What to Expect

The First Visit

On your first visit, we develop a plan to address immediate pain relief. This is referred to as acute injury care, and it includes:

• Patient Intake Forms
  To provide information necessary to evaluate your condition.

•  Consultation
  Your intake forms will be discussed and your concerns addressed as well as treatment options for your condition.

• Examination
  This will include range-of-motion testing, orthopedic and neurological testing along with postural evaluation, palpation, reflexes and muscle strength testing. These tests will be used to assess if structural dysfunction is causing your symptoms.

• X-Rays
  These will be ordered based upon symptoms to visualize any arthritis, spinal disc degeneration, osteoporosis or other pathologies.

• Treatment
  Following x-rays and examination, in the case of acute pain, an initial diagnosis is rendered and a first chiropractic adjustment is performed, if appropriate, to begin pain relief. Read more about chiropractic treatment here.

The Second Visit

At your second visit, you are given a report of findings based on your health history, physical examination and x-rays (if obtained). We will discuss any positive orthopedic findings, limited ranges of motion and x-ray findings that may be associated with your condition. We will discuss four points:

• What is your diagnosis?
• Can we effectively treat your condition?
• How long will it take?
• How much will it cost?

A specific treatment plan will be recommended and your second chiropractic adjustment will be given.

The Third Visit

Your third chiropractic adjustment will be given to continue the process of relieving your acute pain. This will be part of the first phase of care. When your acute pain has diminished, the second phase of care, or the corrective phase, will begin. This phase is just as important as the first phase as it begins the process of stabilizing spinal alignment to prevent relapse of pain. Spinal pain can come on slowly over time or suddenly with an injury, but the healing process in both cases takes time. If the injured soft tissue does not heal properly or if the spinal misalignment, which irritates the soft tissue, does not stabilize with corrective care, the pain can come back.

Like a regular exercise program, each visit builds on the one before. By missing a visit, you can lose the forward progress or slow the progress to stabilize your condition.

The third phase of care involves preventative/wellness care. Please read more here.