What Exactly is a Neuro-Spinal Assessment?

Simply treating the pain can be a band-aid approach. If you’re tired of treating the same symptoms over and over again, it might be time to come see us to figure out what’s really going on.

Have you ever wished your body could explain to your doctor exactly what you need? Neuro-spinal assessment gets us one step closer to seeing what is happening in the body and allows us to effectively treat patients of all ages.

Chiropractic care is about far more than cracking necks and backs. Our overarching goal is to restore function in our patient’s bodies and nervous systems, allowing them to live their lives comfortably and happily. To do this, we need to take a deeper look at what’s going on in the nervous system to understand the impacts it’s having on the whole body. A neuro-spinal assessment is exactly how we do that.

What is a Neuro-Spinal Assessment?

A neuro-spinal assessment is a non-invasive, painless procedure we do right away on your first visit. We want to gain an understanding of how your nervous system is functioning and which areas need to be addressed. Essentially, the neuro-spinal assessment helps us put together an effective treatment plan for you, so we can make sure we’re doing exactly what your body needs.

How does a Neuro-Spinal Assessment Work?

During the procedure, we simply glide a scanner along your spine; it only takes a few moments. The scanner measures spinal muscle tone, heart rate variability (calculated by your heart rate, temperature, and anxiety), and your temperature to detect patterns of unbalanced temperature regulations. All of the data from the scanner is imported into our system and tells us important things about how your body and nervous system are functioning.

You’ll receive individual scores in heart rate variability, muscle tone and balance, and organ and gland control (thermal). Those scores will be factored into an overall score that will rank your function from excellent to very challenged. This gives us a visible and measurable picture of your health as it is today and helps us set attainable goals for your treatment.

HRV

The pulse wave profiler (known as the neuroPULSE) measures the balance and activity in the autonomic nervous system. It calculates the interbeat intervals of a resting heart and tells us your heart rate variability, aka the HRV. Your HRV can give us insight about how well you adapt to daily stressors. As unresolved stressful events reoccur, your autonomic nervous system can become stressed and has trouble handling ongoing or new stress.

EMG

The neuroCORE EMG measures the energy expended to keep your body upright. By looking at the EMG pattern graph, we can see where energy is being wasted. When the spinal system is pulled out of balance, it makes it more difficult to function well. Being able to visualize where the energy is wasted gives us a roadmap for where to focus our efforts.

THERMAL

The thermographic scanner tells us about any patterns of unbalanced termperature regulation. This can tell us about how your body is handling the stress of subluxations and how much it could be impacting your health. Unmanaged stress on your nervous system could literally be making you sick, and this helps us to measure that.

Why is a Neuro-Spinal Assessment Important?

Sometimes it can be tricky to identify the root cause of our pain or discomfort. While we may be able to clearly state where we’re feeling pain or discomfort, the cause of the problem may not be that exact location. Additionally, issues are often present before you begin to notice any symptoms at all. Pain is usually the last symptom to set in, but even painless nerve tension can reduce function.

Our scanning technology allows us to see where there’s an increased demand on your body, giving us key indications of where to focus our work. When we have a roadmap of your body’s function, it’s easier for us to work together with you to make sure your sessions are giving you exactly what you need; not just another band-aid approach to reducing pain that will keep you coming back without resolving the real problem. We believe in giving your body exactly what it needs, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach or working by trial and error. Your chiropractic care is specially tailored to you and your health goals.

Are you curious about your neurological and spinal functions? We would love to set up a time for an assessment! (Currently only available in our West Point location)

Give us a call at 402-372-0166 or schedule an appointment here.

Visit us at www.cultivatechiroandwellness.com to learn more.

Blessings in Health!

Cultivate Team