Take a Deep Breath and Relax…
We know that it can be overwhelming to go to any new doctor’s office for the first time.
From the moment you enter our office, we try to create a fun and positive atmosphere! Many first-time visitors to our practice members comment how at ease they feel—not only from the environment we’ve created, but also by how their questions and concerns are addressed.
It is an opportunity for you to meet with us, find out what we do to help people, and to get a feel if our office is a good fit for you. It is also an opportunity for us to find out exactly what your health concerns are and determine what we can do to help you.
Subluxation Station
How do we determine if we can help you? In addition to discussing your specific health concerns, we use state-of-the-art technology to detect and pinpoint abnormal function in the spine:
- Surface Electromyography (SEMG), which measures the amount of electrical current in the muscles
- Thermography, which measures the skin temperature along the spine
You can read more about these tests below.
Surface Electromyography (SEMG)
Motor Nerves
Your muscles are controlled by nerves. SEMG measures how well the motor nerves are working by reading the amount of electrical current found in the muscles. Subluxations (misalignments) disturb the function of the nerve, causing an abnormal amount of current flowing to your muscles. You can literally see the results, indicated by colors and/or abnormal patterns on the resulting graph.
Muscle Balance (Symmetry)
In addition to measuring how well the motor nerves are working, SEMG also determines muscle balance, which is extremely important because the vertebrae in the spine depend on the muscles to move properly. If one or more vertebrae are out of position, it disturbs nerve function. This disturbance creates muscle imbalance, and the muscles can become weaker or stronger, tighter, or fatigued. An abnormal muscle pattern on the scan reveals an increased amount of tension/pull on one side compared to the other (similar to a tug-of-war).
Thermography
We use a thermal scan to measure temperature differences along your spine. If your body temperature is 98.6 degrees, then the left and right sides of your spine should also be at the same temperature.
Your skin is the largest organ of the body, and the blood vessels under the skin work as the body’s thermostat. (They expand and release heat and contract to retain heat, controlling the body’s temperature.) When communication between the central nervous system and the blood vessels is disturbed, it causes the body’s thermostat to malfunction, producing an imbalanced temperature reading along the spine. These blood vessels are controlled by the same part of the nervous system that runs your organs and glands—the autonomic system.
This thermal scan provides us with information to monitor the autonomic system for proper function.
Completing Your First Visit
If the SEMG and thermal scan detect areas of nerve disturbance, our next step will be to take x-rays, which provide us with information to determine the condition of your spine and how to specifically correct it. Exceptions to x-ray include our pregnant patients and young children.
We only take full spine x-rays in our office, which are unique in that they allow us to see the entire spine on one film. This not only allows us to see the position of each individual spinal bone, but also gives us an overall view of your spine that helps us to achieve optimal correction.
What Next?
Your first visit to our office is all about gathering information. Following your first visit, we analyze your x-rays, compare them with your SEMG and thermal scans, review your history, and put all this information together to determine the appropriate chiropractic care for you. We will go over this information in detail on your next visit.
Please contact Dr. Jeff if you have any questions. Thank you and have a great and healthy day!