Our Approach | What is Chiropractic | Treatment Techniques
Injury Diagnosis and your first visit
First, we’ll conduct a comprehensive history of your present injury and past health, reviewing your training if yours is an athletic injury.
Next, Dr. Bochner will do a local exam of the affected area and a comprehensive biomechanical evaluation: testing for postural faults and balance of the spine and extremities. He will watch you perform any activity or motion that is painful or weak to analyze your biomechanics (how you move). For athletes, this is essential. Your running gait will be videotaped, and your everyday and athletic/running shoes evaluated. For triathletes, bike fit and swimming technique also are addressed, if necessary. In other words, your entire body structure is assessed to see how it functions. If necessary, referral for x-ray or MRI studies or to another health care provider for any acute medical emergency or other condition will be done.
Once a diagnosis is reached, treatment will begin, often on the first visit.
Movement Pattern Analysis: See also “Prepare to CompeteTM” Injury Prevention System. Patients with chronic pain and overuse injuries, including many sports injuries, often present what we call “altered movement patterns.” Unfortunately, with our mostly sedentary and increasingly automated, computer-driven lifestyles, some natural movements we used to perform daily are no longer necessary. This leads to both underused and overused muscles, and a gradual loss of range and strength. Muscle timing and recruitment is altered, changing our movement patterns. We no longer bend properly at our lower back or neck, or correctly raise our arm overhead. Fortunately, by testing for these altered patterns, Dr. Bochner can provide treatments, exercises and postural advice to correct them and prevent the injuries they often lead to.
Video Analysis of Your Biomechanics: Dr. Bochner is Certified in Biomechanics through Active Release Techniques. After your history and exam, we will videotape you performing your activity or sport, such as your running gait or golf swing. This will show us how you move and reveal areas of dysfunction near or far from your area of pain. For example, video of runners can show restricted or excessive motion in the key joints and muscles. A second video will confirm that the right area was treated. Rehab exercise and shoe selection is also enhanced by video analysis.
Sports Injuries Diagnosis/Treatment: Dr. Bochner has extensive experience with most sports injuries in athletes of all levels. Whether you are a runner, triathlete, tennis player, golfer, skier/snowboarder, swimmer, cyclist or play recreational softball, basketball or soccer, Dr. Bochner’s treatment plans help you recover from acute or chronic injury, such as sprains, strains, and chronic muscle tightness or weakness. Often these injuries need joint and soft-tissue treatment as well as rehab exercises and advice on returning to activity and preventing re-injury. Areas include the toes, midfoot, heel, ankle, knee, hip, spine, shoulder, neck, arm, elbow, wrist, and hand, and fingers, which can all be treated with the techniques described on this page.
