First-Time WA Chiropractic Visit

When people come to a chiropractic clinic for the first time, they may not know what to expect. Chiropractic visits are a little bit different from a regular doctor’s office visit. At Wall Family Chiropractic, we strive to ensure that our patients are as comfortable as possible. And that starts with informing patients of knowing what to expect. In this article, we’ll cover your first chiropractic appointment from start to finish.

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What to Expect at a Chiropractor Appointment

1. Schedule Your Appointment

To set up an appointment for your initial visit, call our office and schedule a time for whenever works best for you. You may be asked some questions over the phone so that we can better prepare to meet and address any concerns you may have. Without taking this first step, you won’t be able to have your first chiropractic appointment! You can either call us or fill out our new patient form on our website.

2. Preparing For Your Appointment

Before arriving to your chiropractor appointment, there are things you can do beforehand to prepare. 

• Wear comfortable clothing that’s easy to move around in and relax in. This will make treatment and examination easier. 
• Write down the symptoms that you are experiencing. Note symptoms when they occur, and their intensity. Even seemingly small issues could be signs of a bigger problem. It’s easy to forget things when you’re nervous, and we want to help you as best as possible. 
• Make a list of previous injuries or health problems. (Including any car or work accidents you may have been involved in.) Past experiences may affect your current condition. 
• Bring a list of medications (or just remember them if you don’t have too many). This includes prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements, and more. 
• Remember to bring your insurance card and information. Sometimes insurance will cover chiropractic treatment!
• Lastly, make sure to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time so that you can fill out any necessary paperwork. Before seeing the chiropractor, you will have to fill out forms about your current health and history, recovery goals, and more. 

3. Consultation

Next, you’ll go back to see the chiropractor. They will have a one-on-one conversation with you to better understand you as a person and the symptoms you are dealing with. This is when you should pull out those lists you wrote. You should plan on discussing your health history, past injuries, health issues, your job, your activity level, and more with the chiropractor. 

Tell the chiropractor about your symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, numbness, etcetera. Say when the symptoms started, and describe them in detail. Do certain situations make your symptoms worse? All of this information can help the chiropractor properly diagnose and treat your condition. Don’t leave anything out, even if it may be embarrassing. Chiropractors are professionals who treat patients for a wide range of conditions.

4. Physical Exam

After speaking with you, the chiropractor will want to conduct a health examination of your body. This exam is designed to determine whether any physical issues may be causing your symptoms. This exam can take between 15 minutes and an hour. 

• The chiropractor may start by taking your vital signs, such as your respiratory rate, pulse, and blood pressure. 
• Part of the physical exam includes evaluating a person’s gait and posture. Analyzing these will help the chiropractor identify potential spinal misalignments. 
• The chiropractor may perform reflex tests, gently striking specific tendons to test involuntary muscle contractions. Reflexes can indicate spine and nerve health. 
• Range-of-motion tests are used to see how far a patient is able to bend and twist. This measures joint mobility and shows if there are flexibility or stiffness problems. 
• Muscle strength and tone tests can show if a patient has any abnormal weakness or imbalances. 
• The physical exam may include palpation, where the chiropractor uses their hands to assess the spine and muscles. This method can help find painful or misaligned areas. 

5. Diagnostic Imaging

If the chiropractor suspects that your condition is serious, they may do diagnostic imaging to verify. X-rays can visualize bone structure, helping the chiropractor identify joint or vertebral degeneration, subluxations, fractures, and more. MRIs and CT scans can provide detailed images of soft tissues and nerves. Not every patient is going to need these scans done, however.

6. Treatment Plan

Based on the information that your chiropractor gathered, they will create a personal treatment plan for you. This will usually include spinal adjustments, stretches, strengthening exercises, and massage therapy. The personalized plan will include health goals.

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Schedule A Chiropractic Appointment

To set up your first chiropractic appointment, reach out to Wall Family Chiropractic. Our experts will help you through the healing process so that you can be your best, healthiest self. Your initial visit is an important first step towards pain relief. Hopefully, this article helped you feel more prepared.

Don’t wait, schedule an appointment today!

Summary & FAQ’s

Your chiropractor will determine whether or not you need an X-ray or an MRI scan. There are a variety of factors that go into the decision, including injuries, symptoms, and the type of accident that they were involved in. X-rays are effective for seeing skeletal issues, while MRI scans are better at seeing soft tissues.