The West Des Moines Chiropractor to see - Chiropractor West Des Moines

Your First Visit to Our West Des Moines Practice

Your first visit is simple and on average takes 30 minutes. You will fill out some paperwork so the doctor has some information about your health history. You then will watch a short video that introduces you to chiropractic and the office. Next, you will meet with your doctor in a comfortable consultation room. The doctor will talk with you about your health concerns. He will take a detailed history of your health issues to help determine if yours is a chiropractic case. (We like to think that we are good listeners... and we always encourage you to ask lots of questions.)

Next, you will have a complete exam that will include special tests. These tests help determine where your problem areas might be and how the doctor will address them. The tests include: static palpation (which is simply feeling the bones in your spine for tenderness, swelling and other abnormalities), motion palpation (which is simply bending your spine to look for sings of fixation), instrumentation (which involves running a nervoscope down your spine to locate areas of swelling). The nervoscope feels like two fingers gliding down your spine. It detects heat, which is an indication of swelling. These tests, in addition to others, help the doctor determine if yours is a chiropractic case... and if he can help you.

(Ladies, we have thick, long gowns that only open wide enough to examine your spine.)

Then, if necessary, full spine, weight bearing (standing) x-rays will be taken. X-rays are taken for several reasons.  These include:

1. to determine the condition of the discs (the cushions between the vertebrae in your spine);
2. to determine the phases of degeneration;
3. to locate potential problem areas, misalignments and;
4. to rule out other pathologies (diseases).

To see is to know!  We do not want to guess when it comes to your health.