At CORE Chiropractic, we believe that great care starts with clarity. That's why we use on-site x-rays to take the guesswork out of your treatment. Whether you're dealing with chronic back pain, sciatica, or headaches, spinal x-rays help us diagnose the root cause, create safer adjustments, and track your progress with real data -- not assumptions.
Without X-Rays | With CORE X-Rays |
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X-rays have fallen out of fashion with chiropractors and many patients insist that they don't need x-rays because "they already know what's wrong." We have found x-rays invaluable to delivering consistent and high quality chiropractic care. The patients that are worried about x-rays are usually worried about x-ray cost, not the x-rays themselves. Hoping to avoid any additional charges, they trust that they will get a good chiropractic adjustment without the doctor being able to fully understand their spine.
To eliminate this objection, we do not charge for your initial x-rays. While many chiropractors don't find the need to take x-rays because they aren't worried about a serious spinal condition (we agree with this), we take measurements and find out exactly how your spine has moved out of place, no guessing. We then refer to those measurements with each and every adjustment we perform. This allows you to get a safe, effective, and longer lasting chiropractic adjustment than you would have received without the benefit of x-rays.
Not All Chiropractors Use X-Rays -- Here's Why That Matters
Some chiropractic clinics skip x-rays to speed up initial care. At CORE Chiropractic, safety comes first. Without x-rays, serious spinal conditions can go undetected -- and adjustments can be less precise or even risky. Our doctors take the time to diagnose your spine properly so you can get the best care. Then we pull up your x-ray information at every visit to ensure you are getting the best results, faster.
Top 5 Reasons We Take X-Rays
- Rule out dangerous conditions like fracture, bone disease, and instability
- Customize your care plan to fit your exact spinal alignment
- Ensure safe, effective adjustments -- especially if you've had trauma or a previous surgery
- Measure improvement with before and after imaging
- Help you feel confident knowing your care is guided by real data
Normal Variants & Spondylolisthesis
There are a few things that patients are born with that can alter how we adjust an area and sometimes, if we can adjust the area at all. Eighty percent of patients are born with all the same body parts. Twenty percent of patients have different or additional bones. Extra vertebrae, less vertebrae, extra ribs, and transitional segments. Transitional segments occur where one area of the spine is transitioning into another, like where the lumbar spine gets closest to the pelvis area. Some vertebrae will take on the shape and characteristics of other areas. This is good information to have.
Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which one vertebra is slipping over the vertebra below it. Most patients will never know they have this condition unless it gets bad. The slipping vertebra continues to slip and get worse over time depending on the patient's activities and any trauma to the area. If the vertebra slips too much, surgery is required.
In our office, we spot spondylolisthesis on x-ray on a weekly basis. Our treatment protocol means that we will not do adjustments that involve twisting the lower spine and we are careful not to push forward on that vertebra in question. While one adjustment to a vertebra with spondylolisthesis probably won't do anything, if you continue to have chiropractic adjustments in that area the wrong way, eventually something is going to give. That will not happen in our office.
We see spondylolisthesis with such frequency, that we have handouts in our office and provide information on daily best practices for our patients that have this condition.
I came to Core with some concerning nerve pain. I was comforted by the process that includes X-rays and a full evaluation before any adjustments and work is done. They develop a plan for you and you feel very informed about your plan and costs and outcomes. Now more than halfway through my treatment my nerve pain is gone, my overall spine health has improved and I can’t wait for my follow up X-rays at end of treatment to see my improvements. The staff is helpful, knowledgeable and might be the only doctors office that is ALWAYS on time. Logistics masters!
Elysa n.
via Google
How X-Rays Help with Chronic Pain, Sciatica, and Neck Issues
With every new patient, they always want to know the answer to this question: How bad is my spine? Most people have never seen an x-ray, unless they've broken an arm or a leg and they've never seen an x-ray of their spine. Now they've got a problem and they want to find out how bad it is. We start with a consultation and an examination that included range of motion, chiropractic test, orthopedic tests, and neurological tests.
This helps us determine what's wrong and if you're in the right place. We want to see how your body is functioning, if your condition will likely respond to chiropractic care, and to determine if we need to refer you to another type of healthcare provider.
Next, we'll take x-rays. The x-rays will be to any areas of the spine where you either have a problem or an area we will need to treat. While many providers charge $250 or more per area of the spine, a full set of spinal x-rays in our office is $100. Our x-rays are digital, so there's no film storage or processing that will lead to other costs. The price of the x-rays is based on the time we spend taking and evaluating those images.
The next step is our evaluation and analysis of those x-ray images. We do our review for any signs of fracture or pathology, then we use spinal analysis software that allows us to take all the measurements we will need to set a baseline for where you are now and to guide us in the areas we will adjust and the direction we will need to make needed changes.
We will also look for any signs of degeneration, which has become increasingly more common with the use of computers and smart phones. Degeneration gives us a key indicator to let us know how bad your condition is and how long you've had the problem. This gives us a much better idea as the types of recommendations we need to make for you and long your treatment plan will need to be. This is how we get the best results all neck and back related problems -- including chronic pain, sciatica, neck pain, and headaches.
Can X-rays Show If Chiropractic Is Working?
While not necessary for every patient and situation, we will take periodic re-x-rays to determine how your spine has improved and any changes we need to make to your care. Follow up x-rays are just $50 in our office, and we will take just the images we need to see changes. Which x-rays we take will depend on your initial x-rays, your condition, and the types of treatment you've been receiving.
For example, patients that are receiving spinal decompression therapy will have the side view of the spine reviewed so that we can remeasure disc spaces and see how much improvement has occurred. This will give us information to decide how many additional treatments you may need and how often.
Finally, we do our analysis and measurements all over again before reviewing your results on the next visit. At that time, we will pull up your initial x-rays and your follow up x-rays side-by-side so you can see the changes that have occurred. Without the initial set of x-rays, how would you know if anything changed? How would you know if you're doing enough at home to see the kind of the results you need?
Leg Length X-Ray Examination
Finally, one of the unique aspects of care at our office is the leg length x-ray. After years of seeing patients not get the lasting changes we wanted for them, we dug deeper and began evaluating leg length discrepancy.
While other providers take out a tape measure to determine any leg length difference, we found that method to be inaccurate and unreliable. Especially since we are looking for millimeters of difference. Most patients that check in this way are 3 - 5 mm different on one side (the office record is 26 mm). This is easily fixed with a small shoe insert that keeps the legs balanced. Many patients have been shocked to see how much better they feel with such a small addition to their shoe.
Patients with a leg length difference greater than 5 mm really see a change in how they feel, how they walk, and how long they hold their adjustments once we add in the right amount of lift into their shoes. Some patients are able to see changes with the addition of a the heel lift and custom orthotics. Our goal isn't just getting your results, it's getting lasting results. Not addressing leg length discrepancy has a big impact on how long your results will last.
Can You See The Importance of Taking Spinal X-rays Before Beginning Chiropractic Care?
Here's a summary:
- Rule out fracture and pathology
- Look for any variants to your spine
- Watch out for spondylolisthesis
- Determine the baseline of your spine before starting care
- Take measurements and do analysis to determine how to adjust your spine
- See follow up x-rays to see changes
- Evaluate for possible leg length discrepancy, if needed
This means you need x-rays if you have had a trauma, may have a disease process, may have a spinal variation that can't be evaluated by examination, could have a spondylolisthesis (which also can't be felt during examination), and you would like to have your chiropractor be able to determine as specifically as possible which direction to take your spine. That's just about everyone! (NOTE: We will not take x-rays of pregnant patients and rarely x-ray children.)
X-Rays = Answers. And Answers Lead to Results
Ready to finally understand what's going on with your spine? Schedule your personalized consultation and x-ray review today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chiropractic X-Rays
We do not charge for your initial x-rays, regardless of how many we take. We will only take x-rays we believe to be absolutely necessary. X-rays are digital and can be emailed to you for your future use.
It's preferable that we take our x-rays, so we can use our software to take all necessary measurements to guide your care. If you bring us your x-rays (not just a report), we may be able to accomplish that without additional x-rays on our part. We will take x-rays of any areas of the spine that may be missing, but will otherwise try to avoid additional x-rays.
Unless you're pregnant or a child, chances are you will need x-rays in our office to start care. We will not guess with your health, so it really has to be an overwhelming reason why you need us to deviate from a proven system that gets results.
There's no charge for your initial x-rays, so there's nothing for us to bill to your insurance company. Your insurance company will likely cover the costs of your initial exam, however. Follow up x-rays or leg length x-rays are $50 and are typically not covered by insurance.