Are you considering going to a chiropractor?
If you’re suffering from sore joints and muscles, a chiropractor just might be the solution to your dillema. Whether it’s back pain, neck pain or even headaches, working with a chiropractor is a popular choice for many. After all, there’s a reason that nearly half of U.S. adults seek chiropractic help in their lifetime.
But, let’s face it, going to a chiropractor for the first time can be intimidating. You’re not sure what to expect, you’ve never met with the doctor and you’re unsure as to how your body will respond. It’s safe to say these concerns are only natural for beginners.
If you have questions about going to the chiropractor, you’re going to want to read this. To ease your worry, we’re sharing five things everyone should know before going to the chiropractor. With this knowledge, you’ll feel all the more confident and comfortable in booking your first chiropractor appointment.
Let’s get started!
1. Outline Your Personal History of Health
First things first, you’re going to want to be prepared to document and discuss your health history.
This will often present itself in terms of both a document to be signed as well as a discussion with your chiropractor. Not only will this allow your chiropractor to understand your health history, but it can also help to determine the cause of your problem area. This is all necessary information for your chiropractor to posess.
So, what can be you be expected to discuss?
First, be prepared to discuss both your personal as well as your familial medical history. Next, you’ll want to outline any major illnesses that you have experienced as well as any notable surgeries or procedures. It’s also crucial to make note of any medications that you’ve been on or are currently taking.
Once you’ve discussed your direct health, you’ll likely begin to discuss your lifestyle. For example, your chiropractor will want to understand your diet and exercise, your daily activities and sleep schedule and your general stress levels and work life. In answering these questions, it’s crucial to provide honest and accurate answers.
While this aspect of your appointment may feel extensive, it’s crucial for your chiropractor to understand your current state of health. The more information that you’re willing to provide, the more that you’ll benefit from your appointment.
2. Identify Your Pain
Once you’ve covered your health history, it’s time to indentiy and describe the pain that you’re experiencing.
To do so, you’ll have to outline the type of pain your experiencing, where the pain is located and the frequency of the pain in general. Before your appointment, you’re going to want to find the right ways to describe your pain. This is something that many patients struggle to do on their first visit. Prior to your visit, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your pain burning?
- Is your pain sharp?
- Does your pain travel?
- Is your pain limited to one area?
- How long have you had this pain?
- When does the pain present itself the most?
- How would you rate this pain?
From here, your chiropractor will begin to identify what the problem could be and how it arose. He or she will seek to determine the source of your problem and what factors may have lead to it. With this, you can expect for your chiropractor to conduct a physical assessment and to ask you a series of questions.
Being open and honest will allow your chiropractor to get to the root of the problem. In doing so, he or she will be able to provide better solutions to your problems.
3. Chiropractor Will Conduct a Chiropractic Exam
Once you’ve described your pain, your chiropractor will conduct the chiropractic exam.
With this, your chiropractor may check your reflexes, your neck, your spine and your posture. They may also assess your muscle tone, your muscle strength and your range of motion. You may also be required to perform certain tasks and to move your body in many different directions throughout the exam. While this may be uncomfortable for some injuries, it’s a necessary aspect of determining the right solution.
While much of the assessment is manual, many chiropractors will also use instruments throughout the exam. This will depend on the chiropractor as well as the location and the pain in which the patient is experiencing.
4. Discuss the Recommended Plan of Treatment
Once your chiropractor completes your physical exam, it’s time to move onto your treatment plan.
With this, he or she will discuss whether or not chiropractic care will be beneficial to your problem. If chiropractic care is recommended, your chiropractor will then discuss your recommended plan of treatment in greater detail.
Here, they will outline what will take place at your follow-up appointments, how the issue may be resolved and how long the correction phase may take. While each injury is unique, patients can generally expect to require care 2-3 times each week for 4-12 weeks.
5. Discuss Your Follow-up Appointments
After you’re appointment, you will likely experience slight physical discomfort.
Of course, this discomfort will vary depending on the person as well as the services provided. Fortunately, this discomfort should subside relatively quickly and the benefits will slowly begin to set in.
However, it’s important to understand that your chiropractic journey may continue even once the pain subsides. For example, your chiropractor may require you to come in for periodic adjustments on a routine basis. This will help to prevent the injury from taking place again in the future. Fortunately, these follow-up visits tend to be quick and relatively painless.
What to Know About Going to a Chiropractor
Have you been debating going to a chiropractor?
Maybe you’re one of 65 million Amerians who experience chronic backpain. Or, perhaps your arthritis has begun to take over your life and you’re ready to find a solution. Either way, allow our chiropractic guide to help you find a solution!
Our expert guide outlines everything you need to know before going to a chiropractor. From outlining your medical history and describing your pain to preparing for the physical exam and your follow-up appointments, we’re covering it all.
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