Types of Exam Tables: A Comprehensive Guide

If you are outfitting a medical office, a spa, or a chiropractic center, exam tables will be one of your most important purchases. To offer your patients the best in both safety as well as comfort, you will need to make informed buying decisions and prioritize your budget accordingly.

Tables can come with a lot of bells and whistles—or none at all. What you need will be dictated by the type of services you plan to offer, both now and in the future. If this is your first experience in shopping for exam tables, the best starting point is a review of how many different types exist and how they function.

Different Types of Exam Tables

The exam table market is vast and also specialized: what works in a dental office will not be ideal for a massage therapist, for example, and the needs of a medi-spa are not identical to most hospital operating rooms. In general, exam tables will fall under one of the categories below.

Standard (Manual) Exam Tables

When we refer to a standard or manual exam table, we mean the one you see most often in physicians' offices. It is also referred to as a "box" table because it looks like an exam chair/table that is attached to a large box.

These basic tables work in a wide variety of settings where patients need to be examined by medical professionals, such as an annual physical; they can be manually adjusted to lie flat as needed, and they may also have a leg piece that pulls out when the patient is lying down.

These exam tables are not used when special treatments are needed—such as a chiropractic adjustment or a physical therapy maneuver. However, they are the gold standard in terms of basic exam needs. The box portion of this exam table hides a useful feature—storage. In smaller practices where space is at a premium, this is an especially attractive part of the exam table's design.

Power Exam Tables

At first glance, the power exam table looks a lot like the manual table or box table described above. However, its functionality certainly sets it apart.

Power exam tables can be easily raised, lowered, and adjusted in other ways to help patients on and off the table and into different positions. This can be especially helpful when patients have limited mobility or in practices specializing in disabled patients.

Power exam tables are also known as high-low tables, and because they are operated with electric force (instead of manual), they will generally cost more. Budgeting for manual versus power exam tables will come down to the overall needs of a practice and its clientele. A power exam table could be a luxury for one practice, whereas it might be a must-have for another.

Specialty Exam Tables

Beyond the basic exam tables we think of in general medical practices, other specialty exam tables allow providers to perform specific exams and treatments thanks to additional features and adjustments.

Specialty exam tables would include those designed specifically for chiropractic maneuvers, massage tables, physical therapy tables, and spa treatment tables.

Often, you will see tables divided into segments when used by chiropractors; these allow for drop maneuvers and spinal adjustments that ease the amount of force required by the provider, making it safer for the chiropractors themselves.

Massage tables will have features such as facial cutouts for the comfort of the client, and other spa treatment tables may have add-ons such as lighting used by an aesthetician during a facial, dermaplaning, waxing, or other treatment.

Pediatric Exam Tables

Exam tables built for smaller patients serve a number of needs. They not only make it easier for the provider to get patients onto the table and examine them safely and comfortably, but they also look less intimidating to younger patients who may be scared in medical offices.

Pediatric exam tables can also be designed in bright and vibrant colors that look more kid-friendly than your basic, boring beige. Just like other exam tables, pediatric tables come in basic models and those with more bells and whistles. The type of table you choose would be dictated by whether you practice general pediatrics or perhaps a specialty that requires a table that can accommodate patients with specific needs.

Bariatric Exam Tables

General exam tables are designed to fit a fairly wide variety of body types, and in some cases, a provider may need a table with a higher weight limit than their standard tables can bear. Bariatric tables enable providers to accommodate larger patients safely and comfortably. These are generally designed for patients weighing in excess of 500 pounds.

If you are in need of exam tables for your medical office or spa, contact Spa Source today and let us guide you through the wide variety of chairs, tables, and equipment we offer. Our expert team is happy to answer questions about the products we carry and find the best fit for your needs.