Hawthorne Chiropractic and Healing Arts

1. Where can I find parking?
2. Do you take insurance?
3. Can I see you for Motor Vehicle Accidents or Worker’s Compensation injuries?
4. Do you require X-Rays prior to treatment?
5. Do I tip my massage therapist?
6. Can pregnant women receive chiropractic care?
7. How often should I come in for treatment?
8. Once I begin, will I need to keep getting treatments for the rest of my life like some people say?
9. How do I know if chiropractic therapy will help me?
10. Can you treat areas other than the spine?
11. When is massage therapy recommended?
12. Why are supplements recommended?
13. What kind of education and training does one undergo to become a Doctor of Chiropractic?

1. Where can I find parking?

The best places to park are on the residential streets adjacent to our building. SE 13th and 14th avenue between Division and Clinton Street provide plenty of parking space. Additionally, Elliot Street in Ladd’s addition (across Division from our building) provides another good parking spot. We do not have our own parking lot, but the residential parking is all free.

2. Do you take insurance?

Yes, we take all major insurances. To see a complete list including which doctors and massage therapists are on which insurance panel, please see our Insurance Panel page. We will help you understand your insurance benefit, and will bill your insurance in a timely manner. When you call to make your first appointment, please have your insurance card handy so we can look up your insurance information for a complete picture before your first visit.

3. Can I see you for Motor Vehicle Accidents or Worker’s Compensation injuries?

Absolutely! We are not only trained in but also have many years of experience with treating these post-injury cases. In the state of Oregon we (Chiropractors) are primary health care providers and as such can direct the diagnosis, referrals (xrays/mri’s/etc), and care of these cases, including prescribing soft tissue manipulation or massage. We refer patients out expeditiously if the need should arise, and we have a high level of confidence in the practitioners who comprise our large base of referral connections that we’ve vetted over years of practice.

Additionally, it is very important that the patient understands the body’s response to and stages of healing after injury; patients should be regularly examined in order to assess readiness to return to work and normal life activities. One of the most common types of injury we see involves the patient that never had proper treatment after injury, and who now 15 years later has “a nagging spot in their neck”-”ever since that car accident a long time ago.” It is also important that patients understand their rights after injury. We keep up on this topic and are a helpful resource for our patients.

4. Do you require X-Rays prior to treatment?

The need for X-rays are entirely dependent on what we find during the discussion of history and diagnostic exams. We rarely need them without a history of trauma and we’ve never refused treatment because a patient won’t get the X-rays we request. Our office is not equipped for radiology, but we refer to EPIC and all of the the local hospitals as needed for this service.

5. Do I tip my massage therapist?

Tips are always appreciated, but we do not expect them as a matter of course. The treatment is considered a medical procedure, and as such we compensate our massage therapists and chiropractic assistants in a commensurate manner. However, if you would like to express your appreciation for a particularly excellent treatment, then we do accept cash-only tips.

6. Can pregnant women receive chiropractic care?

Pregnant women receive a lot of relief from chiropractic care and we routinely treat women through this transition of her life.

7. How often should I come in for treatment?

Frequency of treatment is generally dependent upon your diagnosis. We tend to see people a bit more in the acute phase of their injury, and later (w/in 2-4 week) we encourage the patient to spend more time at home with rehabilitative stretches and exercises specific to their injury. As they phase out of the acute stage and can manage the repetition and micro-traumas of life on their own, we ask them to let us check on them at least monthly or seasonally if necessary.

8. Once I begin, will I need to keep getting treatments for the rest of my life like some people say?

Commonly our patients do tend to see a higher level of wellness after having consistent care so they do tend to return regularly. But the specific regularity is up to them. Often once you enjoy the increased joint mobility, decreased muscle tension and overall enhanced postural strength & awareness, you tend to want to return routinely. I think about half of our patients don’t wait until they are really broken down or in pain before they come in. Often they become more attuned to their bodies and want to have us evaluate them preventively.

9. How do I know if chiropractic therapy will help me?

Chiropractic care looks so different depending on what the diagnosis’s and who delivers the care. We will be honest with you and together decide if and what type of care seems best for your diagnosis. A lot of our patients do not like to “get cracked” I don’t blame them. It’s not for everybody. The benefits of that type of treatment must be indicated and clearly outweigh other options (injections/drugs,surgery, etc). This is very specific to each diagnosis. We refer out to Physical Therapists or Athletic trainers, Acupuncturists or Naturopaths routinely because it is a better match for what that particular patient needs.

10. Can you treat areas other than the spine?

Absolutely! Thank goodness too, because we love to treat other joints and often times the real problem actually stems from a different part of the body. The lower extremity treatments alone comprise about 35% of our practice. Achilles tendonosis and Morton’s Neuroma are seen weekly and sometimes daily in our practice. The shoulder and wrist treatments comprise about 20% of our practice. We treat everything from tailbone to cranium and toe to finger.

11. When is massage therapy recommended?

Massage therapy is recommended often times when a problem is chronic and/or a patient has muscle tissue that is in spasm or has become fibrotic (non-elastic and scarred from overuse). Often times massage is needed in order to relax an area and increase blood supply for more rapid healing.

12. Why are supplements recommended?

Supplements are recommended for varying reasons. Most commonly they are taken for inflammation control in lieu of advil or for wellness. More specifically we can also identify and treat mineral and vitamin deficiencies and help with specific imbalances in the body’s chemistry.

13. What kind of education and training does one undergo to become a Doctor of Chiropractic?

To attend Chiropractic College, you must first complete prerequisites, typically in the form of an undergraduate degree (Bachelors of Science). Once you are admitted, you study full time with a demanding course load (about 32 credit hours per term) for 4 years (or 12 quarters at Western States Chiropractic College). At this point you can complete the national board exam and the even more difficult state board exam.

Chiropractic programs require at least 4,200 hours of combined classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. The last 2 years stress courses in manipulation and spinal adjustment and provide clinical experience in physical and laboratory diagnosis, orthopedics, neurology, geriatrics, and nutrition.

To qualify for licensure, graduates must pass at least 4 (NBCE parts I – IV) and in some jurisdictions 5 (NBCE Physiotherapy) examinations from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and complete State specific requirements. All licensing boards in the US require the completion of a 4-year program at an accredited college leading to the DC degree. Once licensed, most states require chiropractors to attend 12–50 hours of continuing education annually. Chiropractic colleges also offer postdoctoral training in chiropractic neurology, orthopedics, sports injuries, nutrition, industrial consulting, rehabilitation, radiology, family practice, pediatrics, and applied chiropractic sciences. After such training, chiropractors may take exams leading to “diplomate” status in a given specialty including orthopedics, neurology and radiology.