Frequently Asked Questions

When you call our office, you'll speak with knowledgeable team members who understand that reaching out for healthcare can feel overwhelming, especially if you've been dealing with pain or uncertainty about your condition. Our team takes time to understand your main concerns, how long you've been experiencing symptoms, and what you've tried before — without making you repeat your entire medical history over the phone.

We'll gather basic information about your insurance coverage and help you understand what your benefits include. Most importantly, we'll answer any questions you have about our approach and what to expect during your visit.

If you're calling during business hours, we can often schedule your comprehensive evaluation within a few days rather than weeks. Our goal during this first conversation is to help you feel confident and informed about taking this important step toward better health.

Your initial comprehensive evaluation typically lasts 45 to 60 minutes because we believe taking adequate time to understand your situation completely is essential for developing effective treatment plans. This isn't a rushed appointment where you feel like you're on an assembly line.

During this time, we'll have an in-depth conversation about your health concerns, conduct a thorough physical examination, and take any necessary diagnostic imaging right here in our clinic if needed.

Bringing a list of current medications and any X-rays or MRIs you have makes your first visit even more productive. We're also happy to help you gather records from other providers if needed.

You will never be pressured into a decision here. After your evaluation we explain what we found, what we recommend, what it will cost, and what results are realistic — and then you decide on your own timeline.

We'd rather under-promise and over-deliver than create unrealistic hopes about what treatment can accomplish. If we don't believe we can help your specific condition, we will tell you and point you toward someone who might.

We believe in complete financial transparency because healthcare decisions shouldn't involve surprise costs or hidden fees. After your comprehensive evaluation, we'll provide detailed cost estimates for your recommended treatment plan before any treatment begins.

These estimates include the total number of visits we anticipate, the cost per visit, what your insurance typically covers for these services, and your expected out-of-pocket expenses. We'll also discuss payment options if needed, because we believe financial concerns shouldn't prevent people from receiving care that can significantly improve their quality of life.

Most importantly, you'll never receive bills for services that weren't explained and approved beforehand.

We work with most major insurance plans, and we'll verify your specific insurance benefits before treatment begins so you know exactly what's covered and what your responsibility will be. Insurance coverage for comprehensive spinal care varies significantly between plans, but most provide meaningful benefits for medically necessary treatment.

We handle all insurance claims processing for you, eliminating the paperwork hassles that can make healthcare frustrating. For patients whose insurance provides limited coverage or who don't have insurance, we offer flexible payment arrangements.

The most important thing to understand is that we'll provide complete information about your coverage and costs before treatment begins, so you can make informed decisions without financial surprises.

We understand that insurance coverage doesn't always match healthcare needs, so we've developed flexible payment options that make comprehensive care accessible regardless of insurance limitations. We accept cash, check, and all major credit cards.

For patients who prefer to spread costs over time, we offer payment plans that can be customized to fit your budget. Some patients choose to use Health Savings Accounts or Flexible Spending Accounts for tax advantages. We also accept CareCredit, which provides additional financing options for healthcare expenses.

Treatment frequency and duration depend on your specific condition, how long you've had symptoms, and how consistently you follow our recommendations. We provide realistic expectations based on your individual situation rather than generic timelines. Initially, you might need visits two to three times per week while we address acute symptoms and begin correcting underlying problems.

As you improve, visit frequency typically decreases to once or twice weekly, then eventually to periodic maintenance visits if you choose ongoing wellness care. Most patients notice some improvement within the first few treatments, with more significant changes developing over several weeks.

The total treatment timeline might range from several weeks for acute problems to several months for chronic conditions that have been developing over years. We monitor your progress closely and adjust your plan based on how you're responding.

Many patients experience immediate improvements in pain levels and mobility after their first few treatments, which reflects the body's positive response to restored spinal alignment and reduced nerve interference.

However, some people experience mild soreness or stiffness for 24 to 48 hours after initial treatments, especially if their bodies have been compensating for problems for extended periods. Think of this like the muscle soreness that might follow your first workout after being sedentary — it indicates that changes are occurring as your body adapts to improved function.

We provide clear guidance about what constitutes a normal healing response versus symptoms that warrant immediate contact with our office, so you feel confident and informed throughout your recovery.

Our treatment approach is designed to help you return to and maintain your normal activities rather than creating dependency on ongoing care or requiring significant lifestyle restrictions.

In most cases, you can continue your regular daily activities while receiving treatment, though we might suggest temporary modifications to activities that place excessive stress on healing tissues. For example, if you're recovering from a disc injury, we might recommend avoiding heavy lifting for a few weeks while encouraging continued walking and light activities that promote healing.

The goal is helping you return to all the activities you enjoy while maintaining the improvements achieved through comprehensive treatment.

Our approach differs fundamentally in that we focus on identifying and correcting the underlying structural and functional problems that create symptoms rather than just managing the symptoms themselves. Traditional medical care typically follows a progression from pain medications to injections to surgery, with each step designed to reduce your awareness of symptoms without necessarily correcting the problems causing them.

Our comprehensive approach addresses spinal alignment, disc health, tissue healing, and cellular function simultaneously through coordinated treatment modalities that work together more effectively than individual therapies applied separately.

We also invest significant time in education, helping you understand your condition thoroughly so you can make informed decisions and participate actively in your recovery.

We believe strongly in collaborative healthcare and often work with other providers to ensure you receive comprehensive care that serves all aspects of your health needs. Many of our patients continue relationships with their family physicians, specialists, and other healthcare providers while receiving our care for spinal health concerns.

We often communicate with other members of your healthcare team when coordination would benefit your overall care, always with your permission and involvement. We'll refer you to other specialists when conditions fall outside our expertise.

Our goal is serving your best interests rather than trying to be your only healthcare provider.

Most clinics offer one primary modality. We coordinate four: Expert Chiropractic Care, Spinal Rejuvenation Therapy (S.R.T.), KDT Neuroflex Spinal Decompression, and SoftWave Therapy.

The real breakthrough isn't any single technology — it's how they work together. Adjusting a misaligned spine helps immediately, but if the underlying disc problems and tissue damage aren't addressed, the misalignment returns. Healing damaged tissues is important, but if the structural problems that caused the damage aren't corrected, the improvements don't last.

Dr. Christopher Lilja is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic who graduated from Northwestern Health Sciences University and has been serving the Twin Cities community for over 25 years. Our clinic utilizes advanced diagnostic equipment and treatment technologies that meet the highest safety standards, and we maintain continuing education requirements that keep us current with the latest developments in spinal healthcare.

All our treatment approaches are based on established research and clinical protocols. We conduct thorough evaluations before beginning any treatment to ensure that our approaches are appropriate for your specific condition and health status. Our advanced technologies like KDT Neuroflex Spinal Decompression and SoftWave Therapy are FDA-cleared.

Patient safety and informed consent are fundamental principles that guide every aspect of our practice.

Our commitment to patient success includes honest assessment of treatment progress and appropriate adjustments when initial approaches aren't providing expected improvements. We monitor your response closely throughout treatment and will modify our approach based on how you're progressing rather than continuing with methods that aren't producing adequate results.

If your condition doesn't respond as expected, we'll conduct additional evaluation to identify factors that might be interfering with recovery or determine whether referral to other specialists would be beneficial.

If we determine that our approach isn't the best option for your particular condition, we'll refer you to providers who might be more appropriate for your specific healthcare needs.

New patient evaluations are typically available within a few days. Early morning and evening appointments are available By Appointment. Please call (651) 644-7207 to schedule.

We're at 464 Hamline Ave South in Saint Paul, MN 55105, in the Highland Park area. Free parking is available on site, and the entrance is at ground level.

Life happens. We simply ask for as much notice as you can reasonably give so we can offer the time to another patient who is waiting. Call (651) 644-7207 and our team will find you a new time.

Our facility is accessible, and our treatment tables and equipment can be adjusted for a wide range of mobility needs. Let us know when you schedule so we can prepare the right room and allow extra time.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency — including sudden loss of bladder or bowel control, progressive weakness in a limb, or symptoms following significant trauma — call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Those symptoms require immediate medical evaluation.

For a significant flare-up that isn't an emergency, call our office at (651) 644-7207 and leave a message. We check messages regularly and will get back to you with guidance and, when appropriate, an earlier appointment.

Yes. Pediatric care uses substantially lighter forces and shorter visits, and the evaluation focuses on growth, posture, sports participation, and injury history. We explain everything to both the child and the parent before we begin.

Yes. Care during pregnancy uses pregnancy-specific positioning and gentle, low-force techniques, and we avoid imaging. Many patients find it helpful for the low back and pelvic discomfort that comes with the changing load of pregnancy.

We go at your pace, explain each step before it happens, and use the gentlest technique appropriate for your condition. Nothing happens without your understanding and consent. Many of our most anxious first-time patients tell us afterward that it was far less dramatic than they expected.