What is Naturopathic Spinal Manipulation?
An Integrative treatment approach to relieve pain, improve mobility, and reduce muscle tension
Naturopathic Doctors can treat many common musculoskeletal conditions using either chiropractic or spinal manipulation benefits when using insurance or direct pricing options. Classically trained by chiropractors, Dr. Andrew Simon and the team of naturopathic providers at Rebel Med NW in Ballard, Seattle, work closely with safe and conservative treatment approaches that include the following options for care:
HVLA – High Velocity Low Amplitude treatment
Drop Table – Using classic chiropractic tables
Activator Treatment – Chiropractic tool assisted treatment
Sacral Occipital Technique or Pelvic Blocking
Low Velocity Osteopathic Technique
Craniosacral Therapy
Muscle Energy Stretching
Manual Therapy / Massage Therapy
Musculoskeletal Pain
The Rebel Med NW Approach
Head to Toe, we can provide options for evaluation and management of many common sports medicine injuries. As primary care physicians we will take into account the full awareness of both muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and more. Above and beyond we demonstrate how the influence of your biomechanics, ergonomics, and activities of daily living could be having an impact on your pain pattern.
At Rebel Med NW, we specialize in musculoskeletal disorders that are treated through naturopathic physical medicine techniques such as spinal manipulation similar to what a chiropractor does, or more gentle approaches including myofascial stretching and release techniques, hydrotherapy, craniosacral, and pelvic blocking.
We also have a strong emphasis on supporting mental health, by the awareness of the mind body connection, and how chronic mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, and depression can further lead to pain, muscle tension, and lack of blood flow to the body, therefore aggravating or delaying healing and recovery time from injury.
Options for Care
- Benefits typically* provided by:
- Premera Blue Cross
- Lifewise
- Regence BCBS / Uniform
- Aetna
- Molina (apple health & marketplace)
- Coordinated Care
- Kaiser PPO
- Concierge plan provides:
- Regular maintenance
- wellness adjustments
- therapeutic optimization
- improve strength before going to gym
- wrap around coverage for exhausted insurance benefits or denials
- New Patient Intro
- Evaluation and treatment
- Focused Sports Medicine care
- Relief and Guidance on next steps for care
- Natural and Safe Recommendations for prevention
- Referral for X-ray as needed
Physical Medicine Visit
What to Expect
According to a 2007 NIH study, the average length of a primary care visit was 17.4 minutes with most private practices falling below that and education-based establishments allowing for more than that. The actual speaking time between physician and patient was 5.2 minutes and 5.3 minutes respectively. After that, your doctor may give you a prescription or a referral to yet another facility or doctor, and yet another appointment that you will have to set up.
At Rebel Med NW, we allot 45 minutes for our first physical medicine visits and up to 30 minutes for our return visits. Your Naturopathic Physician will be able to provide you with what you are looking for within a conventional Primary Care setting: medication management, labs, imaging, and referrals but can also provide other methods to address your concerns at the moment, preventing the need to get go all over town to get the care you need. If more advanced chiropractic care is needed, we have excellent referral partners in Ballard that we send our clients to when needing advanced techniques.
Spinal Manipulation FAQ
Rebel Med NW primary care physicians are licensed in the state of Washington as primary care providers with many state and employer-based health plans. The scope of practice includes the ability to diagnose, prescribe most major medications, determine medical necessity for referrals, diagnostic imaging, and specialty care services. While Naturopathic physicians cannot prescribe scheduled substances including opioids, certain sleep or anti-anxiety medications, or ADHD medications, we can prescribe several primary care medicines for hormonal health, blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol management, infections, or anti-depressant medications for example.
A Rebel Med NW physician’s goal is to find the best medicine for your safety, efficacy, and cost-effective care including both natural and medical options based on the research and evidence available.
Our physicians regularly stay up to date with primary care conferences provided by UW Medicine, Bastyr University, and Swedish Medical systems, and regularly provide communication with providers within these systems to coordinate care or medical services.
Your Naturopathic Primary Care Physician will help you with:
- Management of your overall general health
- Management of any chronic conditions you may have
- Help with managing and organizing medications including the evaluation and re-evaluation of medications, updating medications, or changing medications and dosages as your personal health needs change
- Referrals to appropriate and trusted modalities for healing support
- Orders for labs and imaging
- Trust and a therapeutic relationship that can last a lifetime
Where a Naturopathic physical medicine provider differs from conventional PCPs or chiropractic provider, is in philosophy and style of practice. A Naturopath is right for you if you want the following things as part of your physical medicine care:
- Someone to keep you accountable, supported, and empowered
- A provider that can hold space and take the time to counsel when necessary
- A provider that is informed and sensitive to mental health needs
- A provider that can offer different tools to help address your health needs other than medication when medication may not be the best tool for the situation.
- Takes a foundational approach to help you create sustainable healthy living skills for present and future health
- Skilled in a variety of physical medicine modalities that include: spinal manipulation, trigger point injections, stretching, medication management, dietary supplement support, craniosacral techniques, and therapeutic bodywork including massage.
- Time and Accessibility. It is getting harder and harder for healthcare providers to provide the quality time necessary to really help their patients. The Naturopathic Principles of building foundations of health through education and empowerment make it so that your ND PCP will allow for quality face time with you.
- Naturopathic Physicians can not prescribe the following for pain:
- opiate pain medicines
- scheduled substances
- Naturopathic physicians can prescribe the following for pain when clinically appropriate:
- GABApentin, Tylenol, higher strength Ibuprofen, Meloxicam, Cymbalta, prednisone or medrol dose packs
- Naturopathic physicians are uniquely trained in non-pharmaceutical options for pain and inflammation that minimize unnecessary side effects with chronic use of NSAIDS, Tylenol, or other pain medicines.
Insurance benefits may exist for your health plan, and is subject to the medically necessity criteria for your health plan, and what your health plan may decide is necessary or not for treatment with your spinal manipulation benefits. For Example, there are some health plans that specifically disallow services for headaches or migraines with utilization of spinal manipulation care or massage.
Massage Therapy
Direct Massage Therapy care
While Massage therapy is a clinically therapeutic service, we are only able to provide out of network reimbursement for massage at this time when utilizing massage therapy at Rebel Med NW. This out of pocket direct pricing rate is $150 per hour with eligible providers, and is eligible for FSA/HSA reimbursement, or out of network reimbursement by your health plan carrier. Often patients will have a higher reimbursement than what was provided as an in-network benefit when they submit their out of network superbill to their insurance provider. Consider working with one of ND’s or Acupuncturists for in-network care to address your pain or range of motion needs.
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