Our Services
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care focuses on diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal disorders, particularly those related to the spine, joints, and nerves. Chiropractors use hands-on techniques, including spinal adjustments, to correct misalignments, improve mobility, and alleviate pain.
Our body is designed to heal and work at its best, and chiropractic care helps it do exactly that. Chiropractic care is a medication-free, non-invasive treatment option that works in tandem with your body’s natural healing processes to restore balance and improve overall health.
Prenatal and Pregnancy Care
Pregnancy shifts the body’s center of gravity, adding new strain to the pelvis and lower back that a patient may not have experienced before. Chiropractic techniques adapted for pregnancy support proper alignment through each trimester, with adjustments considered gentle and appropriate throughout. Coordination with a patient’s OB or midwife helps keep chiropractic care aligned with the broader prenatal plan rather than working separately from it. Care is adjusted as the pregnancy progresses, since the strain on the body changes from the first trimester through the third.
Pediatric Care
A child’s spine changes continuously from birth through the everyday bumps and falls of growing up. Adjustments for children use significantly less force than those used for adults, adjusted for a smaller and still-developing body. Common reasons parents seek care include posture concerns tied to school and backpacks, colic issues in infants, along with general comfort as children grow. Each step gets explained clearly to both the child and the parent, since comfort matters just as much as the outcome when treating a younger patient.
Rehabilitative Exercises
After the pain begins to settle down, Dr. Kim introduces rehabilitative exercises into your care plan. In cases of back pain, this usually takes place one month into treatment, after the patient has responded well to the initial treatment approach. The aim is not only to alleviate pain but also to build strength and support the weakened area.
These exercises are introduced slowly and then increased according to the patient’s response each week. The timing differs for each individual because everyone reacts differently, depending on their initial level of pain.
Corrective Exercises
Exercises aimed at correcting posture and movement patterns support the adjustments themselves, helping the body hold onto the changes made during treatment rather than reverting back to old patterns. These typically get introduced once a patient is ready for more active involvement in their own care, building on progress already made through adjustment and soft tissue work. Corrective exercises are chosen based on where the imbalance shows up and what movement habits may be contributing to it, so the approach looks different from one patient to the next.
Cryotherapy
Cold therapy, or cryotherapy, is one of the techniques Dr. Kim uses as part of a broader treatment plan. It’s typically paired with heat therapy and used alongside chiropractic adjustment, massage, and exercises depending on the condition being treated. Cold therapy tends to come into play earlier when inflammation is more active.
For cases like whiplash or sciatica, cold and heat therapy often work together with the rest of the plan to support the body as it heals. The specific combination depends on the patient’s condition and how they’re responding to treatment.
Massage Therapy
Massage is one part of the soft tissue therapy Dr. Kim uses alongside chiropractic adjustment. This can include myofascial release (a hands-on technique to loosen tight muscle tissue) and trigger point therapy, both aimed at addressing muscle tension that contributes to pain.
Massages are used across several types of cases, from back and neck pain to sciatica and headaches linked to muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders. It’s typically paired with other care rather than used on its own. It works well alongside adjustments and, depending on the case, supports the rest of your treatment plan.
Spinal Decompression
When dealing with cases of sciatica that have any form of pressure on the disc causing the problem, one of the methods that can be used is spinal decompression. This technique will aim at relieving any form of pressure placed on the particular disc, which will ease the irritation in the legs. Spinal decompression is used together with other chiropractic treatments.
Spinal decompression therapy is non-invasive and will only be considered in cases where there is pressure from the disc itself. It will not be used in cases of sciatica caused by muscle strain. Dr. Kim will first conduct a thorough examination to identify this treatment is appropriate for you.
Spinal Adjustment
Adjustments involve a controlled, targeted force applied to specific areas of your spine. This helps restore spinal motion and alleviate pain. Dr. Kim uses a few different tools to perform spinal adjustments, depending on the patient and what the exam reveals.
One of the techniques Dr. Kim applies in order to make the adjustment is the diversified technique, which means that the adjustment will be performed manually and not by a machine. He also uses the activator (a small spring-loaded device for making adjustments), arthrostim (an adjusting tool in the form of a handheld instrument that delivers light, repetitive force), and a drop table. What tool to use depends on which joint has to be adjusted and how the body responds.
Whiplash Treatment
Whiplash from an auto accident happens when a sudden movement, like the force of a collision, overstretches the muscles, ligaments, and joints in the neck or lower back. Patients are encouraged to seek a chiropractic evaluation so the injury can be properly assessed through diagnostic testing and a physical exam.
Diagnosis includes reviewing how the accident happened, X-rays to check for soft tissue or ligament injury, orthopedic and range-of-motion testing, and neurological and reflex testing. One patient we treated at Alderwood Back & Neck Pain Clinic after a rear-end collision had a double whiplash injury. She was under our care for three to four months. When her pain wasn’t improving after the first month, an MRI led to a referral to pain management, and she was discharged after four months of combined care.
Work Injury Treatment
Work injuries often develop from repetitive strain, prolonged postures, or physically demanding tasks. These conditions can affect the spine, joints, and soft tissues, leading to pain and reduced movement.
Dr. Kim builds care around restoring full function rather than short-term comfort. Your treatment plan is developed according to the physical demands of your job. Adjustment, soft tissue therapy, and strengthening exercises work together to support healing and reduce the chances of the injury turning into a longer-term problem.
Sports Injury Care
For sports injuries, Dr. Kim uses therapeutic exercise and rehabilitation alongside adjustment, since these injuries often need a more active approach than general aches and pains. Care is built around the movement patterns specific to the sport and the injury itself, rather than a generic treatment plan applied to every case the same way. The aim is to get the patient back to their sport safely, without rushing the process in a way that risks setting the recovery back or causing a repeat injury down the line.
Lifestyle Advice
Lifestyle coaching is one of the support Dr. Kim brings into his treatment plan alongside hands-on care. This can include guidance on daily habits that may be contributing to a patient’s pain, along with general wellness counseling to support recovery over time. It’s typically layered in with other treatments, such as chiropractic adjustment, therapeutic exercise, and heat or cold therapy, rather than used as a standalone approach. The specific advice depends on what’s driving the patient’s symptoms and what came up during the initial physical exam and history.
Geriatric Care
Older patients often deal with arthritis or degenerative changes affecting the spine and joints, which shape how care is approached compared to a younger patient. Treatment is adjusted to fit the needs of an aging body, focusing on maintaining mobility and comfort rather than aggressive correction that the joints may not tolerate well. Adjustments and supporting exercises are chosen based on what each patient’s joints can accommodate at that stage of life, with the pace of care adjusted more carefully than it might be for a younger, more resilient patient.