractic adjustment was the thing that finally moved the picture.
That experience changed how she thought about healthcare. It pushed her toward a clinical philosophy built around two ideas. First, that the body works as a connected system, and what shows up as one symptom is often driven by something further up the chain. Second, that patients deserve clinicians who are willing to ask "why" and not just "where," even when the answer takes longer to find.
She came out of chiropractic school with a focus on the neuromusculoskeletal picture: the relationship between the nervous system, the muscular system, and the joints. The premise of that focus is straightforward. When the joints are not moving well, the muscles that surround them have to compensate, and the nerves that supply both can become irritable. Restoring the joint mechanics is one piece of the picture. Calming the surrounding tissue and the nervous system response is another. Most cases need both.
HOW DR. BARSALOU PRACTICES
The clinical pattern that runs through Dr. Barsalou's work is a careful, layered approach to chronic and persistent cases. She is direct about this with patients: chronic pain that has been present for months or years rarely resolves in a single session, and the cases that look most stuck on the surface often have the most untangling to do.
Her own description of the work is that "it is like untying a knot. With each layer we address, the patient finds more stability and comfort." That framing is honest. It also fits the kinds of cases she sees most.
She has particular interest in three areas.
Concussion and post-concussion presentations. Concussion is one of the conditions where chiropractic care has a real role inside a broader plan, particularly for the cervical spine and the neck-and-jaw component of post-concussion symptoms. Dr. Barsalou works with these cases in coordination with the patient's physician and other clinicians involved in the recovery, and she is careful to position chiropractic care as part of the plan rather than the whole plan.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders. The jaw, the upper cervical spine, and the suboccipital region are tightly interconnected, and TMJ symptoms often respond to careful work on this whole region rather than on the jaw alone. Dr. Barsalou's TMJ work draws on this connection.
Chronic pain that has not responded to single-discipline care. This is the broadest category and the one that brings most of her patients to Unpain Clinic in the first place. Pain that has been present for more than three months, that has been worked on with one approach in isolation, and that has plateaued despite real effort.
"I send my most complex, chronic cases to Unpain Clinic because I know they will get help where single-discipline treatment has not delivered." Dr. Lacina Barsalou, Chiropractor
WHY COLLABORATIVE CARE FITS
The reason Dr. Barsalou and Unpain Clinic fit together is the philosophy. Neither side of the partnership thinks that any one discipline has the whole answer for chronic pain.
In practice, this means that her patients have direct access to the rest of the clinic's tools when their case calls for it. Focused shockwave therapy for stubborn tendon and soft-tissue contributors. EMTT therapy for cases where the deeper tissue biology has stalled and a regenerative adjunct is appropriate. Physiotherapy for the strength and movement-pattern work that holds the gains. And her own chiropractic care for the joint mechanics and the neuromusculoskeletal piece that often connects the rest.
The other direction matters too. Patients who come into the clinic through a different door (a physiotherapy assessment, a shockwave referral) and who have a clear spinal or joint mechanics component to their picture can be brought into Dr. Barsalou's care without changing clinics or restarting the conversation.
This is what collaborative care actually looks like when it is built into the workflow rather than promised on the website.
A NOTE ON SCAR TISSUE AND OLD INJURIES
One of the patterns Dr. Barsalou sees often is patients whose pain seems to trace back to an old injury or an old surgery, with persistent restriction in the tissue around the site. Her framing on this is direct: "Scar tissue feels like an insult to the body. Even after the original injury heals, that tissue holds memory and creates limitations."
The clinical translation of that observation is that old injuries leave behind not just structural changes but altered movement and altered tissue mechanics. Addressing those layers, sometimes with chiropractic adjustments, sometimes with focused shockwave to influence the surrounding soft tissue, and sometimes with both, is part of what makes a stalled case start moving again. It is not magic. It is patient, layered work over a structured series of visits.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A FIRST VISIT
A first appointment with Dr. Barsalou is an assessment, not a treatment session. It includes a full history of how the pain started, what aggravates and eases it, what has already been tried, and what you want to get back to. The examination covers the spine, the surrounding joints, the nervous-system findings that are relevant to your pain pattern, and (where appropriate) the jaw, upper cervical spine, and suboccipital region.
If the assessment turns up something that needs a physician's involvement first (a suspected fracture, a clear neurological pattern that needs imaging, a systemic concern), she says so and helps coordinate that referral. If chiropractic care fits the picture, she walks through a plan: how many visits to expect, what other tools at the clinic may be brought in, and what realistic timelines look like for your specific case.
ABOUT UNPAIN CLINIC
Unpain Clinic is a multi-disciplinary clinic in Edmonton built around chronic and complex musculoskeletal pain. The team combines physiotherapy, chiropractic care, focused and radial shockwave therapy, EMTT, NESA neuromodulation, and other tools selected based on each patient's specific assessment findings. The philosophy is simple: most chronic pain cases are not one-discipline problems, and patients deserve a clinic that is willing to use the right tool, not just the tool the clinician happens to be holding.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who does Dr. Barsalou see?
Dr. Barsalou sees adults with a wide range of musculoskeletal complaints. Her clinical focus is strongest in concussion and post-concussion care, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders, headaches and neck pain with a clear mechanical component, and chronic pain that has not responded to single-discipline care.
Do I need a referral to see Dr. Barsalou?
No. Chiropractors in Alberta practice as primary contact clinicians, and a referral is not required to book an appointment. Some insurance plans require a physician's note for reimbursement, so check your plan if you intend to claim. If the assessment turns up something that needs a physician's involvement, she coordinates that referral.
What conditions does Dr. Barsalou treat?
The most common reasons patients see her are persistent neck pain and headaches, post-concussion symptoms, TMJ pain, mid-back and low-back pain, and chronic musculoskeletal pain that has not responded to other treatments. Her work also covers the broader spectrum of joint and spinal mechanics typically managed in chiropractic care.
How does chiropractic care fit with the rest of the Unpain Clinic team?
Dr. Barsalou's chiropractic work is one piece of the broader plan. She regularly co-manages cases with the clinic's physiotherapy team, refers patients for focused shockwave therapy where the surrounding tendon or soft-tissue picture calls for it, and brings in EMTT or other adjuncts when the case warrants. The decision about which tools fit your specific case happens during the assessment.
Is chiropractic care covered by insurance?
Most extended health plans in Alberta cover chiropractic care. Coverage limits and per-visit amounts vary by plan, so check your specific plan. Public provincial health insurance does not typically cover chiropractic care in a private clinic setting. A Health Spending Account through your employer can usually be used as well.
How long does a course of care typically take?
There is no single answer. For an acute complaint, a few visits over a few weeks is often enough. For chronic and complex cases (the kind Dr. Barsalou sees most), a structured plan of 6 to 12 visits over 2 to 3 months is more typical, with re-assessment along the way and adjustments to the plan based on response. The plan is laid out clearly at the first visit, with no pressure to commit to long packages.
How do I book with Dr. Barsalou?
You can book directly through the clinic. Mention Dr. Barsalou by name when booking, or specify chiropractic care for a complex or chronic case. No referral is needed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Written by Uran Berisha, Founder of Unpain Clinic and Medical Shockwave Institute. Uran has a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy and is an International Educator in Shockwave Therapy.
BOOK WITH DR. BARSALOU
If you have a chronic or complex musculoskeletal pain that has not responded to single-discipline care, and you want a clinician who will look at the whole picture before recommending a plan, Dr. Barsalou is now accepting new patients. No referral needed. No long contracts. Book your initial assessment with Unpain Clinic.
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