Why Your Chiropractor Is Requesting Medical Imaging
By Chris Brown
LANDRY - FEB WEEK 2
When you walk into a chiropractic clinic, such as The Joint Chiropractic, following an injury or suffering with severe pain, the doctor may request imaging, like an MRI or X-ray. Although it may feel like an unnecessary hassle of time, energy, and money (especially during periods of physical discomfort), chiropractors request imaging for patients' best interests and safety. Medical imaging not only ensures that a spine is healed enough to safely adjust, it also can dramatically aid a chiropractor's ability to accurately locate dysfunctions. While most doctors agree that the added exposure of the body to radiation, and its financial costs, outweigh the positives that regular imaging provides in most cases, it can be crucial when treating severe dysfunctions or injuries.
Medical imaging benefits chiropractors because it allows them to definitively:
- Determine the severity of an injury or dysfunction
- Identify issues outside of chiropractic's scope that need to be treated prior to spinal manipulation
- Allow a chiropractor to accurately hone-in on the specific points of spinal dysfunction
- Create a starting point of reference to show future progress
- Clearly display vertebral alignment
- Diagnose spinal diseases which may be exacerbating spinal dysfunctions such as degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis
These benefits, in addition to your own peace of mind, may tempt you to pre-emptively obtain X-rays or an MRI to bring with you to your chiropractic visit. However, imaging is typically not required and it's often best to let the doctor first determine the need. On the other hand, in cases in which you already have received imaging from the emergency room or doctor's office, it cannot hurt to bring copies of those images in the event the chiropractor would like to view them prior to adjustment. Ultimately, imaging is yet another tool that doctors use to ensure that they are deploying the best treatment options available for a patient's individual spinal health.
The doctors at The Joint Chiropractic are trained to evaluate patients to determine if further imaging may be required prior to treatment. Since no appointments are accepted, you can stop by one of our clinics at your convenience to confirm if external imaging is needed in your case. The Joint offers affordable, insurance-free rates designed to make chiropractic relief accessible and convenient. So come by one of The Joint's 600-plus locations nationwide to start your journey to recovery today.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Memphis, Tenn.