What to Expect at Your First Visit

Your first visit to Ptak Family Chiropractic will determine your overall health and current condition of your spine. Following an extensive evaluation, the comprehensive findings will establish a specific, personalized plan of care.

Step 1: Consultation

The first step of the process is to determine if and how we can help with your condition. Questions may include:

What is your current level of health?
What symptoms are you experiencing?
When did the symptoms start and how long have they persisted?

A comprehensive health history can account for up to 85 percent of the diagnosis and treatment recommendations. It is important to link all lifestyle factors to the possible cause of your condition.

Step 2: Nerve scan

Inflammation is a common cause of pain and discomfort. It must be located in order to properly identify the underlying cause that is creating the symptoms. The nerve scan uses handheld infrared technology to scan your spine for high-temperature areas that reveal inflammation of soft tissue. The scanner is also used to determine the severity and extent of the inflammation. This scan takes only a few minutes to complete.

Step 3: Examination

Once the problem area has been determined, Dr. Ptak will physically check the position of your spine and observe your range of motion. He will ask a few more questions to narrow down possible causes of physical stress on your spine. For example:

Do you work at a computer or sit for long periods of time?
Is there a position that makes it better? Worse?
How are you currently treating your condition?

The goal of this process is to connect your current health condition with the area of your spine that can cause the symptoms to appear.

Step 4: Posture and X-Ray Evaluations

The two primary methods for evaluating proper position of the spine are posture and x-ray.

Posture—the window to your spine—examines the spine from an external point of view. Dr. Ptak will check your posture from front and back, as well as from each side. This visual assessment gives him an idea of the position of your spine.

Seated X-rays are the most accurate method for measuring the condition of the spine and evaluating possible spinal curvature compared to normal values. Dr. Ptak will assess the information gathered from your consultation, nerve scan, physical examination and x-rays to develop a specific, whole-body plan of care that addresses your pain and health issues.