Going to a Chiropractor is Just like Visiting Any Other Doctor
A chiropractor is a specialized health care professional who focuses on the mechanical function and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Visiting a chiropractor usually involves a form of spinal realignment as chiropractor’s focus on maintaining the structural integrity of the spine. However, chiropractors offer more services and provide a variety of therapeutic services to relieve bodily pain.
Before Your Chiropractic Appointment
Before you make an appointment with a chiropractor, many people like to make a phone call to the office and learn more about that particular chiropractor’s philosophy for treatment. While not required, this phone call can be extremely beneficial as there are several chiropractic schools of thought and it allows you to ask any and all questions you may have. If you don’t agree with that chiropractor’s philosophy for treatment or want another opinion to compare, call another chiropractor in your area.
At the Appointment
When you finally get to your appointment, there are a few essential steps to ensure a successful first visit.
1. Patient History
When you walk into the waiting room, you will probably be asked to complete a medical history with your family medical records, your pre-existing conditions, medications, and treatments, along with all past and current health providers. Outside of the standard medical questionnaire, you will be asked to complete a portion specific to a chiropractic consultation. It will ask for your reason for the visit along with a variety of specific questions to the pains you are experiencing. Some questions you might be asked are:
- When and how did the pain start?
- Where is the source of pain?
- What kind of pain is it- sharp, dull, throbbing, stabbing?
- Is it constant or does the pain come and go?
- Is it a result of an injury?
2. Chiropractor’s Exam
After you’ve gone into the examination room, a standard set of medical exams will be performed. This includes checking blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and reflexes. The next part of the exam will be specific for chiropractic treatment and involve a series of orthopedic and neurological tests. This includes checking muscle tone, muscle strength, range of motion, and nerve integrity. Further testing, like posture analysis, may be needed to accurately diagnose the source of pain.
3. Further Diagnostic Testing
If the chiropractor’s exam isn’t extensive enough to find the cause of pain, your chiropractor may want to conduct further tests, like an X-ray or an MRI. These tests would be able to easily identify structural abnormalities causing pain. These extra tests are not always necessary as the chiropractic exam is very thorough and is usually enough to create an individualized treatment program.
4. Patient Diagnosis
After your chiropractor conducts all the tests and research they need require, they will tell you what they think is causing your pain and whether or not it will respond to chiropractic care. If it will, then your chiropractor will tell you your individualized course of treatment and the expected length of treatment. The most typical treatments involve spinal adjustment and joint realignment but could also involve electric muscle stimulation, orthotics, heat and ice, or a change in diet.
Be sure to ask for your diagnosis and treatment information written down so you can go home, think about it, conduct your own research, or see another chiropractor for a second opinion.
Visiting a Chiropractor in Dallas Can Greatly Improve Wellness
Seeing a chiropractor isn’t scary and can have great benefits for your health. A chiropractor can alleviate pain from injury or any number of conditions with minimal discomfort. There are several chiropractic schools of thought so if you don’t agree with your chiropractor’s course of treatment, visit another chiropractor and ask about their philosophy.