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Peterborough Chiropractors

Dr. Robert I. Horvat B.Sc, H.K., D.C.

During high school I almost gave up football because of back pain.

A teammate recommended that I see a chiropractor. Shortly after realigning my pelvis and a few vertebrae, the pain resolved and I had no further problems. I thought it was amazing considering I had no previous awareness or experience with chiropractic. That led me to learn more about natural healing.Personal experience with rehabilitation of my sports injuries directed me towards chiropractic. Now I work in the same clinic where I was once a patient.

I attended CMCC (Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College) in Toronto. It provides world class chiropractic clinical training. The education in many ways paralleled medical training in regards to depth with specific emphasis in Chiropractic related diagnosis, assessment and rehabilitation.
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When I began my practice, my focus was purely biomechanical with the intent of realigning the spine and extremity joints to reduce pain and increase mobility using manual manipulation. I continue with a biomechanical approach but also provide soft tissue release and other myofascial therapies because the bones and joints of the spine will not stay aligned and mobile without reduced muscle tension, symmetrical muscle strength and tone. Addressing all of these tissues will assist in maintaining the integrity of the nervous system therefore optimizing your overall function. Lifestyle education, exercise therapy and promoting proper ergonomics is used to improve health and lower your risk for developing lifestyle diseases while minimizing future injuries. Maintaining a healthy body and mind is essential in getting the most out of every day. I help to develop headache and migraine management strategies while guiding patients in their drive for improved nutrition and weight management. I regularly direct post injury rehabilitation and have a special interest with sports injury management and exercise rehabilitation assisted by a background in personal training. Aside from pain control I can assist you in increasing your energy, stamina, workplace efficiency and sports related performance enhancement.

My Goal

My goal is to achieve rapid resolution of injury related pain and loss of function using a natural rehabilitation approach. I will thoroughly assess your condition following an in depth history. I will clearly describe your condition and outline the most effective modes of intervention. Based upon this I will develop an appropriate plan of care to address the source of your symptoms. Nothing worth achieving is easy, but if you are willing to make the effort to achieve optimal health I will guide you in achieving those goals.

I have a natural approach to healthcare and health promotion without the use of drugs. Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Medication has its place in healthcare, but if we are more responsible for our own health we will be less likely to rely on medication as a temporary fix in the future. Less medication means healthier kidneys, liver and gastrointestinal tract with fewer drug interactions and side-effects throughout the body, therefore that makes for a healthier and happier you!

Away from Peterborough Chiropractic Group

I enjoy woodworking, construction and gardening. Future interests include canoeing, kayaking and spending more time outdoors with the hope of more international traveling. I would like the opportunity to take part in charity and disaster relief in roles both associated with and outside of my profession. The best way to assist others is by getting involved. On that note, over the last year I began volunteering with the Big Brothers program, the Peterborough YWCA and most recently the Red Cross. My athletic background was in contact sports, primarily football and rugby. I have recently returned to the role of sports therapy in minor hockey and began coaching youth rugby.

I receive chiropractic care every 2-4 weeks and sometimes more frequently when my energy levels are low or if I feel tighter than usual. I attend the gym a minimum of 5-7 times weekly combining resistance training, cardiovascular and core balance training. I prefer to get the majority of my nutrition from food therefore it is rare not to see me eating.

I believe in lifelong learning therefore I am often taking seminars and courses to increase my knowledge. The most appropriate treatment approaches, exercises and nutritional recommendations are constantly changing therefore I do my best to keep up! I consider myself to be progressive and attempt to rehabilitate injuries in the most efficient and effective way possible; that means staying current.

Thanks for visiting our site. I look forward to meeting you in person, listening to your personal situation and needs and learning how we may be of service to you. If you are like me and would like to have the energy to live life to the fullest; resolving pain and improving mobility will help you get there. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We will do our utmost to assist you using safe and natural, comprehensive rehabilitation strategies.

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Dr. Chris Balson B.Sc., H.K. D.C.

I am thrilled to see peoples lives changed

I see people everyday who have suffered from various aches and pains for years, I am always thrilled to see their lives change in a short time with the help of chiropractic treatment.

I injured my neck in a football game at university. The team doctor referred me to a chiropractor, and the results were remarkable. I realized that the natural healing was far superior to drugs and I was able to return to play quickly.

My BSC was done at the University of Guelph. The study of anatomy and biomechanics turned me on to the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and the necessity of chiropractic treatment, to allow people to lead healthy and active lives.
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People have an assortment of mechanical injuries that if treated properly will allow them to live a full and active lifestyle. Seeing people become more fit and active with my help is very fulfilling and exciting.

When not at Peterborough Chiropractic Group

I am married with two children, and our whole family is very active and plays several sports. I believe if kids get into an active, healthy lifestyle early, they will maintain good health for life. I enjoy coaching sports. I have coached hockey, baseball and football for the last 20 years, and I love to see young people develop self esteem and confidence as they improve their skills.

I personally work out most days, playing sports (hockey, golf, and water skiing), riding bikes and weight training. I try to eat well and get plenty of sleep. I believe” if you use it, you will never lose it”.

If people want to improve their health, they can stay with the status quo, or seek chiropractic treatment and lifestyle changes that will allow them to reach their physical goals.

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Dr. Charlene Banbury

Dr. Banbury loves her hometown of Peterborough.

Her fondest memories are competing with the Trent Swim Club and the Adam Scott Rowing team. Unfortunately, her performance was sometimes hampered by a chronic right hip pain that would not go away. A medical doctor diagnosed her with growing pains and told her that she would grow out of it. While attending McMaster University`s Kinesiology program, she worked with a chiropractor attending to the Varsity Swim Team. She was amazed at how quickly the hip problem resolved. After receiving regular chiropractic care, her athletic performance improved. She was so impressed with the results, she enrolled in Toronto`s Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College after graduating with a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree from McMaster University.
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Dr. Banbury now has a young active family of her own growing up in Peterborough.

She sees chiropractic as a way to enhance people`s lives encouraging everyone to be as active and healthy as they can be. She uses a variety of techniques to provide a more individualized care to all her patients ranging in age for only a day old to 93 years of age. Dr. Banbury also utilizes acupuncture for those patients who may not be suitable for chiropractic care. Dr. Banbury enjoys her time with her two young boys and her husband going biking, camping and visiting family.

For years I suffered from shin splints, a sore right hip and knee pain while participating in sports growing up in Peterborough. I thought my sports were always going to be plagued with some sort of pain or discomfort ,so I just ran through it. It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend`s family chiropractor that the ‘growing pains’ I had been diagnosed with had a new name. This wonderful chiropractor told me that I didn’t have to live with the pain. He said that I needed to have the joints in my pelvis aligned and that the nerve supply to my leg muscles would improve to reduce the hip and leg pain. At first, I was skeptical. But after attending University and working with a chiropractor for the Varsity swim team, I was a believer! The injuries and leg pain disappeared and the swim team won the Ontario championship. If only I had known in high school that simply visiting a chiropractor would enhance my performance, reduce the pain in my legs and feet and improve my sleep.

Athletics and performance was a way of life growing up in Peterborough.

It was only natural that the field of interest was Kinesiology at McMaster University. I liked that small campus and the Kinesiology faculty`s friendly atmosphere. I didn’t mind the full day schedule of sciences and labs combined with working and participating in team sports. It prepared me for the grueling schedule at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (C.M.C.C.). I was very lucky to be accepted into C.M.C.C. It is one of only two chiropractic colleges in Canada. It is very research based and enjoys a healthy relationship with the Toronto community providing outreach clinics all over Toronto. I have fond memories of providing internship care at Wellsley hospital to the community and staff. I especially enjoyed the clinicians, Dr. Anthony Tibbles and Dr. Laurie King. Both clinicians stressed the importance of communicating with the extended medical community and utilizing scientifically based programs of care.

After Graduating from Chiropractic College

After graduating from chiropractic college, my views were very mechanically based. I looked at the body as a skeletal frame needed a little oil in the joints here and a little bit of muscle stretching and strengthening there. But after 11 years in practice, my views have broadened more with the experience acquired. We are neurological beings. Everything we smell, taste and touch is processed by our nervous system. Even our thought patterns can program muscle tension and mood!! I have definitely shifted away from thinking of the body as only a mechanically run machine. Chiropractic can provide a change in neuronal firing patterns leading to enhanced athletic performance to improved sleep and improved feelings of well-being. People can utilize chiropractic in many ways. They may just want relief care. That uses the mechanical based care. Some people like that. That`s what sold me on chiropractic was that within few weeks, I was amazingly better. But now that I have learned more, I understand that chiropractic is about enhancing the flow of nerve messages. Nerves are what keep us alive. If that balance in tone and flow is disrupted, you may not feel it. But your perception of the world may be changed though. For example, you may be extra sensitive to pressure around the spine or touch and then don`t want people touching you. You may have chronic headaches that disrupt concentration and sleep. This interrupts your ability to want to interact with your family and have the energy to participate in activity. We may choose to use drugs to help us get through the day. But in the end, the drug wears off and you’re back to square one. Are you really getting healthier or playing a wait and see approach on your kidneys and liver? It was the long term patients of chiropractic care that taught me that. When I took over from the previous chiropractor before me, I had patients who had been under 3 generations of chiropractors. They were less arthritic, less drugged and more active. They knew what worked for them and it was chiropractic. They knew to come in during a stressful life changing event or if they had been experiencing some difficulty with their asthma or COPD. This has led to me examining the relationship between the physical structural alignment of the spine and the functional underlying neurology. The questions I’m currently studying and analyzing are the correlation of abnormal curvatures of the spine and its subsequent effectiveness to communicate to surrounding tissues and organs. Simply put, “Do people who have poor postural curves, hence more spinal fixations, have poorer neurological firing patterns?” This requires use of computerized technology to measure spinal muscle tone, heart rate variability, spinal flexibility and autonomic spinal blood flow. I have certainly found that areas of fixation in the spine correlate with poor posture and have segmental abnormal muscle tone, endurance and flexibility. These correlations have led me to pursue further education and courses focusing on functional neurology, corrective spinal curvature procedures and pediatric certification.

Leading a balanced life is always a struggle.

Trying to juggle the hat of being a busy mom of two young boys in sports, a supportive wife of a shift worker and house cleanup is never easy. But I have learned to take time out to enjoy a variety of activities. I love playing with a baseball team on a summer evening, paddling a canoe at my parents cottage, walking my chocolate Labrador retriever or going mountain biking with my kids while we go RVing at a new location. Keeping an active and healthy lifestyle requires a lot of planning and perseverance. I have never found it easy to keep weight off, so I recently began working with a trainer to enhance my strength and endurance. Although there has not been a lot of weight loss yet, the strength and increased cardiovascular ability has been growing. I’m hoping to be able to participate in a triathlon next year and in the process reduce my risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. With healthy habits and regular chiropractic care,the sky is the limit and the world is full of endless possibilities. Besides, how can I inspire others if my own lifestyle is lacking?

Thanks for visiting our website and taking the time to read through. I look forward to providing chiropractic and acupuncture to a new generation of patients. I will continue to provide unique individualized care and learning new things to inspire future chiropractors for the better health of mankind.

Yours In Health,

Dr. Charlene Banbury B.Kin., D.C.

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Dr. Wayne Martichenko, D.C., D.T., FIACA

Research indicates that over 90% of us will have incapacitating back pain.

This certainly is not planned and it is rarely brought on by an accident that we simply hope to avoid. Like preventative dentistry which can detect and correct, modern chiropractic care will assist you in not becoming a painful statistic.

In choosing a career path, chiropractic was a natural for me. I grew up with chiropractic, given that I had an uncle who practiced from the early 1960’s until his passing. My siblings and I were treated from our childhoods onwards. At that time I could not fully appreciate the far reaching benefits. Now, knowing that many chronic problems in adulthood I have their origins in falls, twists and poor posture as children. I am thankful for my family’s insight.
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I was fortunate to have studied chiropractic in Toronto.

The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College is held in high regard both nationally and internationally. The education that I received reinforced my benefits that our bodies have an innate ability to maintain health. To support these efforts our bodies require nutrition, exercise and a stable spine which protects our nervous system. A neurology professor who continually enforced this knowledge once suggested to our graduating class that we would be a benefit to our profession if we, as individuals worked hard enough to want to have ourselves as our doctor. This concept has always motivated me to continue to learn.

Because of this and many other influences I have developed a practice philosophy to educate my patients. The more a person knows of their condition, its origin, its probable course and the action steps in its treatment, the more they become part of the solution with a greater probability of resolution. It’s the healthy part of our human nature to want to have an active involvement in the positive change. I find that people like this approach. I never tire of patients relating their heartfelt stories of their spinal health and total health successes while under my care.

I have been married for 30 years short years to my high school sweetheart.

We have been blessed with two wonderful sons who have found their own successes. Our youngest, Daniel, is in the field of firefighting and Nicholas has his doctorate degree in chiropractic, graduating in 2009. Janice and I are very proud of them for the people they are.

When patients ask me about my personal health regimen, I am surprised by their surprise when I tell them how often I receive chiropractic care. We are human. The continual stresses placed upon our own spines while delivering care to our patients or through the normal activities of daily living affect our structures. It is true that the majority of the care that we receive is preventative and supportive mostly because we have done our homework. There is rarely an exercise be it core strengthening or flexibility, that I prescribe to a patient that I have not done myself. Combining these physical supports with nutritional support my goal is to practice what I preach. I understand that there are times when drug intervention is necessary but I attempt to decrease their need when these medications are targeted at my specialty.

In closing I consider myself an excellent listener and hope I get the opportunity to meet you in person and discuss your specific health challenge. Give our Peterborough office a call or email me with the link below.

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Dr. Jennifer Payne (Martichenko)

I am thrilled to be home and starting my practice at Peterborough Chiropractic Group

After growing up and graduating high school in Peterborough it’s hard to believe that a decade has come and gone since I last called this city home. I must say I am thrilled to be home and starting my practice here. I am proud of my roots and it is very rewarding improving the health of the people I grew up around and care so much about.

After much thought, I decided I wanted to become a Chiropractor

Choosing a career path was not easy for me. After high school I completed my honors science degree at the University of Waterloo. Four years of studying science and I still did not know what I wanted to be when I “grew up”. I took a year off to determine my next step. After much thought, research, and personal experience, I decided I wanted to become a chiropractor. I attended the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto and after four grueling years I new I made the right decision. Although there is much diversity within the profession, chiropractors all share the same belief; the spine and overall health are related in a fundamental way, and this relationship is mediated through the nervous system.
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My Continuing Education

I am a perpetual learner and take great pride in my up to date knowledge of chiropractic, health care, disease processes, and treatment techniques. I am currently enrolled in a Pregnancy and Pediatrics course with the ICPA. I will have my full certification by December 2013. Once this certification is complete I plan on working on my acupuncture certification. Continuing education is very important. I take pride in relaying all new information I learn to my patients. I do my best to educate patients on their condition, the importance of preventative and maintenance care and give advice on appropriate diet and exercise regimes.

I use a number of Chiropractic Techniques at my practice

In practice, I use a number of techniques to provide optimal patient care; spinal manipulation, muscle release therapy, laser therapy, Webster technique, drop table, Activator, and I prescribed rehabilitation exercises. Proper chiropractic care requires commitment from not only myself but from you as well. My job is to ensure your spine is functioning at its optimal capacity minimizing disturbances in your nervous system. Your job is to keep your body healthy between visits. The human body has an amazing ability to heal itself when it is functioning at its optimal capacity. People who regularly see a chiropractor have less illness, less injury, and spend less time at their doctor’s office. Regular chiropractic care is part of a healthy lifestyle. Let me help you make it a part of yours.

Often patients ask me how often they should receive chiropractic care. There is no general answer to this question. Every body is different. So many factors come into play; past medical history, activity level, if you are taking medications, age, your commitment to care, and most importantly how your body responds to care. When you come into the clinic, a full medical history and physical exam is performed. With the information I collect, a diagnosis and a care plan will be determined.

I am very happy to be married to my best friend and high school sweetheart

Nick and I are both recent chiropractic graduates each taking on very different practices. He works mainly with golfers in Toronto where I have a family practice here. I am currently on the interview panel for new students applying to CMCC and I participate in the Back’s in Motion run to help raise money for chiropractic research. I enjoy exercise classes at the gym, running, cooking, and spending time with my family and friends.

I appreciate you taking time to visit our website and read through our profiles. Life can be very busy but taking time for your health is important. I look forward to meeting you to discuss your health concern. Give our Peterborough office a call and start your journey to optimal health.

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Dr. Luke Norval

Chiropractic Education

Dr. Luke Norval graduated from University of Wollongong, Australia, with a Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science). He then completed a Master’s in Chiropractic from Macquarie University in 2010, also in Australia. He practiced in Sydney, Australia for 5 years and during this time frame he met his beautiful Canadian wife Emma. In 2015, he completed the Canadian board exams and began treating in Toronto.

Outside of the Office

Dr. Luke is a spinal care expert and loves treating neuromusculoskeletal problems of the extremities. He often incorporates medical acupuncture, nutritional advice and rehab in his treatment sessions. Dr. Luke is committed in assisting all of his patients to reach their maximal health goals and well-being. He adopts current evidence-based research to ensure efficacy to his practice. As a primary health care professional he deems it a priority to lead a healthy lifestyle. In his spare time he is an exercise enthusiast, loves rugby & hockey, and is an avid surfer and snowboarder.

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Dr. Nick Martichenko

Dr. Nick Martichenko

I couldn’t be happier to be back home in Peterborough, working with family at PCG.”

After growing up in Peterborough, graduating from PCVS, playing NCAA Div 1 golf in Pittsburgh, PA (RMU), Dr. Nick became a Chiropractor (CMCC) in 2009 and has been helping patients with injury and performance goals ever since. Dr. Nick is currently a member of Denis Shapovalov’s Performance Team, working with him at multiple tournaments/year-including Denis’s 2021 Wimbledon semifinal and 2020 US Open quarterfinal appearances. Dr. Nick works with Reg Millage (Head Coach of Golf Ontario & Peterborough Native) to lead Golf Ontario’s Provincial Development Program, helping Ontario’s best young golfers reach their University and Professional goals. Dr. Nick also teaches for Spidertech Kinesiology Tape as their Director of Education.

“With such a strong family connection to Peterborough, I always planned on coming back and working with my Wife, Dad and Sister-in-law at the clinic. I’m really excited that the time has come.”

Contact Us


Peterborough Chiropractors | (705) 748-6611