Registration /Health History
Prior to arriving at the FUNCTIONAL SPINE CENTER, you will be required to complete our registration forms, including a past and present medical history questionnaire, as well as a diagram to draw out exactly where your problem is located. To make the intake process faster, bring a list of any current medications you are taking, as well as, a list of past and recent hospitalizations and procedures.

Consultation
Next, the doctor will meet with you to discuss your problem in more detail and address any other concerns you might have. Once you have consulted with the doctor, upon your consent, the physical examination will begin.

Physical Examination
The examination will focus on your area of chief complaint. The exam will consist of a neurological and orthopedic examination, as well as, an assessment of posture, muscle function, flexibility, and spinal ranges of motion. From your history and comprehensive physical exam, it will be determined whether your chief complaint is a soft tissue (muscle), bone (joint) injury, neural (nerve) problem. The need for x-rays, MRI, or further imaging will be assessed as well.

Report of Findings - Treatment Plan
We will make every attempt to ensure you are fully aware of what the treatment will include. Typical components include spinal manipulation/adjustments, stretching, exercises (in-office and out-of-office), therapeutic modalities (electrical muscle stimulation, TENS, ultrasound), and soft tissue relaxation techniques.

Acute Pain       
For patients in acute pain, conservative care for symptom control can consist of gentle manipulation/mobilization for joint dysfunction, muscle stretching, Graston Technique Instrument-assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (GT ISTM) for soft tissue dysfunction and/or trigger points, electrical muscle stimulation, patient education, reassurance, activity modification, gentle range of motion exercises and cryotherapy (ice) if necessary.

Treatment
Our primary goal is to move you from passive to active care as soon as possible. The success of your treatment is largely dependent on patient compliance. Once you are out of acute pain, we will administer a functional performance assessment. The doctor will observe your gait (walking), check your posture, and then evaluate muscle flexibility, strength, endurance, stability, balance, and coordination. The functional performance assessment will be used at various times throughout your treatment. This evaluation helps us identify the weak link in the kinetic chain and also serves as an measure of progression. Initially, the assessment is used to establish a baseline for future progress in your treatment program.

Home Care
Last, but extremely important, home instructions. The FUNCTIONAL SPINE CENTER will provide you with personalized home exercises and self care instructions to be done between appointments. It is crucial that these instructions are followed very carefully. There are 168 hours in each week. If you spend 1 hour at FSC during the week, you are on your own for the remaining 167 hours. Patients of FSC are strongly encouraged to take control of their condition, become active, and learn to use the tactics we provide to manage their condition(s) and/or pain.