Frequently Asked Questions

Click to expand answers to our most frequent questions.

For questions regarding our values, our approach, conditions we treat, diagnoses, treatment options, nutritional concerns, finance/insurance, please visit the corresponding pages on our website.

+ What kind of training does a chiropractor have?

Doctors of Chiropractic are educated as primary-contact healthcare providers. Their emphasis is on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to the musculoskeletal system (muscles, ligaments, joints) and the nerves that supply them. Their educational requirements are amongst the stringent of any healthcare profession.

A typical applicant for chiropractic school completes a bachelor's degree of pre-medical undergraduate education. In an accredited postgraduate program, they must complete four to five academic years of anatomy, physiology, orthopedics, neurology, clinical diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, nutrition, exercise, and more. In total, the curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience, equivalent to a medical doctor or osteopath.

+ Is it safe?

Chiropractic care is safe, effective, and generally free of side effects. While no health treatment is completely free of adverse effects, the risks associated are small. Some patients exhibit mild soreness or stiffness. Current research shows that soreness fades within 24 hours.

When evaluating the risks of any procedure, it is important to look at the risk in comparison for other treatments for the same condition.

From the American Chiropractic Association's FAQ website: "For example, the risks associated with some of the most common treatments for musculoskeletal pain—over-the-counter or prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and prescription painkillers—are significantly greater than those of chiropractic manipulation.

According to the American Journal of Gastroenterology, people taking NSAIDS are three times more likely than those who do not to develop serious adverse gastrointestinal problems such as hemorrhage (bleeding) and perforation. That risk rises to more than five times among people age 60 and older.

Moreover, the number of prescriptions for powerful drugs such as oxycodone and hydrocodone have tripled in the past 12 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that abuse of these commonly prescribed painkillers are among the leading causes of accidental death in the United States. Overdoses of opioid painkillers are responsible for some 15,000 deaths per year; that’s more than the number of deaths from cocaine and heroin combined.

Doctors of chiropractic are well trained professionals who provide patients with safe, effective care for a variety of common conditions. Their extensive education has prepared them to identify patients who have special risk factors and to get those patients the most appropriate care, even if that requires referral to a medical specialist."

We have altered our care to be the safest possible treatment, and we do our best to play an active role in identifying potential red flags or risks to care.

+ What is an average follow up visit like?

The entire length of a visit is 1-on-1 between the patient and the doctor. Nobody else needs to be in charge of your care. Each visit is a constant state of evaluation. As you improve, we find ways to alter our approach to continue modifying treatment to get to the core. Treatment should never follow a strict, cookie-cutter protocol.

During each visit, you will move around and communicate detailed feedback. This is a very active approach. Treatment is a team effort, and by working together, we equip you with the means of staying better. It is our goal to communicate why the problem occurred in the first place, how it changes, and how to maintain improvement.

+ How long is a care plan? Do I have to come back forever?

Typically, recent issues resolve quicker. If you've dealt with something for years, we cannot reasonably expect to resolve it in a very short duration. Each care plan is unique to each patient. Together, we set a goal and consistently measure to get to that goal. In our office, we do corrective care, it has an end, and we never treat anyone more than they're needed. Conversely, if we're not making measurable progress, we're not going to spin our wheels and put you through unnecessary treatments, and we will make an appropriate referral.

In truth, the true value we offer is in getting checked - NOT in the treatment. If treatments are sustained from prior visits, then there is no bill for the visit, because there's no treatment. Upon completion of a corrective care plan, an individual may choose to periodically come in for a check up to make sure our previous work is still being sustained. This decision is entirely up to the patient, and is encouraged, but is not mandatory, nor is it a part of the corrective care plan.

+ Will you x-ray me?

In short, it depends.

Films are useful to truly uncover the positioning of your joints, and they are dually useful to identify additional barriers that could alter or affect treatment. We utilize a movement-based approach and correlate that to your specific anatomical considerations.

Depending on your history and clinical presentation, the doctor will determine the clinical need for films, and will order, if necessary. Films can also be obtained per patient request. If films are taken, the doctor will take the time to write a diagnostic report and to thoroughly analyze them. This process takes time, and if the doctor believes it is necessary for treatment, we will not adjust until taking the time to truly examine them to the best of our abilities.

We have an x-ray machine in office, and our rates are much cheaper than competing hospitals.

+ Are you going to make my joints crack? What if I'm afraid?

The noise that can be heard is simply gas leaving a joint, similar to a suction cup being pulled off a window. This sound does not mean the adjustment was effective. Nothing has actually cracked. Adjustments are painless and feel quite good afterward, although some soreness may be felt the next day, especially if you're new to chiropractic.

Our number one treatment goal is to get your joints to move better. This is essential for fluid and nutrients to nourish the joints, and it plays a pivotal role in making sure our nerves, muscles and tendons are free to function at their best.

If you have any concerns or phobias, we have many other treatment options. Since our focus is on making sure your spine stays moving, we have gentler treatment options that we may use to get your spine functioning properly.

+ Can I adjust myself?

No.

When a joint becomes fixed and subluxated, it transmits movement to other areas, forcing them to move extra. When we crack our own spines, the forces are transferred to the other areas that are moving extra, causing them to pop and crack. Meanwhile, the original subluxated joint remains subluxated.

Even trained doctors of chiropractic cannot adjust themselves and fully rely on their colleagues to keep them in optimum shape.