Chiropractor in Lakewood, CO
Walk-in and same-day chiropractic on South Union Boulevard, just off West 6th Avenue — inside a medical pain practice, with physical therapy and pain management physicians in the same suite.
No Appointment, No Referral
Colorado is a direct access state. You can walk in, be examined and be treated the same day, without a referral from anyone. Most people who arrive with a neck that locked up overnight or a back that went on the second stair are seen within the hour.
Open Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Friday 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Call (720) 749-5599 on your way and the paperwork will be ready when you arrive.
Two Chiropractors, Which Is Unusual
Most clinics run one. Lakewood has two, and it is the reason same-day capacity actually exists here rather than being advertised and then booked out.
Francisco Ramirez, DC trained at Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida and is a graduate of the Motion Palpation Institute. He works with Selective Functional Movement Assessment and sports rehabilitation techniques, and treats in Spanish as well as English — worth knowing if that is the appointment you have been putting off because of the language.
Ricky Roope, DC covers the second chair. Between them the clinic can usually see a walk-in without pushing scheduled patients back.
What an Examination Actually Involves
You get examined before you get adjusted. That sounds obvious and frequently is not what happens.
The examination establishes whether your problem is a joint restriction that will respond to manual work, a disc under load, a nerve root with genuine neurological signs, or something that does not belong in a chiropractic room at all. Range of motion, orthopaedic testing, neurological screening of the arm or leg — then a decision.
If the findings suggest imaging first, we will say so and order it rather than adjust and hope. We can order imaging here; you are not sent across town and told to come back next week with a report.
Techniques Used at This Clinic
Diversified manual adjustment. Instrument-assisted adjustment for patients who would rather not have a manual thrust — a common request and a reasonable one. Drop-table technique. Flexion-distraction for disc-related low back pain. Soft-tissue and myofascial work. Therapeutic exercise you continue at home between visits.
Which of these you receive is decided by the examination, not by a protocol applied to everyone who walks through the door.
What We Treat
Low back pain, including disc and facet joint pain. Neck pain and the cervicogenic headaches that get mistaken for migraine. Sciatica and radiating leg pain. Mid and upper back pain from desk work and posture. Whiplash and other car accident injuries. Shoulder, hip and knee pain. Sports and work injuries — this clinic sits close enough to Golden, Morrison and the foothills that trail and ski injuries are a steady part of the caseload.
When Chiropractic Is Not the Answer
Sometimes it is not, and the useful thing is to find that out in week one rather than week nine.
If the examination points to a nerve root under real pressure, or a joint that needs a diagnostic block to identify it, the pain management team is in the same suite. Physical therapy is here too, with Krystal Flynn, DPT. Nobody re-takes your history, and the next clinician reads the same chart.
That is the practical difference between a chiropractor working inside a medical pain practice and one working next door to it.
Insurance and Cost
Our Lakewood clinic accepts Aetna, ASH (American Specialty Health), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Pathway), Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, OptumCare, Optum Physical Health, Humana, Medicare, Colorado Medicaid, Devoted Health, First Health, Columbine, Tricare, ATA Holista, workers' compensation and auto/lien cases.
Benefits are verified before your first visit, so you know what the appointment costs before you sit down rather than three weeks later. Call (720) 749-5599 and we will check while you wait.
Getting Here
165 S Union Blvd, Suite 400, Lakewood, CO 80228 — south of West 6th Avenue, parking on site.
Serving Lakewood, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Morrison and the west Denver metro. For medical pain care at the same address, see pain management in Lakewood. Not sure which you need? The chiropractor versus physical therapist comparison is the fastest way to work it out.
Lakewood Chiropractor FAQs
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor in Lakewood? No. Colorado is a direct access state, so you can walk in or book directly. Some insurance plans require a referral for coverage rather than for access — we check that when we verify your benefits.
Is there a Spanish-speaking chiropractor in Lakewood? Yes. Dr Ramirez treats in Spanish.
Will I be adjusted on the first visit? Usually, but only after an examination. If the findings call for imaging first, we will tell you.
Do you take Colorado Medicaid? Yes, along with Medicare, Tricare, workers' compensation and auto/lien cases.
Can you treat me after a car accident? Yes. We handle auto and lien cases, document injuries for your claim, and can usually see you the same week. See chiropractic care after a car accident.
What if I would rather not be adjusted manually? Say so. Instrument-assisted adjustment and drop-table technique are both available and neither involves a manual thrust.