Your first visit at my Mission Viejo office is a show and tell. I measure before I ever touch you, then I show you exactly what I found. The surface EMG reads the software. The X-rays show the hardware. You watch it happen, you ask your questions, and we decide together. About $90, roughly 75 minutes, no pressure.
Can you help me? What is actually going on? How long will it take? How much will it cost? I answer all four in one unhurried visit, and you watch it happen. Here is the part most offices skip: I measure before I touch. We are not measuring your pain. We are measuring how the nervous system is functioning. Only then do my hands come into it.
The surface EMG is the software side. I put small, non-invasive electrodes on the skin next to your spine, and the computer reads the electrical signal level by level. It is like an EKG of your heart, just for the electrical signal coming out of your spine. It helps us see how the nervous system is functioning, not just where it hurts.
The digital X-rays are the hardware side. High-frequency films (less radiation, better quality), AP and lateral views, and an AP open-mouth view for headache cases so we can see the atlas and axis. I put your own images up and explain what I see in plain language. The two together help us see exactly what is going on before you decide anything.
Nothing happens behind a curtain. We assess the software, we look at the hardware, and if something is out of alignment we pop the breaker back in. You watch each step, and you understand why before we move to the next one.
Posture and weight bearing on dual scales, range of motion with a protractor, reflexes, then a surface EMG. We do an EKG of your nervous system. It reads the electrical signal level by level, so we see how the nervous system is functioning, not just where it hurts.
Digital X-rays finish the picture: AP, lateral, and an AP open-mouth view for headache cases. I show you your own images and explain exactly what I see, in plain language, before we talk about anything else.
Your spine is like your circuit breakers. An adjustment pops the one that is out back into alignment so the signal flows again. Six techniques, matched to your body, not the other way around.
We’re not measuring your pain. We’re measuring how the nervous system is functioning.Dr. Michael Foudy, D.C.
The biggest reason patients trust the first visit is the same reason I sleep well: I would rather point you down the street than sell you care you do not need. If what I find is not mine to fix, I will say so, and I will send you to the right person.
Some things belong with another specialist or in the ER, not on my table. A fracture. A tumor pressing on a nerve. Progressive loss of strength or sensation, or a sudden change in bowel or bladder control. If I see a red flag like that, I refer you out the same day. After 37 years in Mission Viejo I know who the right specialist is for nearly every case, and you will not be strung along.
I would rather point you down the street than sell you care you do not need.Dr. Michael Foudy, D.C.
No surprises. Here is what the visit costs, in plain numbers, so you can plan.
~$90
Show-and-tell consultation
Roughly 75 minutes. Exam, surface EMG, digital X-rays, and a full walkthrough. You leave knowing whether I can help.
$90
Adjustment visit
Every modality included. Most care plans start at two to three visits a week, then taper as your spine learns to hold the progress.
$3,000
Spinal decompression program
The standard program is $3,000 for 20 visits, or about $160 for a single session. That is the standard; your exact plan is set after your exam. More on the AccuSpina.
Most patients pay cash, and Carmen can verify your insurance when you call. Your visit never feels timed.
A spine rarely sorts itself out, and the longer the cause goes unfound the more the body works around it. Come in. We will answer all four questions for your specific case, and you will see it on the EMG and the X-rays yourself.
