Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any other questions that are unanswered, please use the contact page and we will respond to you as soon as possible.

The Basics

A chiropractor is a doctor trained in the diagnosis and treatment of muscle, joint, and nerve conditions without the use of drugs and surgery. Although most consider chiropractors to be the “back doctors”, chiropractors are highly trained to treat the entire musculoskeletal system. Check out the list of most commonly treated conditions.

A chiropractor receives 4 academic years of graduate school and training. Prior to attending an accredited chiropractic college, a Bachelor Degree (usually a 4 year undergraduate degree) is required.

No. Identically to medical doctors, chiropractors must pass four board examination, developed and standardized by a national council. Additionally, a physiological therapeutics examination may be taken to provide additional forms of treatment, such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound, etc. Pennsylvania State Board of Chiropractic also requires each chiropractor to meet specific criteria and complete a review page on the state’s laws and regulations. After passing all examinations and meeting criteria, the chiropractor becomes licensed and may treat patients.

Because chiropractors are most versed in the musculoskeletal portion of the body, they are better able to treat conditions involving muscles, joints, or nerve aches and pains. If necessary, the chiropractor will refer for further testing and/or to your medical doctor if the condition cannot be treated by chiropractic care.

Chiropractors are portal of entry providers, so a referral is not necessary, in most circumstances. Although need for referrals is few and far between, we will happily check your insurance requires this. You can also call your insurance and ask the representative.

Just like medical doctors, chiropractors perform a thorough examination to determine where the pain or dysfunction is originating. With exception of red flag symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, profuse sweating, nausea, loss of consciousness, allergic reactions, symptoms of stroke, in which the patient should report to the emergency department, you may see the chiropractor for a thorough examination.

Yes! There are no existing studies or scenarios to suggest that chiropractic is dangerous, but there is existing evidence to support chiropractic as one of the safest healthcare forms. Although most patients experience immediate relief following the visit, some may experience mild soreness or achiness similar to that experienced after a workout.

Dr. Aucker has been trained in a broad variety techniques; however, he will develop an individualized treatment plan to best suit your needs. Although Pennsylvania Board of Chiropractic requires 24 hours of continuing education biannually, Dr. Aucker attends seminars more often to incorporate innovative techniques in an attempt to expedite and improve your care. Most of our patients are generated by word-of-mouth, which means most of our patients highly recommend us!

What To Expect

On the first visit, a thorough examination will take place to assess your current complaint and determine the origin of the complaint. Most commonly, treatment will occur on the first visit to provide some relief of pain and take you one step closer to feeling back to normal. During the follow-up visits, a quick history and assessment will take place prior to the treatment.

An initial visit will contain an examination plus treatment and lasts half and hour to an hour. Return visits can range from 15-30 minutes depending on the type and amount of techniques needed during that visit.

Along with chiropractic adjustments, we utilize various physiotherapies, manual muscle therapies, and rehabilitation techniques. It is common to receive both chiropractic adjustments and one or more of the other techniques in the same visit. Check out our services page to learn about each of these!

Although high velocity low amplitude (HVLA) manipulation (aka chiropractic adjustment) is most commonly used by chiropractors, mobilization (gentle movements of the joint) have been shown to be just as effective. Additionally, for some conditions treated by the chiropractor, adjustments are not appropriate. A custom treatment plan will be developed based on: the examination, current evidence based guidelines, anecdotal evidence, and the patient preferences.

Although most patients feel some pain relief within the first few visits, the average visit expectancy to restore function and relive pain is about 8-12 visits. Because of many variables, some patients need more visits and some patients need less visits.

Initially, visit frequency will be about two to three visits per week. As your body starts to respond to the care, the visit frequency will be tapered back to once a week or even once a month until you have been released from care. The most common example is twice a week for three weeks (6 visits) tapered down to once a week for two weeks (2 visits), then once every other week for one week (1 visit), then re-evaluation in a month (1 visit; total of 10 visits).

Therapeutic care is treatment of a specific injury and is covered by most insurances. Maintenance care is when the patient has no specific complaint and just wants musculoskeletal work done (“I just need to be adjusted”). Maintenance care is pre-scheduled (usually once per month or once every other month) and insurances will NOT cover maintenance care.