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When a patient enters a chiropractor's office, it is the doctor's
responsibility to properly find out the nature of the patient's
problem before treatment. This is called diagnosis. There are numerous
tests available to help the doctor determine the cause of the physical
problem and to then make a determination as to the best method of
treatment for the patient. |
When you receive a physical examination, all of the major organ systems or
the organ system that is causing a problem can be examined. Just as in the
neurological exam, a well performed and interpreted physical examination
can save the patient hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.
A neurological examination is the most important starting point in
conditions that involve the nervous system. It can pin-point where the
problem is before the physician orders additional tests. A well performed
and interpreted neurological examination can save the patient hundreds and
sometimes thousands of dollars.
A laboratory test is a medical procedure that involves testing a sample of
blood, urine, or other tissues or substances in the body. Such tests have
a variety of uses.
With the enormous amounts of toxic metal in the environment and the
widespread nutrient mineral insufficiencies of the modern western diet,
assessing patients for element imbalances and excesses is an increasingly
important tool in the diagnosis of chronic illness. Hair Tissue Mineral
Analysis of the hair can provide the healthcare provider with important
insight into treatment strategies for conditions ranging from depression
and behavior disorders to cardiovascular and neurological illnesses.
Practitioners have found the assessment extremely useful in cases where no
other etiology (cause) was readily apparent for an illness or disease, as
well as in cases where multiple causes act in synergy (in combination
together).
This test is performed to measure pressures within the cerebrospinal fluid
and to collect cerebral spinal fluid for testing. Cerebral spinal fluid
collection can be a diagnostic test for many neurologic disorders,
particularly infections and brain/spinal cord damage.
A gentleman by the name of William Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895,
which by the way was the same year that D.D. Palmer discovered
Chiropractic. Roentgen was experimenting in his laboratory and by
happenstance placed his hand in front of a plate and he saw his hand and
its movements. Thus the first fluoroscopy was brought into the world. It
was shortly thereafter that the first imaging plates were available on the
market.
This X-ray helps evaluate back injuries and persistent numbness, low back
pain, or weakness. It is used to detect herniated discs, tumors, injuries,
enlarged blood vessels, and other abnormalities, especially compression of
the spinal cord. It is also used to evaluate problems in the spinal cord
before surgery and to detect injuries to the nerve roots branching off the
spinal cord and tumors in the lower part of the brain.
An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique which
uses magnetism, radiowaves, and a computer to produce images of body
structures.
A computerized axial tomography scan is more commonly known by its
abbreviated name, CAT scan or CT scan. It is an x-ray procedure which
combines many x-ray images with the aid of a computer to generate
cross-sectional views and, if needed, three-dimensional images of the
internal organs and structures of the body. A CAT scan is used to define
normal and abnormal structures in the body and/or assist in procedures by
helping to accurately guide the placement of instruments or treatments.
When combined with a myelogram, a CT scan provides for excellent nerve
detail. The myelogram adds some additional risk and expense to the CT scan
but provides substantial information about the nerve roots.
Video Fluoroscopy is a motion x-ray study of the bones and joints
combining traditional fluoroscopy with the use of video technology to
capture views of the neck (cervical spine) in motion. The "motion
pictures" of the spine are superior to, and more revealing than standard,
motionless radiological images. This procedure is used to accurately
diagnose joint dysfunction ("difficult function") and related soft tissue
damage. The entire dynamic study of all movement is permanently recorded
which is immediately available for the physician and patient.
Just as cardiologists use ECG or EKG to accurately evaluate the heart, and
neurologists use EEG to accurately evaluate the brain, Chiropractors,
neurologists, researchers and clinicians use surface EMG to more
accurately evaluate muscles. EMG measures the capacity of muscles to
function.
An EMG is sometimes recommended to assess the electrical activity of a
nerve root. After three weeks of pressure on a nerve root, the muscle the
nerve goes to will begin to spontaneously contract. Compression of a nerve
will also slow electrical conduction along that nerve. EMG’s are also
sometimes useful to distinguish nerve degeneration (neuropathy) from nerve
root compression (radiculopathy).
SSEP’s are sometimes ordered to assess the speed of electrical conduction
across the spinal cord. If the spinal cord is significantly pinched, the
electrical signals will travel slower than usual.
Ultrasound is a safe, painless method for examining the internal organs
that avoids the use of radiation. Instead, high-frequency sound waves are
generated and the echoes that result from their bouncing off the soft
tissue structures can be used to measure size, to detect structural
abnormalities, to determine whether a lump is solid or fluid-filled or to
monitor growth of the fetus during pregnancy.
Intravenous pyelography (IVP), also known as intravenous urography (IVU),
is a procedure to X-ray the urinary system.
A bone scan is sometimes performed to rule out an inflammatory process
(such as a tumor or infection) or an occult fracture (small fracture not
seen on an x-ray).
A dexa scan is used specifically to assess a patient’s risk of fracture by
detecting osteoporosis of the vertebral bodies, which is a thinning of the
bones as we age.
Similar to an SNRB and facet joint block, a discogram is a test to
determine the anatomical source of low back pain for the patient. This
procedure is most frequently used to determine if degenerative disc
disease is the cause of a patient’s pain (discogenic low back pain).
Discograms are also performed to assist in preoperative planning for
candidates for a lumbar spinal fusion.
Mammography is a specific type of imaging that uses a low-dose x-ray
system and high-contrast, high-resolution film for examination of the
breasts. Successful treatment of breast cancer depends on early diagnosis.
Mammography plays a central part in early detection of breast cancers.
Mammography can show changes in the breast up to two years before a
patient or physician can feel them.
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