Nervous or unsure about getting chiropractic help? Don’t be. The following is a condensed version of John Schubbe’s article, “What to Expect at the First Chiropractic Consultation,” intended to highlight the important aspects of this first appointment.
Chiropractic adjustment, also referred to as spinal manipulation, is a recognized and popular pain relief treatment for many types of lower back pain, sciatica, and neck pain. Patients can expect:
[A] thorough chiropractic exam
[Potentially immediate] chiropractic treatment
Lasts about 45 minutes or more
After the initial consultation, follow-up chiropractic appointments tend to be much shorter—perhaps 10 to 20 minutes.
[***Please note SK Chiropractic’s follow-up appointments are longer this because Dr. Kler uses stem and other practices to assist the body’s natural healing tendencies***]
First Chiropractic Visit
The initial in-office clinical exam generally includes the following 3 areas:
1. Patient History and Symptoms
In preparation for the chiropractic consultation, the patient will be asked to fill out forms that provide background information about their symptoms and condition.
Patients are usually asked to provide information on family medical history, any pre-existing medical conditions or prior injuries, and previous and current treatments provided by other health professionals.
2. The Chiropractic Exam
A thorough chiropractic exam includes general tests, such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and reflexes…[and] orthopedic and neurological tests.
Further chiropractic tests may be necessary to assess the affected area, such as having the patient move in a specific manner, posture analysis, or assess motion of the affected body part.
3. Patient Diagnosis after the Chiropractic Exam
Findings from the patient’s history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests usually help the chiropractor to arrive at a specific diagnosis.
At the end of the patient's initial visit, the chiropractor will explain the patient's:
Diagnosed condition
Individualized chiropractic treatment plan (or other treatments)
Anticipated length of chiropractic care
For more details, please check out Schubbe’s full article provided in the References section.
References:
Schubbe, J. (2020, Feb. 26). What to Expect at the First Chiropractic Consultation. Veritas Health. https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/chiropractic/what-expect-first-chiropractic-consultation