Digital imaging vs. analog imaging: bringing the DC’s practice into the modern age

Like it or not, one of the biggest stigmas that still remains about chiropractic is that it is somehow not high-tech enough to actually be considered effective.

Patients who walk into a doctor’s examining room are greeted by any number of high-tech medical devices that can help the doctor diagnose and treat a variety of conditions. By comparison, the DCs who rely on their hands or manually operated instruments to provide relief seems almost to be a throwback to an earlier century.

Of course, chiropractors know that this perception is untrue. Chiropractic has proven itself to be on the same technological level as standard medicine. One way in which it has done this is by transitioning from the old analog, X-ray imaging to the modern world of digital imaging, which can be a powerful tool not only for the DC, but also for the patient.

First impressions matter

Most patients who come to see a DC have already gone through a battery of diagnostic tests with other doctors. Believe it or not, this can actually work to the DC’s advantage.

The odds are good that those patients have undergone some sort of diagnostic imaging test performed elsewhere and then been shown the results. This means that patients now come to expect that all doctors use digital imaging.

A DC who also uses digital imaging when discussing possible diagnoses now appears to be on the same technological level as MDs because they are basing their findings off the same type of imaging MDs use.
By comparison, a DC who still uses analog imaging looks to be outdated. This may lower the patient’s trust in the DC’s ability to help them.

Patient education made easy

Digital imaging also makes patient education much easier than does analog imaging.

Today’s digital images are much sharper and clearer than analog images. Furthermore, a particular area of the digital image can be zoomed in upon, unlike with analog.

Patient education becomes much easier with these two features. Patients can not only have a better quality image at which to look, but focusing in on particular areas of the image can allow the DC to better explain the nature of the problem and what they propose as a solution.

There is no question that switching from analog to digital imaging will involve a certain amount of financial investment, which may make some DCs reluctant to switch. In other cases, older DCs may be more comfortable with analog images. However, the benefits of switching to digital imaging, both for the DC and the patient, make it worthwhile to move the chiropractor’s office into the modern age.