Your First Visit to Our La Crescent Practice

Five Easy Steps

1. Usuallly on your first visit to the office, you will meet with Dr. Wood immediately following completion of some initial office paperwork.  The information gathered in the paperwork will help Dr. Wood to focus his questions during consultation and will give him insight into your overall health.

2. Dr. Wood will talk with you about your health concerns. He will take a detailed history of your health issues to help determine if yours is a chiropractic case.

(Dr. Wood is a Gonstead Doctor. Gonstead Doctors listen...and always encourage you to ask lots of questions!)

3. Next, you will have a complete exam that will include special tests. These tests help determine where your problem areas might be and how Dr. Wood will address them. The tests include: static palpation, which is simply feeling the bones in your spine for tenderness, swelling and abnormalities; motion palpation, which is simply bending your spine to look for signs of fixation; instrumentation, which involves running a nervoscope down your spine to locate areas of swelling. The nervoscope feels like two fingers gliding down your spine. It detects heat, which is an indication of swelling. These tests, in addition to others, help Dr. Wood determine if yours is a chiropractic case...and if he can help you.

(Ladies, we have thick, long gowns that only open wide enough to examine your spine. The exam is a time to relax and let Dr. Wood do the work.)

4. Then, if necessary, full spine, weight bearing (standing) x-rays will be taken. X-rays are taken for several reasons. These include: 1. to determine the condition of the discs (the cushions between the vertebrae in your spine); 2. to determine the phases of degeneration; 3. to locate ptotential problem areas, misalignments and to rule out other pathologies (disease).

(To see is to know, to not see is to guess. Dr. Wood won't want to guess at your health care. X-rays are an important tool of analysis.)

5. After the x-rays, you may watch an informational video that introduces you to chiropractic and the office. This not only gives Dr. Wood time to analyze the x-rays, but also important information so he can provide you with the best care possible.

Depending on what is found during the exam and x-ray process, Dr. Wood will make a determination whether or not to provide treatment to you on your first visit.  He will also refer you to other healthcare providers if appropriate.  The first appointment usually takes about an hour.

Dr. Christopher Wood and Dr. Erin Miller
205 N Chestnut St, Ste 108, La Crescent, MN | Phone: (507) 895-2225