What Can I Expect on My First Visit?

The first thing that a chiropractor will do is ask you about the health complaints about which you are chiefly concerned. The doctor will also ask you about your family history, dietary habits, other care you may have had (chiropractic, osteopathic, physiotherapy, medical, etc.) your job, and other questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness and the best way to go about treating the problem.

A physical examination will be performed in accordance with your DC’s clinical judgment, which may include x-rays, laboratory analysis and other diagnostic procedures. In addition, a careful spinal overview and analysis will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities that may be affective or causing your condition. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to the doctor in evaluating your chief complaint.

An “adjustment,” is a term used to describe what a doctor performs to correct vertebral subluxations. The definition of a subluxation is the condition of a vertebra which has lost it’s proper position with the vertebra above, below or both to the extent where it impinges nerves and interferes with the proper function of mental impulses. Chiropractors spend 4 years of learning motion palpation (the art of examining by movement or touch) and other forms of spinal examining procedures, so that they can administer specific and appropriate spinal adjustments.

The chiropractic adjustment is usually given by hand or by and activator and consists of applying pressure to the areas of the spine that are out of alignment or that do not move properly within their normal range of motion. There are many unique ways of adjusting the spine with various techniques and specific procedures. Your doctor will determine what types of adjustments are specific for your needs.

Under normal circumstances, adjustments do not hurt. The patient may experience a minor discomfort during the adjustment if they are resistant or swollen, however this discomfort only lasts a few seconds until the vertebra lies in its proper place.

Chiropractic is the number 1 choice of alternative medicine. It is most widely recognized for providing drug-free, non-surgical management of low back and neck pain as well as of headaches and organic problems.