Frequently Asked Questions

Chiropractic is a hands-on healing art and science dedicated to restoring balance, alignment, and optimal communication within the body—particularly through the spine and nervous system. It’s based on the understanding that structure and function are deeply intertwined, and that misalignments in the spine (subluxations) can disrupt nerve signaling, impair body systems, and diminish overall health. Chiropractic care works to correct these imbalances, helping the body return to a state of self-regulation and healing.

What sets this approach apart is its integrative nature—addressing not only structural issues, but also the emotional, biochemical, and energetic factors that influence well-being. By using tools like manual muscle testing and reflex analysis, treatment becomes a dynamic dialogue with the body’s innate intelligence. Techniques such as cranial work, Applied Kinesiology, SOT, and TBM may be woven into care depending on each individual’s needs.

Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, chiropractic care seeks to understand and treat the root causes of dysfunction. The goal is to awaken the body’s natural healing potential and support the nervous, immune, hormonal, and digestive systems as part of a whole-person path to wellness.

Manual muscle testing is a tool used to assess the functional status and stress patterns in your body.  In this work we recognize that each muscle in the body relates to an organ and each organ relates to an acupuncture meridian. By isolating and testing specific muscles, the practitioner can attain highly specific information about your system and use that to build an accurate and actionable clinical picture.  

The testing procedure itself varies depending on the muscle being tested, but generally the practitioner will ask the client to resist a force directed to a specific muscle and then gauge the response. We are looking for a “lock” in the muscle (which is normal) or a weakness (which is abnormal).  The practitioner can gauge this response using relatively little force and for this reason testing is generally quick and comfortable.

I will employ a wide variety of modalities in your treatment process.  The specific techniques we work with on your visit depend entirely on the specifics of your case.  Your body’s own innate intelligence is in the driver’s seat and it has a very real awareness of which approaches will be most helpful in getting to the roots of the issue. As your system conveys what it needs, we move forward with treatment.  

Elements of your session can range from spinal adjustments, acupuncture meridian therapy, soft tissue work, cranial adjusting, organ reflex therapy, extremity adjusting, emotional clearing, nutritional therapy, allergy desensitization and much more. Each treatment is unique and tailored to your specific needs on that day and in the context of your overall healing process.

Your first visit will be either 40 or 60 minutes, depending on the type of care you select.

Focused Structural Care provides a 40-minute evaluation and treatment for a relatively contained injury, pain area or musculoskeletal concern. Comprehensive Structural Care provides 60 minutes for a broader evaluation of persistent, recurrent or more complex structural concerns. Comprehensive Integrative Health Care is a 60-minute whole-person evaluation for multiple concerns, complex health histories or a broader assessment of your overall health.

Each pathway includes a detailed history, an examination appropriate to your concerns and initial treatment when clinically appropriate. At the end of your visit, we will set up a second visit where we will review your case in detail and continue treatment.

What to expect from your second visit

Your second visit builds directly on what we learned during your initial evaluation. We will review your response to the first treatment, discuss the important findings from your examination and continue treatment based on what your system is showing at that time.

For Comprehensive Integrative Health Care, this is a dedicated 60-minute visit that also includes a detailed review of your Clinical Assessment and Care Plan. For Structural Care, the length and focus of the second visit will be based on the complexity of your case and what is needed to move forward effectively.

At that point, I will recommend the most appropriate direction, visit length and initial course of care.

Regular office visits are generally 20 minutes long, but can be 40 or 60 minutes under special circumstances.

In these visits we will jump right into treatment after a quick check in.  Feedback is always important, but during these sessions there is generally less talking as I will be very focused on listening to your system and allowing the body to guide the sequence of treatment.

Each case is unique. At your second visit, I will recommend the most appropriate visit length, frequency and initial course of care based on your findings, goals and response to treatment.

Many clients begin with a period of more consistent care, often once a week for four to six weeks, followed by a reassessment. Others may require a different schedule depending on the nature and complexity of their concerns.

As you improve, visits are generally spread farther apart. Once you are established and feeling well, we can determine an appropriate maintenance schedule together based on your goals and how your body responds over time.

Generally, you can wear your normal clothes when you come for a visit.  But when possible it can be helpful to wear loose fitting clothing made from natural fiber.  We also have gowns to wear if needed for your exam or treatment.  If your injury or issue is specific to an area, dress accordingly so the area can be examined easily.  

Yes!  This form of care is very safe and effective, even for newborns.  I feel very strongly about the importance of having your children checked and adjusted as soon as possible.  Because of how quickly children grow and can compensate for imbalances in their system, it is important to to have them checked sooner than later, especially if there are signs of issues like colic, rashes, allergies, sleep problems or missing developmental markers.

Absolutely! As a former college athlete, I understand the demands of training, the impact of injuries and the quest to perform at your best. The approach I use gets deep into specific muscle dynamics and the fluidity and coherence of specific motions. I can evaluate and tune your musculoskeletal and nervous systems to a highly refined degree and you will immediately notice the difference in your training.

This work is also extremely effective at resolving old injuries and helping the body recover and integrate after a surgery. It is equally effective with preventing injuries. Often times an injury is a result of an underlying instability or functional issue that has been going on, noticed or not, for a while.  

For example, we know that cortisol dysregulation can cause ligament laxity throughout the body. If this is left unchecked, that laxity can be the difference between a major injury and a successful ski jump, hockey move or dead lift.  

Beginning with Injury Recall Technique where we can permanently disengage the protective reflex patterning in the nervous system that often persists after an injury, sometimes for decades, we can evaluate and treat areas of concern with high precision.