What Happens at the Chiropractor?
New patient paperwork
What happens during the intake?
What happens during the intake?
Many new patients are not sure what to expect during their first appointment with a doctor of chiropractic (DC). Chiropractors start by asking patients questions to gather information about their present condition and health history and then performing a physical examination to develop a working diagnosis. Imaging or lab tests (such as MRI, CT scan or X-ray) may be used to confirm a diagnosis.
What happens during the intake?
What happens during the intake?
What happens during the intake?
An Initial chiropractic consultation is very similar to that of a standard medical intake. You will likely complete a health questionnaire and answer questions about your health history. Typically the chiropractor asks you to indicate where you are experiencing discomfort by marking the areas on a drawing of the human body.
What happens during the physical exam?
What happens during the physical exam?
What happens during the physical exam?
The chiropractor will start with a routine physical exam, then follow it with an exam that focuses on the spine, with particular attention given to the areas of complaint. The chiropractor will most likely examine your whole spine. For example, if you had a low back complaint, the chiropractor would also likely perform a neck exam because the adaptations resulting from injury or subluxation in one area can result in secondary irritations somewhere else in the spine.
The physical exam typically includes a variety of assessments, such as range of motion tests, palpation, reflex testing, muscle strength comparisons, and neurological and orthopedic tests focused on the main complaint.
Chief complain and Health History
What happens during the physical exam?
What happens during the physical exam?
The combination of the history, exam, and diagnostic studies will enable your doctor of chiropractic to reach a diagnosis, which will in return help him or her to determine whether chiropractic services are appropriate for your condition. If your doctor determines you would be more appropriately managed or co-managed by another healthcare professional, he or she will make the proper referral.
Treatment Plan
Treatment Plan
What goes into a treatment plan?
What goes into a treatment plan?
Through a process of shared decision-making, you and your doctor will determine if chiropractic services are right for you. As part of this process, the doctor will explain your condition, recommend a treatment plan and review the risks and benefits of all procedures. Following the assessments, the chiropractor will develop a treatment plan that takes into account:
- The extent of your injury or irritation
- Your general health
- The condition of your spine as affected by age and previous injury
- What your goals are - this is the most important item
What goes into a treatment plan?
What goes into a treatment plan?
What goes into a treatment plan?
Your goals of treatment should result from the discussion you have with your chiropractor. Many people seek simple relief of pain or discomfort, while others want to begin a regimen of ongoing care meant to improve their general health.
In initial consultations, your chiropractor will tell you the status of your condition and recommend an approach to care. Ask questions. As in any professional-patient relationship, trust and mutual understanding are vitally important.
What is a typical treatment?
"Adjustments" are usually the central part of chiropractic treatment. Chiropractic adjustment is a therapeutic manipulation that uses controlled force, leverage, direction, amplitude, and velocity directed at specific joints. In other words, an adjustment involves a lot more than simply opening up a joint.
Your chiropractor will most often make these adjustments to the spine, but he or she might adjust other joints, such as the ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, or shoulder in order to restore structural alignment or to improve joint function. Again, proper structure is necessary for proper function, and proper extremity function is an important part of healthy daily living.
When being treated for a complaint such as back or neck pain, you will most likely receive a series of adjustments, separated by either a day or a few days, to incrementally reduce the irritation and improve normal function. This might continue for several weeks, usually diminishing in frequency.
If you can't tolerate the manual adjustments, you may instead receive mild or non-force techniques.
Adjustments are often accompanied by non-manual therapies such as application of heat or ice, electrical stimulation, orthotic supports for your shoes, rehabilitative exercise, counseling about diet, weight loss, and other lifestyle factors, and nutritional supplements.