Visualization

Observation of you walking, standing, or sitting. What does your gait look like? Are you leaning to one side? Is one of your shoulders higher than the other? If your head sitting squarely on top of your shoulders or is it favoring one side? 
What does the skin around the effected area look like? Is it red, dimpled or discolored in any way? 
To help answer all these questions and to be as thorough as we can, in our office we ask male patients to take their shirt off and female patients to wear a shirt gown that opens in the back so the entire spine can be visualized. 

Instrumentation

Classically a dual probe instrument (Nervoscope or Delta-T) is used to get a left & right temperature comparison of the spine to locate areas of inflammation. The readings obtained through instrumentation will show whether or not subluxations are present, if they are being corrected, and when correction has been attained. 

Palpation

Static (not moving the patient)  & motion (gently moving the patient through normal ranges of motion) palpation are used to precisely pinpoint the problem. In our office your spinal exam will always be performed while you are sitting upright. Feeling how joints in your spine move in relation to one another in a WEIGHT BEARING position is crucial. When you lie down your spine is no longer holding itself up against gravity and the mechanics of your spine change greatly.  You live your life primarily in a weight bearing position either standing or sitting, so that is how we need to do the exam!

X-ray Analysis

The Gonstead system utilizes spinal x-rays to extract as much information as possible about each individual case. A  quality spinal x-ray truly tells us the entire life story of your problem. 

• How severe is it?

•  How long has the problem been there?

• Is your problem straightforward or is it multifaceted & complex with multiple different injuries compounding the problem. 

  • If it is more complex, what do we start working on & in what order? (YES, that matters) ​

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These are all questions amongst others that x-ray helps us answer and get a clear picture on. 

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Case Management 

It is never assumed that the adjustment you had on your last visit is the same one you need today! A spinal exam will be performed on EVERY visit to assess progress, changes that are occurring with your as we progress through care. With complex and chronic spine problems it is very common that as one thing gets fixed another comes to the surface. It is imperative that we are precise and timely with recognizing these changes in order to fully resolve the problem. 

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