What actually happens at your first visit at Endura (the honest version)

Most clinic websites describe the first visit in a way that sounds reassuring but doesn’t tell you much. “We’ll do a thorough assessment.” “We’ll discuss your goals.” “You’re in great hands.”

This is the actual walkthrough.

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Before you arrive

There’s no intake form to complete in advance. You call the clinic, Dr. Devon answers (or calls back same day), and describes what’s going on. The goal of that call isn’t to qualify you — it’s to make sure you’re coming in with the right expectations and that the Endura Method is likely to be the right fit for your case.

If you’ve had recent imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT), bring it. If you have a referral letter from your GP, bring that too — though it’s not required. If you’ve tried other treatment, it helps to know what you did and how it responded.

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The assessment — why it takes 45 minutes

The College of Chiropractors of Ontario’s standards of practice require a thorough initial assessment for any new patient presenting with a musculoskeletal complaint. At Endura, the assessment is designed not just to meet that standard but to answer a specific question: what structure is actually failing, and why?

“Dr. Devon Savarimuthu, DC, CSCS, says: ‘The most important thing I can do in the first visit is be honest. If your case needs imaging before we start, I’ll tell you. If your case is outside my scope, I’ll tell you that too.’”

The assessment has four components:

1. History This is a structured conversation, not a form. Where is the pain? When did it start? What makes it worse? What makes it better? What have you tried? The pattern of your pain — time of day, loading context, activities that provoke or relieve it — often tells the structural story before any physical test is done.

2. Movement screening I watch you move through basic functional patterns: how you hinge, how you squat, how you rotate. This isn’t about flexibility. It’s about where load goes in your body when you move. The hip that doesn’t extend. The thoracic spine that doesn’t rotate. These compensations show up in movement before they show up in pain.

3. Physical tests Specific tests to find which structures are involved and how badly. For lower back pain, this means finding whether the disc, a joint, a nerve, or a muscle is causing it. For neck pain, compression and traction tests. For hip pain, finding whether the problem is in the joint, the labral tissue, or referred from somewhere else. The goal is a diagnosis — not a region.

4. Neurological screening Is the nervous system involved? Are there signs of disc herniation, nerve root compression, or cord involvement that would change the treatment approach or indicate a need for imaging? This screening catches the cases that need a referral before treatment begins.

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What a written plan actually looks like

At the end of the assessment, you get two things in writing before you leave:

A diagnosis — not “lower back pain” but a specific finding. For example: “L4/L5 posterior disc irritation with secondary lumbar flexion compensation from restricted hip extension bilaterally.” That’s a finding, not a location. It tells us what to treat and why.

A treatment plan — what the six visits will include, in sequence. Each visit has a purpose. The plan is written down so you can refer to it, question it, and hold me accountable to it.

You’ll also know your timeline. Not “come back and we’ll see how it goes.” A specific, honest estimate of when you should start feeling real improvement.

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The Visit 3 checkpoint — and what it means

Visit 3 is a built-in progress review. By then, we’ve done enough work to know whether the plan is tracking correctly.

At Visit 3, I give you one of three assessments:

1. We’re on track. The structural pattern is responding. Keep going.
2. The plan needs adjusting. Something in the initial diagnosis was incomplete or the response is different than expected. We revise.
3. Your case needs something beyond what I do. This might mean imaging, a referral to a specialist, or a different type of care. I’ll tell you clearly, and I’ll help you find the right next step.

This checkpoint is a clinical feature, not a marketing guarantee. It exists because it’s the honest thing to do — and because open-ended treatment without a progress review is one of the things I find most frustrating about how care is typically delivered.

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What happens if you’re not a fit

The Endura Method is a 6-visit program. It works well for patients with a clearly identifiable structural problem who are ready to do the work — including exercises at home between visits.

It’s not the right fit for everyone. If your case needs something I don’t do — chronic systemic pain, complex psychological contributors, active fracture or recent surgical hardware — I’ll tell you that on the call before you come in, or at the assessment if it becomes clear then.

Referring someone out when it’s the right call isn’t a failure. It’s the whole point of having a proper assessment.

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Related reading

• The Endura Method
• Pricing and the 6-visit guarantee
• Lower back pain treatment at Endura

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Ready to find out if the Endura Method is right for you?

Call directly. You’ll speak with Dr. Devon.

(647) 951-5841

→ About the Endura Method

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Dr. Devon Savarimuthu, DC, CSCS practises at Endura Chiropractic, 3440 Yonge St, Lawrence Park, Toronto. Entrance on Deloraine Ave. Free street parking.