Chiropractor in Des Moines: Precision Atlas Orthogonal Care & Advanced Imaging

If you are searching for a chiropractor in Des Moines, chances are this is not your first stop. You have probably spent months — maybe years — being handed from one provider to the next. You have had the scans that came back “normal.” You have heard “there’s nothing more we can do,” or “you’ll just have to learn to live with it.” And yet here you are: still hurting, still searching, still hoping someone will finally listen and actually find the cause.

We understand — because that is exactly the kind of patient Precision Chiropractic West was built for.

You know what this pain has taken from you. The migraines that erase whole days. The dizziness or vertigo that makes you afraid to drive your own kids to school. The constant pressure at the base of your skull, the neck pain that radiates into your shoulders, the brain fog that makes you feel like a stranger to yourself. You are trying to show up for your work and your family while your body fights you at every turn. When pain lingers this long, it stops being “just pain.” It quietly reshapes your entire life.

You’ve Already Tried the Usual — and You’re Still in Pain

By the time most patients find their way to our Des Moines practice, they’ve already done the rounds. The family chiropractor who “popped and cracked” and offered, at best, a few hours of relief. The physical therapy that never quite held. The MRI, CT, or X-ray that found “nothing.” The medications that muffled the symptoms without ever touching the cause.

If that sounds familiar, hear this clearly: you are not imagining your pain, and you are not out of options. Very often, the problem is a structural, biomechanical issue at the top of the spine that standard care was never designed to find — and that a different kind of chiropractor is uniquely trained to correct.

Why This Chiropractor in Des Moines Is Different

Precision Chiropractic West is led by Dr. Laurel Griffin, DC, BCAO, and we operate differently from the standard chiropractic model. We are an ultra-premium, destination practice built for two kinds of people:

• Those with complex, chronic conditions who have exhausted other medical avenues without success.
• Those who simply want their diagnosis and treatment done the very best — right the first time.

Many patients come to us because standard chiropractic — and even standard Atlas Orthogonal (AO) care — wasn’t enough. Dr. Griffin holds the rare Board Certification in the Atlas Orthogonal Technique (BCAO), earned in 2006, placing her among only roughly 375 doctors worldwide with this distinction. But her qualifications go much further than the certification itself.

Trained directly under Dr. Roy W. Sweat, the founder of the Atlas Orthogonal technique, and refined through years of advanced, one-on-one mentorship with Dr. Scott Rosa, world-renowned expert in cranio-cervical junction imaging and the management of the most complex upper-cervical cases, Dr. Griffin has built a depth of experience and training that very few chiropractors anywhere can match. What that means for you is simple: a higher level of skill and judgment applied directly to your case. Her post-graduate training spans five critical, high-stakes areas most general chiropractors never touch:

And Dr. Griffin doesn’t just practice these advanced methods — she teaches them. She actively mentors and trains other AO doctors in risk management and the handling of complex cases and presents on these topics around the country. When you choose Precision Chiropractic West, you are not just seeing a chiropractor. You are seeing the teacher.

The “No Guesswork” Approach to Your Care

Precise treatment begins with a precise understanding of the problem. Many of our patients arrive frustrated because their static MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays came back “normal” — yet they’re still in real pain. That’s because static images capture a single, frozen moment, and your life doesn’t happen in a frozen position. The instability that’s causing your symptoms often only reveals itself in motion.

For the most complex and critical cases — and for patients dealing with the aftermath of trauma such as an auto accident — Dr. Griffin can draw on a diagnostic tool no other clinic in the state can offer. Through DMX of Iowa, the only Digital Motion X-Ray (DMX) provider in Iowa, she can capture a real-time, video X-ray of your spine in actual movement — revealing the ligamentous instability and injury that static scanners simply miss.

Who We Help: Choosing the Right Chiropractor in Des Moines

Patients travel to our West Des Moines practice from across Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, and well beyond because they want a higher standard of care. Here, your care plan is dictated solely by your clinical needs — nothing else.

1. The Complex Patient

If you live with chronic migraines, vertigo and dizziness, craniocervical instability (CCI), post-concussion syndrome, or fibromyalgia, and you’ve been told “nothing is wrong,” you likely have a biomechanical problem that has never been properly imaged or treated. These are the “worst of the worst” cases Dr. Griffin’s advanced trauma, biomechanics, and risk-management training were made for — the cases other doctors, including other AO practitioners, refer to her.

2. The Quality-Focused Patient

You don’t have to be a complex case to deserve elite care. Many of our patients simply want to avoid the “pop, twist, and crack” of general chiropractic. They choose us because they want a gentle, precise, instrument-based correction from one of the most highly trained doctors in the field.

The Treatment: Precision, Safety, and Lasting Correction

We use the Atlas Orthogonal (AO) percussion instrument to deliver a low-force, exacting adjustment to the upper cervical spine — the area that protects the delicate neurovascular structures at the base of the skull. There is no twisting, no popping, and no pain.

Correction, not maintenance. Our goal isn’t to keep you coming back for the rest of your life for “maintenance” adjustments. Our goal is to correct the underlying instability so your body can heal and hold its own alignment.

Knowing when not to adjust. Because of Dr. Griffin’s advanced training in trauma and risk management, she knows exactly when to adjust — and, just as importantly, when not to. For patients whose stability is fragile, that judgment is the difference between healing and harm.

If you’re ready for a definitive path forward — one based on objective findings and led by one of the field’s most highly trained doctors — welcome to Precision Chiropractic West.

Next Steps for You

• Schedule a consultation to determine whether you’re a candidate for Atlas Orthogonal care — call (515) 224-1093 or visit our contact page.
• Explore advanced imaging: for complex or trauma-related cases, learn about the technology that finds the “invisible” injury at DMX of Iowa.

Dr. Laurel Griffin, DC, BCAO Board Certified in the Atlas Orthogonal Technique since 2006, Dr. Griffin is one of roughly 375 doctors worldwide to hold the BCAO distinction. Trained under Dr. Roy W. Sweat, founder of Atlas Orthogonal, and under Dr. Scott Rosa, world-renowned expert in cranio-cervical junction imaging and the management of the most complex upper-cervical cases, Dr. Griffin has extensive post-graduate training in head/neck trauma, advanced imaging, advanced biomechanics, risk management, and complex case management, making her one of the most extensively trained doctors in the management of complex upper-cervical cases in the world. A native Iowan who returned home to serve patients across the Des Moines metro and the surrounding region, Dr. Griffin also draws on her own experience overcoming debilitating health conditions through Atlas Orthogonal care.