How Chiropractic Fits Into a Salutogenic (Function-Focused) Model

Most people are used to thinking about health only when something goes wrong — when they’re sick, injured, or in pain. That’s one way of understanding health, and it’s an important one. But there’s another perspective that focuses on what helps your body function well, not just what causes it to break down.

These two ideas are called pathogenesis and salutogenesis. Understanding them can make your health journey feel clearer, more intentional, and more empowering.

Pathogenesis: When Something Needs Diagnosis or Treatment

Pathogenesis is the model used in most medical settings.

It asks:

• “What’s the problem?”
• “What caused it?”
• “How do we fix it or treat it?”

This approach is essential when someone has a medical concern that needs diagnosis, treatment, or intervention. It guides care when the priority is stopping harm, addressing disease, or protecting health in urgent situations.

We rely on this model. We respect it. And it plays a vital role in healthcare.

Salutogenesis: Supporting What Helps Your Body Function Well

Salutogenesis looks at health through a different lens. Instead of asking what’s wrong, it asks:

• “How is your body functioning?”
• “How is your system adapting?”
• “What supports your ability to respond to daily life?”

This model focuses on:

• Adaptability
• Capacity
• Connection
• Nervous system function
• Long-term well-being
  

It’s not about pain or symptoms — it’s about how your body operates beneath the surface and what helps it function with more ease and clarity.

Where Chiropractic Fits In at PFC

At Ponoka Family Chiropractic, we work from a salutogenic perspective.

This means:

❌ We do not diagnose or treat medical conditions
❌ We do not claim to fix symptoms
❌ We do not promise outcomes

Instead, we focus on:

• How your nervous system is functioning
• How your spine is moving
• How your body is organizing tension
• How you’re adapting to stress
• How your system(s) are working on a daily basis
  

Our role is not to “fix” anything.
Our role is to support your body’s ability to function, adapt, and respond.

That’s the core of the salutogenic model.

What This Looks Like in Everyday Life

A pathogenesis question might be:
 ➡️ “Why does my back hurt?”

A salutogenesis question is:
 ➡️ “How is my body functioning, and how is my nervous system adapting?”

Both questions matter — they just belong in different types of care.

In our practice, you might hear us ask:

• “How is your nervous system functioning this week?”
• “Where is your body holding tension?”
• “How has your system been adapting to your current routine?”
• “What patterns are showing up in your scans?”
  

These questions guide us to understand your function, not just your symptoms.

Why Understanding Function Matters

When you look only at pain or symptoms, you’re seeing just a tiny part of the picture.

Function gives you a much broader understanding of your health.

Supporting function means supporting things like:

• Adaptability
• Movement patterns
• Posture
• Ease in transitions
• The ability to shift between activity and rest
• Nervous system organization
  

When your system functions well, you often navigate life with more clarity, steadiness, and capacity — even when stress or change shows up.

Chiropractic as a Support for Functional Health

Chiropractic in a salutogenic model is:

• Gentle
• Specific
• Function-focused
• Nervous-system centered
• Individualized to each person and stage of life
  

We’re not chasing symptoms.

We’re supporting how your nervous system and spine function — because function shapes how your body adapts to daily life.

Function, Not Feeling

Using the word “function” instead of “feel” helps shift the focus away from symptom-based health toward a deeper, more complete view of well-being.

Pain may come and go.
Feelings may shift day to day.
But function tells us:

• How well your body is adapting
• How your nervous system is responding
• What patterns are present
• Where your system may be working harder
• How your body organizes itself over time
  

Function offers a clearer, more stable picture of your overall state.

Curious About How Your Body Is Functioning?

If you want to understand your nervous system more deeply — beyond how you feel on any given day — we’d love to support you.

At Ponoka Family Chiropractic, we’d be honoured to help you explore your health through a function-focused, salutogenic lens.