Frequently asked questions
Young and old and everyone in between! If you are someone who wants their body to function effectively, then you should be assessed. Treatment is only provided to those who are found to have a spinal misalignment.
Do children benefit from NUCCA?
Yes. Children can be adjusted using the NUCCA procedure right from birth. The exam is slightly modified for children because they typically have a misalignment that is less complex. A child’s misalignment usually has been present for a shorter period of time. Thus, they also respond quicker to the spinal correction and usually require fewer adjustments.
How is NUCCA different from other forms of chiropractic?
Chiropractic has many forms of spinal care. For the most part other practitioners are concerned with influencing the spine in segments or areas of fixation to increase mobility. Then, they hope for improvement in structural stability. NUCCA, along with some other chiropractic techniques, approach the spine with the intent to improve structural and postural balance by returning the heavy head on top of the narrow neck. By aligning the head over the neck, balance returns to the body allowing healing to occur.
How do I get out of balance or a misalignment?
- Child birth
- Childhood falls
- Amusement rides
- Blow to the head
- Car crash of any kind
- Sports injuries
- Thrown from a horse
If I have seen no results from other forms of care, can NUCCA still help?
Many times NUCCA doctors see patients that have been everywhere trying to find some relief. Most people get the relief they are looking for after the course of the initial treatment.
Is it painful to have a NUCCA correction?
NO, not at all. We use a minimal amount of pressure, barely felt by the patient, to correct the misalignment. There is not cracking or popping that occurs in our office.
How can such a light pressure do anything?
It is all about leverage. We use the top vertebrae as a lever and the weight of the head to gain a biomechanical advantage to move the head over the top of the neck. The doctor positions his body on a calculated angle and generates adequate force into the neck to correct each patient’s misalignment.
X-rays are essential to the correction of the misalignment. They are taken before the adjustment is given so that the doctor can see how the spine has tilted, shifted or rotated from its normal position. It is from the x-rays, that doctors know what angle is needed to correct the problem. After the adjustment is given, post x-rays are taken to ensure that the doctor made an adequate correction.
Are x-rays taken at every visit?
On the first visit the doctor knows from the post x-rays whether an adequate correction was made, thus future adjustments will be made using the same formula. More x-rays are usually not needed unless a patient experiences a significant accident or a fall.
What changes can I expect after the first correction?
- Tired and/or relaxed feeling
- Alleviation of pain and symptoms
- Light-headed or possible headache
- Runny nose as the sinuses open
- Muscle stiffness over the first few days as body adapts to the correction
- Pain in the area of an old injury
- Achy feeling all over
- Tingling or heat sensation as blood and oxygen circulation continues to normalize
- Body elimination changes as body adapts to changes
There are three main stressors that contribute to losing your alignment: thoughts, trauma, and toxins. After your first visit at our office, we will give you a packet which has recommendations regarding daily activities to help maintain the correction.
How will you help low back pain if you adjust up by my ear?
When accidents and injuries happen they cause the connective tissue of the spine to weaken, allowing the spine break down and lock into a stressed position causing body imbalance. This imbalance causes the messages from the brain to be distorted to other parts of the body. As a result, there is muscle contracture on one side of the body causing a short leg, a high and low hip, and a twisting of the body framework which causes low back and sciatic pain. You correct the entire spine by using the top vertebrae as a contact point, restoring body balance. The muscles are then able to relax and pressure is taken off the low back.
How long before I notice a change?
Every person is different, but most people recognize a change in their bodies following the first correction. Over a period of 5 to 21 days people will notice more relief in their acute symptoms. Over the first three months patients bodies will go through a structural and neurological change. It is a process that takes our bodies from a state of poor health to a state of good health.
Will insurance or Medicare cover your services?
Some insurance policies have limited chiropractic coverage, so it is a good idea to check your particular policy. Our office will be willing to help you understand how to best use your health care coverage so that you can get the reimbursement you are entitled to. You will be shown how this works on your first visit.
My insurance does not cover chiropractic?
It is sad that some insurance does not see the benefits of chiropractic and the role it plays in health. Our health is of great worth to us, so we need not take it lightly. We can’t let big companies make important health decisions for us.
How long does it take to heal?
Time is needed to allow the body time to heal. Once the spine is stabilized the body can start to heal. This does not happen overnight; it takes time. A good rule of thumb is that it takes a month for every year we have been misaligned for the body to completely heal.
The NUCCA doctor will only adjust when objective findings indicate body imbalance and that a correction is needed. The body is a complex organism that does interesting things as it heals. How we feel is not the best indicator of body balance or health. We will only adjust when objective findings indicate a need. Pain and discomfort is never an adequate justification for a correction.
Will I know when I lose my alignment?
From the beginning of your care, the NUCCA doctor will begin to teach you how you can tell whether you are maintaining your correction. Some people will find it more difficult to tell when they have body imbalance, so the doctor will look for other ways to help them.
Don’t worry, you are not the first and won’t be the last! Unfortunately, there are people that have had bad experiences with every form of health care and expectations were not met. I invite you to read up on the material presented here and at www.nucca.org and call to make an appointment for a free consultation with the doctor and then make your own decision whether this is for you. The reason I became a doctor was to take care of people and hope they want to be taken care of.
If you have any more question feel free to call (208)522-3130 or email spinalbalance1@gmail.com.
Working hours
Monday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 12:00 pm 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
We are here
2145 W Broadway St, Idaho Falls, ID 83402
Phone: (208) 522-3130
Email: spinalbalance1@gmail.com