1. What criteria do you use to determine if I am a candidate? It is important to ask this question because there are very specific criteria to determine how effective the treatment will be. If the doctor does not have an established system for the inclusion or exclusion of patients for treatment then you may want to re-think doing the procedure at that office. There must be a comprehensive health history, examination, and a review of all diagnostic tests to determine if you are a candidate. The doctor and patient should take this procedure as serious as he/she would surgery.
2. How do you determine the treatment protocol for my specific case? There has been a published protocol in scientific journals for some time now. Using this protocol as a foundation, the experienced doctor will create an individualized treatment approach for you. This protocol is based on the DRX-9000 research. Many Doctors are using a completely different machine but using the DRX-9000 protocol. This is something you should question!
3. What type of spinal decompression machine do you use? As of now, there is only one spinal decompression machine available that has gone through the rigor of scientific testing. That machine is the DRX-9000. There are other machines available but be cautious, as these machines and there doctors have no evidence to support their claims of true non-surgical spinal decompression.v
4. When should I expect to see some results and what are my treatment goals? This is a very important question. Based on your condition the doctor should give you a timeline of when to expect a reduction in symptoms and a functional improvement. If the goals are not met the doctor should inform you that a treatment modification needs to be done to improve the outcome. Sometimes this may be to discontinue the treatment all together. As always everyone is different and will respond to treatment differently but if you are a candidate there should be an expectation of results within a short period of time.
5. What can I expect after my treatment is over? This question is important because you should want to know what type of follow-up care will be performed. Does the doctor cut you loose immediately or does he/she provide you with a follow-up schedule to evaluate your progress? The doctor should want to monitor the outcome.
When asking these questions don’t be afraid to ask the doctor to support his/her answers by providing you research or references that you can look up. The job of the doctor is to educate you about your treatment options so you can make the right choice for yourself.
For more information, please call 661-288-2224 and visit www.ChiropracticValencia.com.