Your initial visit to Kramp Chiropractic consists of a thorough spinal and nerve assessment. Our examination procedures are geared toward detection and correction of Subluxations; a slight misalignment of the vertebrae of the spine. We have set aside specific hours for this type of visit, that way we are able to get you in as soon as possible as well as to not interfere with regular patient care hours. You can expect this visit to take approximately 30-45 minutes.
You will be required to come 15 minutes prior to your appointment time at your initial visit. When you arrive, you will be asked to fill out a detailed health history in order to give Dr. Chris Kramp or Dr. Caitlin Reimer an idea of how to make sure you get the most out of your visits to our office. If you would like to save this time, you can also fill out the form in advance by clicking here on Intake Form and emailing it to us HERE or by bringing it in with you to your first visit.
Once the health history form is completed, you will then go to the exam room where the doctor will begin by going over this health history form with you. The doctor will then perform some range of motion tests. This testing will also include “Palpation”. Palpation is essentially checking your spine by hand. With this exam the doctor can feel areas of your spine that may be involved with subluxation problems. Spinal position, curvatures and muscle tone can also be examined as it relates to possible spinal subluxations.
At Kramp Chiropractic we take great pride in ensuring we keep up to date with the newest technologies available. One of these technologies involves two different types of scans we do on the back to test the spine.
The first part of this examination process is a thermal scan, which involves reading spinal heat differences from one level of the spine to another, as well as from one side of the spine to the other. Heat is a by-product of circulation, which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. From this test, we can see how subluxations may be affecting these functions of your nervous system.
In the second part of this, sEMG scans will be performed on the surface of your spinal area to evaluate surface electrical impulses and measure them along your spine. This helps measure the effect of subluxations on the motor nerve system and the affect subluxations may be having on your muscles.
Finally, spinal images may be taken depending on your age and situation. There are many reasons why we would not take x-rays on certain patients, these are patients who may be pregnant, who have had recent usable spinal x-rays, most children, and some other various situations. Aside from these situations, x-rays are a common part of the examination process when we are looking for vertebral subluxations. They give us important information including the position of the spinal bones as well as the quality of the spine and the safety of adjusting it. X-rays can also tell us the relative length of time subluxations may have been involved in your spine. Commonly, most patients receive five spinal x-rays at the beginning of care. These are three views of the neck and two views of the mid-lower spine.
The importance of these tests and x-rays will be explained to you at your Doctor’s Report (your second visit) which we will book once the examination is done. This examination will help scientifically understand the subluxation processes going on in your spine and it will give us a baseline for future tests so we can accurately measure your progress to see how your spine is correcting and your nervous system is functioning. This information will help us make a more accurate determination of the type of adjustments your spine needs as well as the ongoing frequency of your care. These procedures give us a much more accurate idea of what is going on in your spine than simply depending on “how you feel” on any given day.
Your Doctor’s Report should be scheduled within a few days of your initial visit. We have set aside specific times for these visits so as not to interfere with regular patient care hours as well as to give you the opportunity to be able to get back in as soon as possible. This is the most important visit and will take approximately 20-30 minutes. You will be given information on how chiropractic fits into the health spectrum and go over your personal results in a detailed manner. After this, the doctor will give you a plan for care and go over any special instructions you will need to obtain the best and fastest possible results. Once the report is finished, you will also receive your first adjustment before looking at scheduling out your next appointments.
Once your initial two appointments have been completed, every visit thereafter will be ten minutes or less as the adjustment process is quick, but the results are long lasting. You will also be scheduled for periodical re-evaluations (approximately every 12 visits) to make sure that we are making positive changes in your body and to show you firsthand the changes that are taking place in your body. These appointments will take an extra ten minutes for testing where we will re-perform the thermal & sEMG scans.
Did you know Chiropractic isn’t just for adults? We also love to see children! Their initial visit will be scaled back depending on their age. For very young kids (newborn to approximately 3) this will likely just be the Palpation testing. After 3 years and depending on their ability to sit still for a few minutes, we may perform the thermal & sEMG scans. No treatment will occur on the kids until the parent feels comfortable with the process. The initial appointment for a child takes approximately 20-30 minutes and just as with a regular new patient, you will be required to come 15 minutes prior to your appointment time to fill out a detailed health history form for them. If you would like to fill one out in advance this is the Pediatric Intake Form which is for children five and younger. For children over this age you can fill out the regular adult Intake Form and can simply skip over questions that do not apply. Once it is filled out, you can email it back HERE or you can bring it in to your child’s first visit.
Our Chiropractic Care utilizes the most modern chiropractic analytical, and adjustive procedures and equipment available. We consider subluxations to be a serious threat to the quality and quantity of your health and that of your family. It is therefore imperative that we utilize the most modern, and the well-established time-proven procedures to help you. We also take the time to educate you as well on various aspects of health and wellness. We feel you’re worth it!