Before Coming In

On your first visit with Dr. Hunter, a detailed consultation is conducted to understand your unique history and to determine if you are a candidate for the type of chiropractic care in the office.  Then a postural assessment will be performed using a digital Gravity Stress Analyzer (GSA) to evaluate your standing posture in three dimensions.  This will provide insight into the mechanical, emotional and chemical stressors your body is holding onto and stuck in non-adaptive patterns.  A Surface Electromyography scan (S.EMG) will be performed of your neck and back to assess the musculature that is affecting (and being affected by) your current spinal alignment pattern.  Other spinal range of motion tests, relevant orthopaedic and neurological tests will be conducted to provide Dr. Hunter with a clear picture of whether she can help you.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the visit that will allow her to determine if you would benefit from care.  If your exam outcomes do not fall within the criteria of the NUCCA standards for care, Dr. Hunter will not recommend NUCCA therapy and you will not move to the next step.  You will be provided with home care advice and/or referred to a more appropriate therapy or expert as she may determine necessary.

If it has been determined that a postural breakdown (spinal misalignment) is present, very specific NUCCA three dimensional digital X–ray films are taken of your head and neck. The analysis of these films calculate a precise, customized correction vector (or adjustment) that will impact the whole spine, returning your body back into a balanced state under gravity.

Finally… the NUCCA adjustment.  The correction itself is performed to the upper neck and typically feels completely under-whelming and painless.  The amount of pressure applied is just enough to slightly dimple the skin in a slow and controlled way, no more than you would press into a ripe tomato.  You will not feel any movement of the neck, nor will you hear any loud pops during a NUCCA upper cervical adjustment.  This is because the amount of force applied is a gradual (not sudden) application of energy, intended to match and release the resistance of the joints. The entire adjusting process is typically 3-4 minutes, but can at times take up to 10 minutes.

Once the initial adjustment is made, 2 follow up X-ray films are taken to determine if the correction is complete. The post X–ray analysis is used to determine if the atlas was properly returned to its neutral position directly underneath the centre of the skull. Also, measurement of the neck and head is calculated to determine if the structures are balanced appropriately to gravity.

A recommended care plan will be given to you during your first followup.  Follow-up visits will generally take 5- 10 minutes on average in which time your alignment and function will be assessed and subsequent adjustments conducted as required. We recommend that you rest briefly to allow the adjustment to settle before returning to the outside stressors of life.

After approximately the tenth visit (or 8th week), a re-assessment will be performed with a follow-up surface EMG, and re-evaluation of what the next course of care will require. It is realistic to expect a year of care to see the most sustainable change however the largest investment of time will be during the initial phase of care. As your body becomes more stable it will begin to “remember” where your alignment should be (versus where it has been for what could be years), you will be able to hold alignment for longer periods of time between adjustments.