Techniques at Active Life Chiropractic of Yakima

Care at Active Life Chiropractic Involves Many Tools

Recent injuries and long standing conditions alike, are often associated with a combination of pain, muscle weakness, muscle tightness, and inappropriate firing patterns. This is why the doctors at Active Life Chiropractic will utilize multiple therapeutic techniques when dealing with your condition. Whether you are being seen for a sports injury or low back pain it is highly unlikely that a chiropractic adjustment to a joint will address all components of your condition. Thus we utilize some combination of the techniques below, which will always include therapeutic exercise.

Your First Visit:

Visit time: Approximately 1 hour Arrival: Please arrive 15 minutes early On or before your first visit you will fill out the typical health history form as you would at any other healthcare practitioner’s office. This helps us get to know you better, as well as learn about any conditions you may have and pertinent information regarding the history of your body. Once you arrive at our office you will be greeted by one of our staff who will go over any additional information we would like to collect with you. The doctor will then review the health history information you have provided and ask additional questions for clarification. Next the doctor will do a complete examination of the area of complaint, and to surrounding areas as well, depending on the circumstance. This will assess your current problem and bring to light any orthopedic or neurological issues that may be present. If X-rays or other diagnostic tests are needed, your doctor will refer you to get them. You and your doctor will then discuss your diagnosis, what type of therapies they feel are appropriate, and give you an approximate number of visits needed to complete your treatment plan. The doctor will invite you to ask them questions and will explain anything that you feel is unclear. It is very important to us that you understand your condition and what it will take to resolve it. This helps to give you the power to change it. After reviewing our plan for treatment, if you consent, we will commence with your treatment the same day! If after reviewing your history and physical we don't feel that your condition will respond to chiropractic care, we will refer you to the appropriate specialist. We suggest that you set aside about an hour and fifteen minutes for your initial visit if you are planning on filling out the paperwork in our office.
Follow Up Visits:

Visit time: Approximately 30 minutes Arrival: Please arrive 5 minutes early Follow up visits are your typical short chiropractic visits. We encourage you to arrive about 5 minutes early so that you have ample time to check in and be placed into a room. Additionally, if your care requires access to areas of the body that may be constricted by clothing (hips, knees, shoulders, etc) we encourage you to dress accordingly, or make certain you have time to change once at the office. At Active Life Chiropractic the doctors dedicate 15 minutes of care to each patient. During that time you will be quickly evaluated for progress and the areas needing care will be determined. Once care commences it will usually include both soft tissue manipulation and chiropractic adjustments. Occasionally, there is a need for ice or heat, either before or after the fifteen minute treatment session. This will be disclosed to you prior to your visit per your treatment plan if you will need additional treatment time.
Re-evaluation Visits:

Visit time: Approximately 45 minutes Arrival: Please arrive 10 minutes early Re-evaluation’s are used in order to track the progress of care. While, the doctors at Active Life Chiropractic always perform evaluations of the patient prior to care at each visit, they feel that a more in depth look at the patient’s condition is needed after a few visits to ensure that sufficient progress is being made. Re-evaluations are typically scheduled after 12 visits in dealing with the same problem, or after a patient has been away from care for more than three months. These visits will not be as time consuming as the first visit, but patients should be aware that these will likely take about 45 minutes to complete. In a re-evaluation as with the initial visit you will be evaluated, receive a diagnosis, have an opportunity to ask questions, receive a treatment plan, receive care, and be given exercises you will be expected to perform.
New Area Of Complaint Visits:

Visit time: Approximately 45 minutes Arrival: Please arrive 10 minutes early When a patient presents to our clinic with a new region of the body that is in need of care, we feel it is best that the patient have a full examination for this new area of complaint. This not only allows the doctors to determine the extent of the new injury, but provides the doctor with the information needed to ensure the most appropriate care is being given to the patient. These visits often take 45 minutes to complete, and are very similar to the patients initial visit at the clinic, except you will not likely have to fill out a full medical history form. As with the initial visit you will be evaluated, receive a diagnosis, have an opportunity to ask questions, receive a treatment plan, receive care, and be given exercises you will be expected to perform.