On your initial visit, expect the chiropractor to ask you about the health complaints that bring you to the office and what, if anything precipitated them. The doctor will ask you about any trauma, injury, accident, or any other event that may have contributed to your current level of pain. Then, the doctor will ask about your family history, previous chiropractic care, medical care, surgeries, etc. The doctor will also inquire about your job and any other situations that may contribute to your symptoms and then determine the best way to treat your symptoms.

   A physical examination will be performed in accordance with your chiropractors clinical judgment, which may include x-rays, laboratory analysis, and any other diagnostic procedures. In addition, a careful spinal examination and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities which may be affecting or causing your condition. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to the doctor in evaluating your problem.

   Once the doctor has identified the problem, he or she will begin your care by way of physical therapy modalities followed by "adjustments". The term adjustment means the specific manipulation of vertebrae that have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally. Doctors of chiropractics spend many years learning motion palpation (the art of examining by movement or touch) and other forms of spinal examining procedures, so that they can administer specific and appropriate spinal adjustments. Particular attention will be paid to the area of your spine where a spinal derangement or "subluxation" has been detected. The adjustment is usually given by hand or "activator" type instruments which apply pressure to the areas of the spine that are out of alignment or that do not have their normal range of motion.

   To prepare you for the adjustment, various forms of physical therapies are used to help relax the affected supporting tissue structures. The various forms include, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Vibration Therapy, and/or Hot / Cold packs. Their purpose is to reduce muscle spasm and rigidity, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. After the physical therapy, the spinal adjustments will be performed, usually at minimal to no discomfort to you.