Clinical Philosophy
The majority of my patients have chronic pain and long-standing dysfunction, have seen many other medical professionals without sufficient benefit, and commonly have not received a comprehensive evaluation to determine the etiology or causative and perpetuating factors, which lead to chronicity.
It is therefore necessary for me to perform a three-hour initial evaluation (IE) to fully delineate your pain and/or functional disorders specific to the cervical spine, shoulder girdle, craniofacial, masticatory and temporomandibular complex of which one or more are commonly intertwined.
Information about any previous surgery and the specific type of orofacial pain and/or headaches (tension-type/myofascial, vascular/migraine or neuralgic) which may be a mixture of two or more must also be discerned.
I do not sit behind a computer to type during the IE as I need to concentrate on your history, pain, dysfunction and the objective data that I obtain from the initial two hours that are devoted to you.
I personally perform the IE and every treatment by myself with the help of a scribe, as I do not utilize any assistants nor aides to participate in patient care.
The IE is based on a 6-page template which culminates in an individualized treatment plan to address all causative and perpetuating issues, initial instruction in proper ergonomic, sleep and work positions, preventative guidelines and recommendations to the physicians, dentists and surgeons involved in your care.
Subsequent to the IE, I review the obtained data as well as imaging films or CD’s to determine if it supports my evaluative impression or not. Research has shown that diagnostic impressions and treatment should not be based upon imaging alone.
