If you’ve never seen a chiropractor before, you probably have a lot of questions.
There are many misconceptions about chiropractic care, so it’s important to have a firm understanding of what chiropractic care actually is before you start your treatment.
The best way to get that understanding is to ask your chiropractor. No one will know more about chiropractic care than they will, and they would be glad to answer any and all questions.
Communication will be critical during your first appointment with them.
Not only will you have questions for them, but they’ll have questions for you.
Your chiropractor will need information about your symptoms and what’s troubling you so they can be sure to deliver the desired results.
By asking the right questions, you and your chiropractor will be able to work well together to achieve the same goals.
If you’re ready to visit your chiropractor for the first time, here are six questions you should ask your chiropractor during your appointment.
1. Will I Be Treated During My First Visit?
It’s not uncommon for some practices to wait until the second visit to treat a new patient.
This often isn’t because of any medical issues, but it allows the doctor to see more patients in a single day.
There are some circumstances when a patient should not be treated with joint manipulation/adjustments right away, and these are things like a recent accident or cardiovascular issues.
However, even when you’ve been in a recent accident or have cardiovascular issues, your chiropractor can still treat you right away, even if it means not using any manipulations or adjustments.
Your chiropractor will perform a detailed examination to identify the cause of your pain and determine a treatment plan that would be best for you.
If your pain can be fixed with an adjustment or manipulation, the doctor will proceed with treatment on the first visit to get you better as soon as possible.
Many patients leave their first appointment feeling immediate relief from their symptoms.
2. How Long Will My Treatments Last?
The first thing many people ask is how long their treatment will take to fix their back pain.
Chiropractic care is a hands-on process, so patients are encouraged to come in for multiple sessions, sometimes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Your chiropractor will perform an exam and they may take x rays and go over your medical history to help them decide how many treatments you will need to fix your pain.
Not all injuries will show up on x rays, so it’s okay if your chiropractor doesn’t take x rays during your first visit.
Your chiropractor will also suggest things you can do at home to help supplement the treatments you receive at the office.
At-home treatments, lifestyle changes, exercises, and nutrition information will all help you progress in your treatments, and will help you make sure your symptoms don’t return.
3. Do You Teach Prevention?
From a business standpoint, your chiropractor wants you to have to come in for as many treatments as possible.
From a moral and professional standpoint, your chiropractor should teach you how to keep your symptoms from flaring up so you don’t have to keep returning to his office.
That’s why it’s important to make sure you ask your chiropractor about prevention.
It’s often surprising how easy it is to prevent your pain from returning even without the use of drugs or surgery.
The suggestions your chiropractor gives you will prolong the benefits of the care you’ve received and helps you prevent re-injuring yourself in the future.
Your chiropractor should give you amazing treatments and service while you’re in the office, but she should also teach you how to prevent pain and re-injury from occurring.
4. How Long Will This Appointment Be?
You want to be sure your chiropractor takes enough time to diagnose and treat your condition properly.
That’s why it’s important to find out how long your appointments will be.
A 10-15 minute appointment, especially if it’s your first, probably isn’t going to accomplish much.
You’ll want to take your time to develop a healthy doctor-patient relationship.
If your appointments don’t last long enough, there’s no way to develop that relationship.
Before you even get started with your treatment, it takes longer than a few minutes to connect with a person, listen to them, and address their questions and concerns.
Once all of that is out of the way you can start with the medical portion of the appointment.
You may be asking how do chiropractors know if your spine is out of alignment?
Some chiropractors will use certain machines on you to aid with your treatment. This is fine, as long as it’s supplementing your treatment, and it’s not your entire appointment.
An initial chiropractic appointment may last between 40-60 minutes if it’s done right.
Follow up appointments should last at least 15-20 minutes, and most, if not all, of that time, will be spent face-to-face with the chiropractor.
5. What Exactly Is An Adjustment?
Your chiropractic treatment will be made up of manual procedures where your chiropractor will use their hands to manipulate your joints, spinal cord, and soft tissues of your body.
This will restore or enhance the healthy functioning of your joints and spine.
Chiropractors can also reduce inflammation and physical pain throughout your body, not just in your back.
A chiropractic adjustment is a careful, highly controlled procedure with little to no side effects, that will allow your body to operate at an optimum level.
6. Do You Offer Free Consultations?
Most chiropractic offices will offer a free consultation to first-time patients, and it is important to do so.
It’s unrealistic for a chiropractor to expect a patient to choose them over all their other options without a chance to visit their office and see if the staff and doctors are a good fit for them.
Along with getting to know the staff and the doctors, you need your free consultation to give you a chance to speak with the patients that are coming in and out so you can see how they feel about the practice.