FAQs

People seek out chiropractic care when they are experiencing pain or discomfort. Chiropractors can help with any type of musculoskeletal issue without the use or surgery or medications.

Earning your Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) requires 4 years of undergraduate studies followed by 3.5 years of post-graduate studies at an accredited Chiropractic School.

Contrary to what some might say, that cracking noise is not a bone moving in or out of place. It is simply a release of pressure in the joint. Similar to the loud “pop” noise that occurs when popping a balloon. It is a quick release of pressure or tension.

Every patient’s condition is very different and we utilize a patient-centered personalized approach. To help with costs, we accept all major insurances including: UPMC, Highmark, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Auto Insurance, Workers Compensation and others. Call our office and ask what your insurance benefits are. A study done in 2015 showed that when patients initiated care with a chiropractor rather than a medical doctor, overall costs were much lower.

YES! The most common side effects include mild muscle soreness for about a day.

The honest answer is it depends on your insurance and what care you need — so just call us. If you have insurance, we’ll check your benefits before your first visit and tell you exactly what you’ll owe. If you’re paying out of pocket, call either our Mt. Lebanon or McMurray office and we’ll walk you through our simple self-pay options.

Most plans do. We’ll verify your benefits before your first visit so you know exactly what your copay or deductible will be. Medicare covers spinal manipulation too, though with its own limits.

Yes — it’s one of the safest options out there for back and neck pain, with far fewer risks than surgery or long-term pain medication. We’re licensed, trained doctors, and every plan starts with a proper exam so we only treat what’s appropriate.

Often, yes. Sciatica is one of the most common reasons people walk through our doors. Once we figure out what’s compressing or irritating the nerve, we can usually get that leg pain calming down without surgery.

A lot of headaches start in the neck — tight muscles and stiff joints referring pain up into the head. If that’s your pattern, chiropractic care tends to help quite a bit, and many of our patients notice fewer, milder headaches over time.

Yes, in many cases. We offer spinal decompression therapy specifically designed for disc problems, which gently takes pressure off the disc and the nerve it’s bothering. Plenty of people come to us hoping to avoid surgery.

Your first visit runs about 45 minutes to an hour with the exam and consultation. Regular visits are much quicker — usually 15 to 30 minutes, easy to fit into a lunch break.

It depends on what’s going on and how long you’ve had it, but many people feel a real difference within the first few visits. We’ll be straight with you about what to expect after your exam — no inflated promises.

You can, but it’s not the same thing. Cracking your own back moves the joints that are already loose, not the stuck ones causing your problem. A real adjustment targets the specific joint that’s restricted — that’s the part that takes years of training.

No. That’s one of the biggest myths out there. We treat your problem, and when you’re better, you’re done unless you want maintenance care. The choice is always yours.

Usually yes, but it depends on the surgery. We see plenty of post-surgical patients — we just work around the fused or repaired areas and use gentler techniques where needed. Bring your surgical records and we’ll take a careful look.

Yes — we adjust our techniques to match your body. For patients with osteoporosis or arthritis, we use gentler, low-force methods instead of traditional manual adjustments. The exam tells us exactly how to approach your care safely.

They overlap more than people think. Chiropractors focus on restoring joint motion and nervous system function, often with hands-on adjustments; physical therapists focus more on exercise-based rehab. At our clinics, we actually combine both — adjustments plus rehab exercises — because that combination gets the best results.

Yes, and we see a lot of it — desk workers and anyone glued to a phone. Stiff neck joints and weak postural muscles are very treatable. We’ll get the joints moving again and give you exercises that actually fix the pattern, not just the pain.

We do our best. If you’re in real pain, call us and we’ll get you in as quickly as we can — often the same day at one of our two offices in Mt. Lebanon or McMurray.