Frequently Asked Questions in Rochester Hills MI

Yes, chiropractors are board certified practitioners with the title of Doctor. They go through undergraduate and graduate studies, along with a series of National Boards to receive licensure. The schooling typically consists of four years of undergraduate education, followed by a minimum of 3-4 years of chiropractic college. Doctors of Chiropractic go through student interning while in school, and have the option of doing a clinic abroad while in school as well. Upon graduation, the Doctor of Chiropractic is ready to see patients.

Yes, there are different philosophies when it comes to chiropractic care. Some chiropractors, like The Joint, will have a “stop in as the patient deems necessary” approach to care recommendations. Some chiropractors are what are called “patch care” chiropractors, meaning they will see the patient until they are out of pain, and then release them from care at that time.

Some offices (like Buller Chiropractic) are called “corrective care and wellness” offices, where they work to correct and reduce the number of stress points (problem areas or subluxations) in the spine ultimately leading to the pain and “dis-ease” someone experiences. Once these subluxations are reduced or corrected, wellness or maintenance care is a recommendation given to patients to help continue toward their health goals.

Chiropractors treat something called a subluxation. A subluxation is a joint in the spine that has gotten locked up, stuck, and restricted, ultimately causing irritation on the nerve that exits that joint and causing dysfunction to whatever that nerve supplies information to. That nerve might be a pain nerve, or it might be a nerve to a specific organ system of the body like the heart or the lungs.

While chiropractors never say that they can treat things like sleep issues, high blood pressure, digestive issues, or female issues, we see an indirect positive effect when these subluxations are reduced and the body and nervous system are able to work better.

When it comes to chiropractic care, each patient is treated differently based on his or her health challenges, length of time the problem has been there, and the severity of his or her case. So when it comes to care and cost, it varies widely. Insurance also plays a role in the cost of care.

For a cash patient at our office, the average cost per visit can range from $65-$95 depending on the services rendered. We also offer discounts based on how the patient decides to pay for care that can provide significant savings to the individual.

When it comes to insurance, each policy is different. We look at each policy to determine the covered and noncovered services that will be recommended based on the patient’s initial consultation and examination. Many policies have something called a deductible that must be met before the insurance company pays anything. While we do our best to understand each policy, there are times where discrepancies can exist in the information provided by the insurance company.

While we try to work with most insurance companies, there are times when we choose not to participate with an insurance company. The reasons for this can include: not paying in a timely manner or rejecting services without proper reasoning, trying to dictate a patient’s care recommendations and the ability to use their benefits, and reducing the reimbursement amount below the cost required to see a patient in the office.

Many practitioners, including non-chiropractors like dentists and orthopedists, have experienced the increasing difficulty of working with insurance companies and are now what are called out of network providers. This means that a practitioner can supply you with a Superbill of services rendered during your care that you can directly submit to your insurance company to seek reimbursement. It also can provide some savings for the patient because we can offer discounts for care that we could not if we were participating in the network.
Insurances we currently are non-participating with are all Medicaid programs and Cofinity.

This is another great question that we often receive. Some patients come in expecting to get one “quick fix” adjustment, but this is not the case for 99% of our patient population. The answer truly depends on a few key details in the patient’s history and examination. First off, how long has the health challenge or symptom been occurring for? While many patients come into the office when a new episode of pain occurs, what we often find out is that this problem has been occurring on and off for years. Also, has the patient had any injuries in the past like a car accident or a sports injury, even if they were years ago? What does the patient do for work? Lastly, what is the age of the individual? An elderly patient heals much slower than a professional athlete, for example. All this helps in determining the patient’s healing time.

The examination and X-rays tell the other part of the story. We take specific X-rays of the problem area (including something called a motion study) to determine three things. First, how many subluxations does the patient have? Second, is there a loss of the normal curvature in the spine? Third, are there signs of degeneration present?

Once the doctors have this information and have time to analyze everything, a specific care plan is put together for you to help correct these problems in the spine. Typically care frequency to start with is three times a week as this is what the research shows provides the best benefit to the patient to correct their problems. For some individuals this may last a few weeks, for others it could be a few months. Each person is a unique individual, and each person heals differently. The best way to understand this approach is that health is not a one-time event, it is a journey.

The short answer, absolutely! We work with many pregnant patients throughout their pregnancy as there are many benefits to care during this time. For those who come in as new patients with these symptoms, many can get these resolved without having to resort to any type of pain medication. There are no X-rays taken while someone is pregnant. Instead, our office uses a computerized stress analysis along with the examination that helps in creating a care plan unique to the expecting mother. The research has shown that chiropractic care helps to reduce the possibility of lower back pain or sciatica from developing during pregnancy. This in turn also helps the pregnant patient be active throughout their pregnancy and avoid the risk of needing bedrest. As the expecting mother gets closer to her delivery date, there are specific techniques our doctors are trained in to help make sure the baby and mother are ready for the big day.

We work with all ages of children when it comes to chiropractic care. Our youngest patient has been just a few hours old when receiving the first adjustment. The adjustments for a child are very different than an adult adjustment. Typically there is no sound produced by the adjustment, and the amount of pressure required for an adjustment is very light. The doctors may even utilize something called an Activator (handheld adjusting instrument) to adjust a little one. Our doctors are trained to evaluate all ages of children and infants and provide specific pediatric adjustments. Some symptoms we have seen reduce or resolve in children include: colic, ear infections, digestive issues like acid reflux, vomiting, or constipation, latching difficulties during breastfeeding, and trouble sleeping. The doctors have also had cases of ADHD and other learning disabilities become less severe after chiropractic adjustments. While some insurances do cover pediatric chiropractic adjustments, others do not. If this is the case, our office offers cash care plans for the child’s care.