Integrating Diagnostics Into a Chiropractic Clinic

Who this is for: Written for chiropractic clinic owners and front-desk leads who want to add standardized concussion testing without changing how they treat.

Why chiropractors notice first

After a car crash, many patients go to a chiropractor first for neck and back pain. During those early visits, chiropractors often hear about headaches that will not go away, trouble focusing, dizziness when turning the head or sleep that has fallen apart. Some of that is cervical. Some may reflect a concussion. A short, consistent screen helps decide which patients should be evaluated further.

Neck pain and a lingering headache can come from the same crash for different reasons. A brief screen helps separate them.

Step one: add a symptom screen to intake

Add a few concussion-symptom questions to new-patient intake and to re-exams. Ask about headache, dizziness, light or noise sensitivity, memory, concentration, mood and sleep, and record when each began. Our when-to-refer checklist gives your team a consistent set of triggers.

Step two: refer when the picture warrants it

When symptoms persist or the screen raises concern, document them and submit a referral with the patient's history. The referral follows your practice's own clinical judgment, within scope rules for your license.

Related in this series: When to Refer for Concussion Testing: A Provider Checklist, What Paperwork Is Needed to Refer a Patient for TBI Testing and How a Mobile Testing Day Works at Your Practice. For the full overview, start with our guide, Provider Guide to TBI Testing.

Step three: host a testing day

On a scheduled day, our technician arrives with portable equipment, sets up in a quiet room and tests the patients you referred. Each visit typically takes 30 to 60 minutes. Your schedule continues as normal in the other rooms.

Testing runs in a separate room, so your adjusting schedule keeps moving.

Step four: use the report in your care

After neurologist interpretation, your copy of the report typically arrives within 48 hours, or typically 7 to 10 days when labs are involved. It describes findings from eye-movement, neurocognitive and brain-activity testing. You decide what happens next: adjusting activity guidance, adding vestibular-focused care if it is within your scope, or referring to a neurologist, vestibular therapist or neuropsychologist.

Training your staff

We walk your team through the screening questions, how to describe testing to patients and how to complete referral paperwork. A simple explanation works best: a non-invasive set of tests of eye movements, thinking skills and brain activity, done here at our office.