Visiting A Chiropractor – What Can You Expect

If you are experiencing severe back pain and don’t know what to do about it, maybe it’s time that you pay a visit to a chiropractor. The visit to a chiropractor’s office is somewhat similar to that of other healthcare professionals, but it has some exceptional elements. You may feel acquainted with the environment and the intake procedures, but the first unique aspect that you are going to notice is the chiropractic treatment table. These tables are tailor according to specific movements and needs of spinal adjustment. A visit to a chiropractor consists of an initial intake, a physical exam, the necessary treatment and a follow-up plan.

Treatment table -image:en.wikipedia.org

What to expect during the initial intake?

The initial consultation with your chiropractor is quite alike a regular intake with any doctor, and lasts about an hour. You will answer questions about your medical history, such as about your past injuries, medical conditions, meds that you might be taking, and general habits like diet, exercise and sleep.

Then, the chiropractor will ask you to show where you are experiencing pain or discomfort. Some chiropractic offices have patient forms available for download on their website. This makes a less stressful and less time-consuming way to answer these questions.

What is the physical exam like?

The physical exam starts with a conventional physical exam, which is followed by a close examination of your spine, specifically the areas where you are experiencing pain. It is a general practice for a chiropractor to fully examine your spine. The reason to this is the fact that injuring one area can result in secondary pane somewhere else in your spine. If you are, for example, experiencing pain in your lower back, your chiropractor will most probably exam your neck as well.

The physical exam consists of a number of evaluations, including testing your reflexes, motion, muscle strength and palpation, as well as orthopaedic and neurological tests that pay the most attention to the main problem.

What does the treatment plan consist of?

After the evaluation, the chiropractor will come up with a treatment plan based on the extent if your injury, the general status of your health, the overall condition of your spine, and your goals related to treatment. You will formulate your goals according to what you have discussed with your chiropractor. Some people look only for a way to relieve pain, while others want to start a whole care regimen with the goal to improve their overall health.

Initially, your chiropractor will tell you what the status of your condition is and recommend the steps that should be taken. Since it is essential that you trust your doctor, and that you both have a mutual understanding, this is the time when you should ask about anything that you want to know.

What does a typical treatment look like?

The main aspect of chiropractic treatment is adjustments, which are therapeutic manipulation that applies controlled force, direction, leverage and momentum on particular joints. The treatment will most commonly focus on your spine, but it may be necessary to apply it to other joints, like the knee, wrist, ankle, shoulder or elbow, in order to improve joint function and recover structural alignment. The right structure is necessary for the joints to properly function.

If you are, for example, being treated for neck or back pain, your treatment will most probably include a series of adjustments, which will require of you to visit your chiropractor more than once, lasting about several weeks, with it becoming less frequent as time goes by. If you have low tolerance for the manual adjustments, they may be replaced with mild techniques that don’t require that much force. 

Next to adjustments, you will probably receive therapies such as electrical stimulation, heat application, rehabilitative exercise, supplements, and counselling about lifestyle factors such as diet and weight loss.

What are the benefits of chiropractic care?

Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment for acute problems such as back pain, or a sudden injury from carrying too much weight. Research has proven that chiropractic measures are great for relieving neck pain and headache. Next to that, it can help out with osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. According to a Perth based chiropractor, the treatment is established with an accurate diagnosis, so there shouldn’t be any undesirable side-effects.