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Important Update (January 31, 2026): We no longer accept health insurance. We accept cash/card payments, Motor Vehicle Accident (PIP) claims, and Workers' Compensation claims. We provide receipts for submission to your health plan for potential reimbursement. Learn more about our payment options.

Our Clinical Philosophy

The principles guiding everything we do at Sisu Coastal Wellness

What Is Sisu?

Sisu is a Finnish concept that embodies inner strength, determination, resilience, and courage in the face of hardship. It represents the ability to persevere through difficulty, to continue moving forward even when the path is challenging, and to draw on deep inner reserves to overcome obstacles. Sisu is not aggressive or forceful—it's a quiet, unwavering determination to do what must be done.

We chose the name Sisu for our wellness practice because it perfectly captures what we believe health and wellness are truly about. Your body has remarkable capacity for resilience and healing. Our role is to support that inherent strength, help you overcome obstacles to wellness, and empower you to persist toward your health goals.

When you choose Sisu Coastal Wellness, you're choosing a practice that recognizes your inner strength and is committed to helping you access and build upon it.

Movement Is Life

"Movement is life." This simple statement captures our fundamental philosophy about health and wellness.

Movement—physical movement, but also the movement of energy, nutrients, emotions, and information through our bodies—is what sustains life. When movement is restricted, function declines, pain develops, and disease takes root. Conversely, when movement is restored and maintained, the body's remarkable healing capacity activates, pain diminishes, and vitality returns.

Movement and the Body

From a purely physical perspective, movement is essential for:

  • Joint health and mobility: Movement nourishes cartilage and maintains joint function. Immobility leads to stiffness, pain, and degeneration.
  • Nervous system function: Movement provides sensory input to the nervous system, which regulates all body functions. Lack of movement impairs nervous system regulation.
  • Circulation and healing: Movement pumps nutrients and oxygen to tissues and removes metabolic waste. Stagnation leads to inflammation and poor healing.
  • Muscle and bone strength: Movement stimulates muscle and bone to maintain strength and density. Without movement, they atrophy.
  • Mental and emotional health: Movement regulates mood, reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and supports cognitive function.

Whole-Body Integration

At Sisu Coastal Wellness, we don't treat isolated parts in isolation. We recognize that your body is an integrated system where everything affects everything else. A spinal misalignment affects nervous system function, muscle balance, and emotional state. Tight muscles affect joint mechanics, breathing, and stress response. Emotional trauma lives in the nervous system and muscles. Proper treatment addresses the whole person.

The Foundation of All Treatment

Whether a patient comes to us with pregnancy-related back pain, an auto accident injury, or chronic headaches, our underlying approach is the same: restore movement, support the body's natural healing capacity, and help them return to a life of vitality and function. Treatment without movement restoration is incomplete. Exercise without addressing structural or nervous system problems is ineffective. Our multi-modal approach ensures comprehensive care addressing all aspects of health.

Pillar 1: Patient-Centered Care

Every person is unique. Your body, your health history, your goals, your life circumstances, and your needs are different from everyone else's. Medicine that works for one patient might not work for another. Effective healthcare must account for these individual differences.

What This Means

Patient-centered care means we take time to understand you as a whole person, not just as a collection of symptoms. We listen deeply to your concerns, your goals, and what matters most to you. We explain what we find and why we recommend specific treatments. We involve you as a partner in your healthcare decisions, respecting your autonomy and values.

How We Practice It

  • We spend time with each patient, never rushing evaluations or treatments
  • We ask comprehensive questions about your health, life, and goals
  • We explain findings and treatment rationale in clear, understandable language
  • We customize treatment plans to fit your specific condition and goals
  • We respect your preferences and concerns when making treatment decisions
  • We educate you about your condition so you understand and can participate in recovery
  • We adapt treatment as needed based on your progress and feedback

Pillar 2: Evidence-Based Practice

While we honor the wisdom of traditional chiropractic and manual medicine, we ground our practice in current scientific research and clinical evidence. We stay current with medical literature, participate in continuing education, and regularly evaluate whether our approaches are supported by the best available research.

What This Means

Evidence-based practice means our treatment recommendations are supported by research demonstrating their effectiveness. When we recommend a treatment, we can point to research backing it up. When newer, better approaches emerge from research, we adapt our practice to incorporate them.

How We Practice It

  • We regularly review current research in chiropractic and related fields
  • We base treatment recommendations on techniques with documented effectiveness
  • We discontinue approaches no longer supported by current evidence
  • We pursue continuing education to stay current with advances
  • We collaborate with other healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive, coordinated care
  • We maintain detailed records allowing us to track patient outcomes and results
  • We evaluate our own results, always seeking to improve

Pillar 3: Whole-Person, Integrated Approach

Your body is not a collection of separate parts. It's an integrated system where the spine affects the nervous system, which affects muscles, emotions, and overall health. Effective treatment addresses the whole person, not isolated symptoms.

What This Means

A whole-person approach recognizes that physical pain often has emotional and nervous system components. Structural problems may cause functional and movement issues. Injuries may impact mental health and confidence. Effective treatment integrates physical, nervous system, emotional, and functional aspects of health.

How We Practice It

  • We assess not just local symptoms but entire body systems and movement patterns
  • We combine manual therapy, advanced technology, therapeutic exercise, and mind-body approaches
  • We address both immediate symptoms and underlying causes
  • We support nervous system healing alongside physical healing
  • We educate patients about whole-body interconnections
  • We develop treatment plans addressing all aspects of health
  • We recognize the mind-body connection and support emotional healing

Pillar 4: Specialization & Continuous Expertise Development

General care is valuable, but specialized expertise is often necessary for complex conditions. Both Dr. Champagne and Dr. Probasco have invested significantly in specialized training. We continue developing expertise throughout our careers.

What This Means

Specialization means we have deep knowledge in specific areas. Dr. Champagne's extensive training in perinatal care means pregnant patients receive care from someone who truly understands pregnancy's unique demands. Dr. Probasco's 9+ years treating auto accidents means accident victims receive from someone who has seen virtually every injury pattern and knows effective treatment approaches.

How We Practice It

  • Dr. Champagne maintains Webster Technique certification and ICPA membership
  • Dr. Probasco brings 9+ years of specialized auto accident injury experience
  • Both doctors pursue advanced training and continuing education
  • We stay current with specialized literature in our areas of focus
  • We network with other specialists to provide coordinated care
  • We regularly evaluate whether we're achieving the best possible results in our specialties

Our Doctors' Combined Approach

Together, Dr. Champagne and Dr. Probasco provide comprehensive expertise covering pregnancy and women's health, pediatric care, auto accident injuries, workers' compensation, and general chiropractic wellness. This combination allows us to serve diverse patient populations with specialized expertise.

Pillar 5: Community Commitment

Healthcare is not just about individual patients—it's about community health. We're committed to supporting the health and wellness of the broader communities we serve.

What This Means

Community commitment means we provide education about health and wellness, we're accessible and affordable as possible, we support local initiatives promoting health, and we recognize our responsibility to the communities that support us.

How We Practice It

  • We provide patient education about health, wellness, and injury prevention
  • We maintain accessible office hours and scheduling
  • We work with patients on payment options and affordability
  • We support community health initiatives
  • We maintain relationships with other healthcare providers in the community
  • We're active in our local communities

How These Pillars Work Together

These five pillars are not separate; they work together to create a comprehensive approach to health and wellness:

Patient-Centered + Evidence-Based

We use research-proven approaches customized to each patient's unique situation. Evidence guides what we recommend, but patient preferences guide how we implement it.

Whole-Person + Specialization

Our specialized knowledge allows us to understand the whole person more deeply. Dr. Champagne's perinatal expertise means she understands all the ways pregnancy affects body, mind, and emotions. Dr. Probasco's accident experience means he understands not just physical injuries but emotional trauma from accidents.

All + Community

We take what we've learned from patient-centered, evidence-based, whole-person, specialized care and share it with our communities, promoting broader health and wellness.

The result: Comprehensive, effective, personalized healthcare grounded in evidence, delivered by specialists, that respects your values and supports your unique health journey.

"Movement Is Life" in Practice

Our motto "Movement is Life" guides everything we do. Here's how it manifests in our work:

Treatment Restores Movement

Whether through spinal adjustments, manual therapy, laser therapy, or exercise, our goal is always movement restoration. Pain relief is important, but we measure true success by restored function and movement capability.

Exercise Is Essential

Every patient receives therapeutic exercise as part of their treatment plan. Movement patterns must be retrained, muscles must be strengthened, and the nervous system must learn new, more efficient movement strategies. This only happens through movement.

Prevention Through Movement

The best treatment is prevention. We educate patients about movement, proper body mechanics, and exercises that prevent future injuries. Staying moving, staying active, maintains health and prevents problems.

Return to Life Activities

We don't just treat patients until pain is gone. We treat until they can return to all the activities that make life meaningful—work, sports, parenting, hobbies. This requires full restoration of movement and function.

Pregnancy & Postpartum Movement

Dr. Champagne helps pregnant patients maintain movement despite pregnancy's physical changes, and supports postpartum movement recovery. Movement capacity throughout this transition supports optimal outcomes.

Pediatric Movement Development

In children, we support healthy movement development, ensuring proper spine and nervous system function to support normal growth and development. Movement is how children explore and learn.

Experience Our Philosophy in Action

Come meet Dr. Champagne and Dr. Probasco and experience healthcare guided by these principles. We'd love to support your health journey.

Schedule Your Appointment Call 503-739-2120