How much money will it cost me?
This varies greatly. It really all depends on what your goals of care are. We do however have very affordable pre-payment plans and monthly fee plans to help keep cost affordable.
What will my first office visit look like?
The first visit is really a time for the Doctor to get to know you and your history. We will take some time to really dive into your history and get to the root cause of your compliant. Then the Doctor will perform her chiropractic examination on you, which may include range of motion, leg length analysis, posture analysis, and movement tests. If there are no red flags that would warrant imaging, we will end with your first adjustment and any home care recommendations.
How often will I need to come in?
Your care plan will be 100% tailored to your needs. With our different techniques most patients report a relief of symptoms in just a handful of visits, however we are here to get to the root cause and correct it so visit amounts for your restoration plan will vary. After the restoration plan has ended you will want to continue to feel 100% so the doctor will transition you to one of our affordable wellness plans.
Will the adjustment hurt?
Not usually. Both techniques are very low-force and gentle chiropractic techniques. We also will discuss what you are most comfortable with and can dictate your care by choosing the technique that is best suited to your needs. If you have had the problem for a long time it may be more sensitive to the touch for the first couple of visits. Most people will feel relief and a little soreness after an adjustment.
Do I need x-rays or a referral to come in?
No. We don’t take x-rays in office, but if the Doctor believes x-rays are warranted we will refer you to an imaging center or to your primary care physician to have them taken. You do NOT need a referral to come into our office for chiropractic care.
Prenatal Care
What's an adjustment look like for a pregnant woman?
In our office we have all the measures to make you super comfortable during your adjustment. We have various pregnancy pillow to allow you to comfortably lay on your stomach (yes you heard me right stomach!) for your adjustment. The actual adjustment will be very gentle too.
Why would I need chiropractic care during pregnancy?
While pregnant if you have any ache or pains you are told to just suck up the pain, since you can’t take any medications. However, getting adjusted can help will all the pain associated with pregnancy (headaches, neck pain, low back pain, sciatica and pubic pain). The next reason why chiropractic is vital during pregnancy is because your pelvis, tailbone and low back need to be in proper alignment so the ligaments that attach to your uterus have the right tension thus allowing for a better chance at full cervical dilation and a vaginal delivery.
Can chiropractic care help me have a natural delivery?
Yes. If you are planning a natural delivery chiropractic needs to be a part of your prenatal care. For our bodies to naturally go into labor, dilate and then deliver baby all parts of the body and nervous system need to work in coordination. If the nervous system information is impinged or the ligaments of the pelvic floor are too tight natural delivery can be quite hard. Getting adjusted will not only help optimize the nervous system, but it will also help with the tension of the ligaments. Thus, allowing optimal dilation and babies positioning.
What about postpartum care?
Your body just went through one of the biggest events in its life, birth. Your body is being flushed with hormones, which can cause issues with alignment of the spine and pelvis. We want to ensure that everything moves back into the proper place, so mom doesn’t have pain in the future. Your pelvic floor and core have taken a beating from being pregnant and delivery, so we need to pay special attention to them and rehab those areas. Many women who don’t rehab their pelvic floor and core can have; inconsistence, pelvic floor pain, pubic pain, painful intercourse and menstrual issues.
Can chiropractic help with breech babies?
As a Chiropractor I never turn a breech baby. What I do is remove inter-uterine constraint (tightness of pelvic muscles/ligaments) by adjusting the pelvis and spine and working on tight ligaments and muscles. By removing this interference, it will allow for more room for the baby to move into the proper head down position. Not only do we utilize the Webster’s technique in office we also use the Gardner method to help babies positioning.
Pediatric Care
Why would my kids need to get adjusted?
Kids have the same nervous system we do as adults, so their spines can have misalignments also. By keeping a child’s spine in proper alignment, we can help ensure optimal balance, coordination, nerve signaling and systemic health. Let’s correct these misalignment’s as kids so they don’t have chronic issues as adults. I love the saying “It is easier to raise healthy children, then to fix broken adults”.
Is it safe for small children to get chiropractic care?
Yes. Pediatric chiropractic care with our chiropractor in Lakewood is completely safe for children. Gentle, specific adjustments are used to correct misalignments in the spine and extremities of children. Our non-invasive techniques reduce pain and fussiness and promote healing and proper physical development.
How are the adjustments different from an adult?
We use Activator Technique for all the kiddos at our practice. These adjustments will look just like an adult Activator adjustment. The main difference is the force from the activator on smaller kids and infants most adjustments will be done at the Activators lowest setting. For our kids younger then 1 ½ we have an infant pillow that they will lay on their back in. Most kids barely know they are getting adjusted because it is so gentle. Our chiro kids love getting adjusted and even ask for it when they come in with their parents. For those kids who don’t want to lay down you will often find Dr. Alyssa adjusting them on the floor in the toy area or laying on top of one of their parents.
I've heard of newborns getting adjusted, is that true?
Yes. For many infants the birth process can be very hard on them! Imagine squishing your body through a 10cm hole and having a provider pulling on your head to help you through. We encourage all our new parents to have their little ones checked to just make sure the spine is in proper alignment. If it isn’t it can lead to certain symptoms in an infant such as; colic, general fussiness, re-flux, in ability to nurse on one side, constipation, gassiness and inability to sleep for extended periods of time.
What are some common issues we can help with?
The most important thing is getting your child’s nervous system (the master system of the body) working properly. Even if your child isn’t having symptoms presenting a properly aligned nervous system is vital to your child’s health.
With that being said we have seen wonderful things happen in children that have had:
- Colic
- Bedwetting
- Frequent illnesses
- Poor coordination
- Irritability
- Poor sleep
- Hyperactivity
- Nursing issues
- Ear infections
- Failure to thrive
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Asthma
- Reflux/Silent reflux
- Sport Injuries
General Chiropractic Care
How can chiropractic care help me?
Chiropractic is an amazing treatment for headaches, neck pain, low back pain and sciatica. However, did you know chiropractic is so much more. Your nervous system is your master control of your body and when it isn’t working correctly (i.e. nervous system flow impingement) you can have a whole host issues arise in your body. You need to remember everything in your body is run by your nervous system and thus when there is a fault your immune system can deplete, GI dysfunctions occur, anxiety happens, infertility can occur, menstrual cycle abnormalities and so much more. Unbalance in the body is never a good thing and getting adjusted can help balance the nervous system.
What adjustment technique do we utilize?
We use two very gentle and specific chiropractic techniques. We use an instrument-based adjusting technique called, the Activator Technique. This technique is the lowest force technique in Chiropractic and by utilizing muscle tests and stress tests it is an extremely specific technique. The other technique we use is with the assistance of a drop table. This is a more manual style of adjustment, but with the use of a drop table, allows for less force to be used. Most of our patients choose a combination of both Activator and drop techniques.
How does the nervous system affect my overall health?
Consider the spinal cord your body’s “information super highway.” Every nerve in your body is linked to the spinal cord, which is housed in the series of bones that make up your spine. If one of the bones is improperly positioned or restricted in movement at all, it compromises communication between the brain and body. When a bone puts pressure on a nerve in your spinal cord, it can cause pain as well as dysfunction with associated organs and tissues. The purpose of chiropractic care is to locate these misaligned areas and adjust them, restoring the flow of information and allowing for your body’s optimal functioning.
What education do chiropractors have anyway?
Dr. Alyssa has a bachelor’s in human biology and her Doctor of Chiropractic. So, if you are doing the math that is 8 years of post-High School education. Chiropractic school is very similar to medical school in that fact that the first 2-2 ½ years are mainly dedicated general sciences and the last 2 years really focuses on radiology and chiropractic technique. In addition, Dr. Alyssa has spent many additional hours furthering her education in pediatrics and prenatal care.
Couldn't I just adjust my back or neck myself?
No. Turning your body or neck in one direction and/or the other may make your joints “pop”, but that sound is not correcting the problem and certainly is not an adjustment! The pressure and gases released during that “pop” may immediately feel like relief, but only a licensed Chiropractor is able to adjust the actual misaligned vertebra that’s really causing the tension. Even Dr. Alyssa visits colleagues to get adjusted.