Prepare Your Info and Queries Accordingly Before Your First Visit with a Chiropractor

Whether it’s whiplash or chronic back pain crying out for a treatment, you can rely on a chiropractor to find the most appropriate treatment for your condition. The practice of chiropractic involves spinal manipulation to encourage blood flow and circulation. It also releases any pinched nerves that may be causing excruciating pain.

Before your first chiropractic appointment, you must prepare some information and pertinent documents to assist your chiropractor and maximize your results from the treatment. Heed the following tips to allow the chiropractor to fully identify your problem and apply the treatment that will ensure a successful result.

Prepare Your Medical History

When consulting with your chiropractor, don't only discuss your current pains or ailments. Also inform your chiropractor of any previous injuries. Cases of osteoarthritis, for example, should be divulged accordingly so that the chiropractor can prescribe a treatment that is safe, given such condition. Also bring or relay your prescriptions and their dosages.

As for your main complaint, the pain or injury prompting your visit, indicate exactly when the pain or discomfort started. Try to identify the central location of the pain as well as the other areas affected by it. Describe the degree or severity of the pain you feel when it occurs. Take note as well of any activities that trigger or contribute to the pain.

Physical Exam

As part of the diagnostics and assessment, you will undergo a series of physical tests so that the chiropractor can gain a clear picture of what needs targeting. Wear comfortable clothing for all the testing, X-ray and otherwise. In particular instances, an MRI may be recommended by your chiropractor.

These exams can inform the chiropractor of such issues as subluxations and where they are located. Another device can detect possible areas of concern based on the temperature of the skin, which may substantiate the need for a manipulation.

Other Things to Expect

Don’t be scared if you hear a popping noise while your chiropractor is fixing a subluxation. Patients commonly misinterpret the pop as the sound of bones cracking. However, these popping sounds emanate from air bubbles trapped in between the joints or discs affected by the subluxation. The popping bubbles pose no threat or harm. They simply indicate a movement within the treated portion of your musculoskeletal system.

Once you are prepared for a chiropractic visit, seek a reliable, certified chiropractic treatment center, such as Accident Care Chiropractic & Massage of Salem, which can provide you relief from constant and chronic pain.

Sources:

What to Expect at the First Chiropractic Consultation. Spine-Health.com.
Chiropractic Adjustment: How You Prepare. MayoClinic.org.

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.