Brisbane Chiropractic

Evaluations

 

The crucial first step to any successful course of treatment is to properly identify the cause of the problem.  To determine the cause, you must be willing to give a detailed history of your condition.  A truthful and detailed history provides the insight required to help us fix your condition.  Armed with knowledge gained from your history, we will conduct a thorough examination, often beginning with a range of motion study and followed by orthopedic, neurologic and chiropractic testing that confirm the diagnosis. The more we can learn from your history, the more focused and accurate the examination and diagnosis will be. Therefore, the history and evaluation of your condition are critical to fixing your condition.

 

X-Rays

 

 

It is absolutely amazing how much information you can get from a simple X-ray.  Even a medically normal X-ray is loaded with information that can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of your condition.  I always feel more confident in treating your condition after I've had the opportunity to evaluate your films. With that said, I don't take X-rays on every patient and old X-rays can be just as valuable as current films. Whether I’m using old or new films, I will always explain my findings to you in layman’s terms so you can see what I see. 

 

Patients frequently ask if X-rays are really necessary.  My response to this is that I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't think they were necessary.  

 

Some of the typical medical criteria for taking X-rays are: trauma, pain in the morning, unexplained pain, history of arthritis, chronicity of pain.  I also recommend X-rays when there is no history that explains how the pain started.  Similarly, I also recommend them when the examination fails to indicate a cause.

 

 

Are X-Rays Safe

 

X-rays are safe and a cost-effective way to view the structure and general condition of the spine. They can reveal spinal regions under high stress and expose areas of degenerative change. X-rays can often provide essential additional information which correlates history and examination findings, allowing for a more accurate spinal analysis and a more individualized and effective treatment plan.  X-rays are also useful in assessing the appropriateness of chiropractic care.  They can help to rule out the existence of more serious pathological processes such as spinal fractures, tumors and infections which require immediate emergency medical intervention.