You may have noticed that Dr. Paul and Dr. Laelle don’t use X-ray in our exam to determine anything about your care. That is our general practice. There are many reasons for this, and if we determine that an X-ray is warranted, such as in cases of extreme trauma, we will refer out for them.

X-ray shows where the bones are. It does not tell us anything about how the nerve system is functioning, which is a more important measure of someone’s improvement. We have both seen x-rays that showed a spine that looked like it was perfectly straight and not misaligned. And yet that person had terrible pain showing that they were not functioning at their optimum.

We’ve also seen X-rays of people that looked as though they should be in bed and shouldn’t be able to move, and yet they were functioning at a high level. So, for outcomes we are looking for, X-ray doesn’t tell us much.

Instead, we do a series of scans to assess the function of the nerve system. Your nerves control every facet of your physiology, through many different systems. Even your immune system and your blood have a nerve system connection that is required to make sure you are healthy. One of the reasons why you may have heard about a miraculous success story with Chiropractic care is that we are all about the nerves. Those nerves can help the body do everything better. Surprising benefits that people often report are that they are sleeping better, have better moods, feel less sad, feel more optimistic, digest food more easily, or have an easier time going to the bathroom. This has little to do with where the bones are, and everything to do with how the nerves to those organs are functioning. That’s why we use the scans as our measure of progress, along with how you feel, and the rest of our exam.

Rest assured that if we feel an X-ray is warranted, we will refer you to the appropriate facility.