What to expect when you visit Southwest Spine Center? Outstanding service, in every way!
Typically patients come in with one or two goals. If they are in pain, pain relief is the first priority. Once they are out of pain, functional improvement takes over from there. At the point where maximum functional improvement has been reached, some patients choose maintenance care to prevent future problems. Whatever level you begin at, a thorough examination and possibly imaging is where it all begins.

What can I expect?

The first visit will last about an hour. The doctor will take a complete medical history and identify problem areas to be addressed during treatment. Your doctor will interview you about your symptoms, pain or functional issues, if any, where they are located, what treatment you’ve tried already and get details about those issues. Typically your blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and reflexes are assessed. If imaging is recommended, you may have x-rays taken at our office or the doctor may refer you for and MRI, blood work or other diagnostic testing. The doctor will perform a very thorough physical examination typically through light clothing or in some cases in a medical gown. Your posture and range of motion will be evaluated and the doctor may perform palpation of muscles, joint movement, and soft tissues to determine underlying issues and fixation. The more we learn, the better recommendation we can make!

If patients are in a great deal of pain, the doctors may perform light treatment on the first visit but typically do not perform a chiropractic adjustment. The adjustment is usually performed on the second visit after a report of findings, which is essentially a consultation, is held. We encourage you to bring a family member to the report of findings as a lot of information is presented and experience tells us it helps to have a friend or family member there to take it all in.

On your second visit, typically the next day: The doctor will go over your x-rays personally and cover findings from the physical examination at this time. Typically a recommendation for treatment is presented at this time. Southwest Spine Center lays out a treatment plan that includes what type of treatment is recommended, how often and how long visits will be, the cost of care, any insurance verification information and every detail of what you can expect during the report of findings. We value information and encourage our patients to make sound medical decisions armed with knowledge.

Subsequent visits, which are usually further and further apart as time goes on, vary depending on treatment with the shortest visit a simple chiropractic adjustment and the longest visit a one hour myotherapy or massage session. The expected timing and length of visits will be thoroughly explained during the second visit so our patients can plan accordingly. The national average for correcting an underlying issue is approximately 18 visits but varies depending on how severe the problem is and what treatment is needed to correct functional issues. We evaluate our patients on a case by case basis treating each and every patient as medically needed.

Consultations, re-examinations and questions? Southwest Spine Center is dedicated to assisting patients in reaching their health goals, whatever they may be. We are available for consultation any time. We perform re-evaluations as we progress to confirm that we are on the right track for success and to tweak the treatment plan as needed. Our exceptional staff is available to answer questions any time. Not only do we strive to provide an excellent, customized, unique treatment plan to assist you in reaching your health goals: But we believe that exceptional and caring customer service is essential!