“What will happen on my first visit?”
This seems to be what everyone wants to know before they will even take one step in the door. This is certainly understandable, if you’ve never been to see a chiropractor before. You likely wouldn’t walk into a restaurant without knowing what type of food was served, you wouldn’t walk into a doctor’s office without knowing what to expect.
If you’ve never been to a chiropractor before, you likely already have a lot of questions and lot of ideas about what a chiropractor does. So let’s talk about what will happen on your very first visit to my office.
When you arrive you will be greeted by one of the Chiropractic Assistants, you will then need to fill in some intake forms regarding your personal details and the major reason for your visit, whether it be for a particular problem or a general spine and posture check.
Consultation
During the initial consultation, we’re going to sit down and you will have a chance to tell me all about your health problem. I want to know how it started, what it feels like, what you’ve done about it so far, and what may have worked before… even if it was just temporarily.
Examination
If after hearing about your problem it seems that your condition may be helped by chiropractic, I will perform an examination. There have been times where it has been very clear to me following the consultation that my office is simply not the best place for the patient.
I don’t accept patients for care that I don’t believe I can help, so I first evaluate your condition during the consultation and then perform range of motion tests, then chiropractic, orthopaedic, and neurological examinations.
I will then take postural photographs, to measure any postural imbalance or displacements and see where the areas are which most stressed.
“Will I need x-rays?”
If after your consultation and examination I determine that x-rays of your spine are needed, we will perform an x-ray examination. X-rays are not needed for every person or every condition. The need for x-rays will be determined on a case-by-case basis and the reason for the tests will be explained to you before they are performed.
When x-rays are taken, we use a “State of the Art” digital DR system and also have them analyzed in Posture Ray a biomechanical software.
At the end of your first visit, you will be scheduled for a report of findings visit
The Report Of Findings
On your return visit, I will go through your history, examination findings, posture and x-rays so I can explain to you what the problem is. Then put all the pieces of the puzzle together and create a plan to help you feel better and reach your health goals.
If I feel I cannot help or that chiropractic is not the best option for you, I will refer you to another health or medical provider for assessment.
I will explain what treatment options there are and the stages of care:
- Relief Or Symptomatic Care – when the goal is to ease the majority of the symptoms and get you feeling better.
- Rehabilitative Or CBP Corrective Care – when the goal is continue the symptomatic improvement while addressing underlying issues such as loss of normal spinal alignment and any associated degeneration, postural imbalances, strengthen supporting tissues and improve flexibility. This will give a better longer term outcome or benefit.
- Wellness Or Maintenance Of Health Care – Begins once you have achieved your optimal improvement and wish to maintain and enhance your health in the longer term with periodic check-ups to keep your spine, posture and nervous system working optimally.
I will explain how long it will take to relieve the symptoms and correct the problem, what is involved and associated financial options. The plan will be set according to your needs.
We will set a review date to evaluate your progress objectively, by repeating initial tests, questionnaire’s and posture photographs.
At the end of the report we will be able to get you started and have your first adjustment.