CHIROPRACTIC
&
SPORTS MEDICINE CHIROPRACTIC
COMMON QUESTIONS
How is a Sports Chiropractor different?
A certified Sports Chiropractor is a specialized Doctor of Chiropractic who has chosen to go beyond the 4-year Doctor of Chiropractic degree and licensure to earn specific education, training, experience, and certification in the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of sports-related injuries and conditions. To learn more about Dr. Underwood’s certifications and experience, check out his bio.
What is ART?
Active Release Technique (ART) is a highly focused myofascial release technique system that is sought by athletes and patients of all levels and abilities to address acute and chronic injuries and conditions, and movement pattern restrictions or dysfunctions. It is appropriately referred to as the gold standard of myofascial release techniques and practitioners are held to a high standard of training and certification.
What should I wear when I come to my appointment?
Dr. Brett recommends that you wear comfortable athletic or relatively loose clothing that will allow for free movement. Don’t forget to bring your running/training shoes!
How often would you want to see me? Do you put your patients on a maintenance schedule?
Dr. Brett’s goal is to accurately diagnose your injury or condition and identify the underlying movement pattern(s) or biomechanical deficit(s) that may have contributed to it, then provide the treatment and knowledge you need to heal from your condition, improve your movement patterns and biomechanics, and become ‘anti-fragile’. A typical course of Chiropractic Sports Medicine care is 3-6 visits (average 4) depending on the nature of your injury or condition. Dr. Underwood will work with you on how often to come in for those visits, and teach you the rehab, strengthening, stretching and mobility exercises that will promote efficient and optimal healing.
Dr. Underwood also encourages regular focused chiropractic adjustment treatments to help achieve and maintain optimal mobility and stability of the body’s joints. Many of Dr. Brett’s patients choose to return periodically for regular maintenance care when they have experienced the benefits of treatment. Dr. Underwood has made this affordable with high-value focused maintenance chiropractic adjustment treatments.
Does treatment hurt? Is it safe?
Most adjustments and mobilizations don’t hurt. Some treatment modalities can be more intense than others, but Dr. Brett communicates carefully with his patients and adapts the treatment to each individual. He teaches that on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being unbearable, myofascial treatment modalities should not go above 3/5 on the patient’s perceived pain scale. Chiropractic adjustment treatments are generally very safe if performed by a trained professional.
What conditions can be treated by Chiropractic?
Dr. Brett has successfully treated patients with a wide range of athletic/postural injuries and conditions. Some common ones include lower back pain with or without sciatic nerve pain or other radiculopathy; upper back, upper trap or neck pain and tightness; tension, stress, or cervicogenic headaches; shoulder pain including rotator cuff dysfunction; elbow pain including medial or lateral epicondylosis; hip region pain and restrictions; knee injuries; ankle injuries; plantar fasciitis; and muscle strains/ligament sprains, etc.
How long does an average appointment take?
Focused chiropractic initial examination & treatment: up to 30 minutes ($60; non-injury)
Focused chiropractic adjustment treatments: 10 minutes ($45). These are efficient, high-value treatments. They include a brief assessment, brief focused Active Release Technique treatment of the primary regions of restriction, chiropractic adjustment/ joint manipulation, and a brief tutorial on a stretching, mobility, or strength exercise to address specific findings. This is an outstanding value considering that a standard chiropractic adjustment session in a high-volume clinic typically includes up to 5 minutes of doctor/patient time for an adjustment only. If you prefer not to have a specific body region “adjusted”, Dr. Underwood is highly skilled in focal myofascial release treatment and gentle joint mobilization, or Activator impulse adjustment.
Sports Med Chiropractic initial examination: injury assessment & diagnosis, biomechanical/movement assessment, and treatment up to 60 minutes ($120).
Follow-up Sports Med Chiropractic treatments: up to 30 minutes ($80) may include a combination of focused Active Release Technique myofascial release, instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (Graston, FAKTR, Hypervolt percussion) chiropractic joint adjustment or mobilization, stretching/ mobility exercises, and proper biomechanical form in strengthening exercises, depending on your needs.
What will happen during my initial appointment?
During the initial Chiropractic Sports Med appointment, Dr. Brett will review your health history and symptoms, perform an examination, injury or condition assessment and biomechanical assessment, communicate his findings and recommendations with you, discuss your goals, and together you will decide on a course of care. You will receive initial treatment and as appropriate, some initial recommendations for basic stretches/exercises.
During the initial focused chiropractic adjustment appointment, Dr. Underwood will review your health history and symptoms, perform a chiropractic examination to determine if chiropractic adjustment treatment is indicated, and safe for you, assess joint movement and soft tissues tone to determine areas that need to be adjusted, and provide focused chiropractic treatment including brief, focused Active Release Technique to the primary region of restriction, chiropractic spinal adjustment, and review of a stretching/ mobility or strengthening exercise appropriate to your findings.
Why does Dr. Underwood not accept any insurance?
Dr. Underwood has set very reasonable prices for the high quality chiropractic treatment he provides to his patients. He prefers not to have insurance companies direct or restrict his course of care for each patient. He keeps his overhead and practice model lean and efficient so he can focus on providing high quality care to his patients, instead of wasting time in administrative tasks of billing and interacting with third party insurance providers. With his fair and affordable treatment prices, there are no hassles with co-payments, deductible to be met, claims denied, etc. Dr. Brett encourages you to consider the reasonable cost of high-quality chiropractic treatment as an investment in what matters most, your good health!
Similarly, with his Sports Chiropractic/ART services, patients come to Dr. Underwood for the time he takes in his diagnosis and biomechanical/movement assessments, for the time and quality of his advanced conservative soft-tissue and joint treatment skills, and for his expertise in strengthening & conditioning rehab exercises and stretches. Similarly, many local ART and sports chiropractic providers do not accept insurance.
Dr. Underwood has done his best to minimize his overhead to focus on high-quality patient treatment and keep his treatment prices affordable. He encourages patients to investigate comparable services in the area and to consider the value of the high-quality treatment he provides for the price. For those seeking Active Release Technique and the level of chiropractic health-care he offers, welcome to our clinic! (FSA and Health Savings accounts, credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted.)