Start with a Consultation

The first part of Chiropractic Physical Examination will begin with a detailed consultation. During this time we learn about your health history and try to identify ways that we might be able to help.

While you may have come in with low back pain, we might learn that you've also experienced regular headaches or occasional neck pain that could all be related to your spine.

We find that many of our patients have other conditions that can be helped with chiropractic care.

We also listen for things you may be doing in your daily activities that may be contributing to your problem.

Learning about your daily activities gives us an idea of where to look when we do your examination.

A patient that sits at a computer all day and then does Crossfit 3 times per week will have a different set of problems compared to someone with a long commute that doesn't stretch and gardens on the weekend.

Learning more about you, your daily activities and what you do that may be helping or hurting your problem helps us determine how much chiropractic care is needed and the home care recommendations you will receive.

Chiropractic Physical Exam

The chiropractic physical examination includes a number of tests all designed to help identify the source of your problem.

We begin with a body composition analysis that helps us to track your body weight, muscle, body fat and hydration percentages. Body composition plays a major role in the development of many chronic health conditions and it's a vital step in helping you to overcome your problem.

Next we do a series of digital posture analyses. Checking your posture and the range of motion of your spine helps us to understand areas in your body that may be contributing to your pain.

These tests consist of measuring how much weight you carry on one side of your body compared to the other. We also take digital posture pictures that help to differentiate bone misalignment's, from muscle problems.

We will also have you move your neck and lower back through all of the ranges of motion and look for areas that are diminished or restricted. We feel along your spine, looking for areas of inflammation, spasm, swelling, stiffness, areas of imbalance, and restricted movement.

Next, we will check go through orthopedic tests that are designed to test and challenge spinal joints. These simple but revealing tests let us know where your pain may be coming from. Learning how severe a problem is and the specific spinal joint will help us determine if chiropractic care can help you or if you need to see a different type of healthcare provider.

Finally, we perform neurological tests that will help us look for areas of weakness or imbalance. If you're already experiencing neurological symptoms such as numbness, weakness, tingling, or paresthesia, these tests will give us an idea as to the severity of your problem.

From your examination findings, we will determine which areas of your spine we need to evaluate by x-ray.

Chiropractic Spinal X-Rays

Checking your spine with x-ray examination is a critical aspect of how we can personalize your chiropractic care. Not only do we evaluate your x-rays for any signs of disease or pathology, we are also looking for any areas of your spine that we will cause us to modify the adjustment technique for your condition.

Then we take measurements throughout your entire spine that directs us to the areas that need to be adjusted specifically. We will know which area is the problem and the direction to adjust.

This helps for when we take additional x-rays later in your treatment plan and can show you the changes.

Without establishing a baseline and knowing the areas in which to focus, the follow up x-rays wouldn't be able to tell you how much you've improved.

We expect your symptoms to show improvement in a short time, but making lasting changes takes time.