What to Expect at Your First Chiropractic Appointment
Your first chiropractic appointment can be nerve-racking if you don’t know what to expect.
People like you commonly see chiropractors for lower back pain, neck pain, injuries, and chronic pain.
In fact, about 4.7 million Canadians visit a chiropractor each year!
Chiropractors are trained to treat different conditions to reduce pain and increase mobility to improve your overall function.
It’s common to have many expectations and questions if you’re going to see a chiropractor for the first time.
- You could be wondering if the treatment is painful?
- Maybe you’re wondering what the assessment is like?
- Or you could be wondering if they’re going to crack your back?
These questions are common and completely normal to have. Here’s what you can expect to happen during your first visit to a chiropractor.
Before Your First Chiropractic Appointment
How Do I Choose a Good Chiropractor?
There are many chiropractors out there for you to choose from.
In fact, there’s about 9,000 licensed chiropractic doctors currently practicing in Canada!
To choose a chiropractor make sure that your chiropractor is registered with their provincial college.
All registered chiropractors have a minimum of 4,200 hours of training in learning about and treating different musculoskeletal conditions, which are conditions pertaining to our muscle, joints and spine.
However, some chiropractors seek out additional training and courses in different areas so that they can help you better.
For example, some chiropractors have extra training in helping patients start or return to active lifestyles or helping patients manage conditions like lumbar stenosis, osteoarthritis, and pre- and post-natal conditions.
Before officially choosing a chiropractor, some people like to conduct an initial interview with the chiropractor.
Some clinics, like our clinic at PhysioPlus Health, even offer a free phone call to discuss your issue and provide you with honest advice about your chiropractic treatment options.
What Should I Wear to My Chiropractic Appointment?
Comfortable clothes are recommended for any visit to the chiropractor.
Try your best to wear loose and athletic clothes which make it easy for your chiropractor to assess and treat your areas of concern.
Some examples include loose fitting sweatpants that can be rolled up, athletic shorts, t-shirts, and athletic tank tops.
At Your First Chiropractic Appointment
Patient Interview
At your first visit, you can expect the chiropractor to ask you questions and conduct assessments to get to know you and your condition.
The goals of the initial assessment are to:
- get to know YOU as a patient
- begin finding the ROOT cause of your problem
- go through your recommended treatment PLAN with you.
Your chiropractor will start by asking you more about your symptoms, such as questions about when it started, things that make it worse, and things that make it better.
You will also be asked questions about your medical history such as any pre-existing conditions, medical history that runs in your family, and previous injuries.
It’s important that you answer these questions honestly and truthfully so that the chiropractor can begin creating a treatment plan that is effective and considers all aspects of your health.
Patient Assessment
After your chiropractor asks you these questions about your health, they’ll move on to the physical part of the assessment.
The chiropractor might take some measures of your general health, including blood pressure, pulse, and reflexes.
They might also do specific tests to look at your range of motion, your muscle strength, and your neurological system.
Your chiropractor will also look at your posture and observe some of your functional movements, like your walk and the specific movements of your affected body part.
They’ll focus on the body part that’s bothering you, but they’ll also look at your body as a whole since everything in your body is connected.
Findings and Treatment Plan Discussion
After the assessment, the chiropractor will let you know about their findings and their diagnosis for you.
Then, they will also discuss your treatment plan with you.
A common treatment that patients get at the chiropractor’s office is a chiropractic adjustment.
An adjustment is used when a chiropractor notices that one of the bones in your spine isn’t functioning properly.
The chiropractor will apply a quick and typically painless thrust to your body with their hands.
This adjustment might come with a “popping” sound, but don’t be alarmed! There’s fluid that lubricates and surrounds your bones to help them move better. This popping sound is just when the air bubbles within the fluid “pop” after the joint is moved.
Some patients report instant relief after an adjustment, however, for other patients, it takes several sessions. Your results will vary depending on what condition you have, how severe it is, and other factors impacting your health.
See what this might look like below!
Other types of treatment that might be included in your treatment plan might include any of the following:
- Active Release Therapy (ART)
- Soft tissue therapy
- Exercise
- Lifestyle modification counseling
- Acupuncture
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
- Ultrasound therapy
- Laser therapy
In addition, your chiropractor could have had additional training in other techniques that could improve your condition which they will also discuss with you!
After Your First Chiropractic Appointment
If your chiropractor did an adjustment on you, there’s a small chance that you could experience some muscle soreness.
This muscle soreness is normal as it gets used to this new type of alignment and treatment, but it shouldn’t last long. Some things you can do to improve the discomfort include light stretching, self-massage, applying ice, and using a heat pad.
At your next appointment, the chiropractor will follow-up on how you felt after the initial appointment so that they can make any changes to your treatment plan if necessary.
The chiropractor will also be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about your condition and your chiropractic treatment.
I’m Ready to See a Chiropractor!
Seeing a chiropractor could be the answer to solve your discomfort once and for all.
Our chiropractor, Dr. Jeff Belgue has many years of experience in treating patients for a wide variety of issues.
He’s a certified acupuncture provider, has additional training in active release techniques, and most importantly, has helped many patients get back to an active and pain-free way of living.
Hopefully, some of your questions have been answered about what a chiropractic appointment is like and you’re ready to move onto the next step of your health journey.
Book an appointment with our chiropractor Dr. Jeff Belgue today! We’re excited to help you eliminate your pain, restore your movement, and return back to the activities you love to do.
This blog was written by Anna Zheng, a Physiotherapy student at the University of Toronto
Frequently Asked Questions
Are chiropractors doctors?
Chiropractors are healthcare professionals that have completed the required education and requirements to be a member of the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO).
As members of the CCO, chiropractors are considered doctors of chiropractic care.
They are not medical doctors, but have completed extensive training in order to be able to treat issues to your body and have the rights to use the title doctor.
What research has been done on chiropractic care?
Chiropractic care is an area of treatment based on science and highly researched evidence-based information.
Chiropractic adjustments have been extensively researched both in Canada and internationally as a safe and effective treatment for many different conditions and injuries.
Chiropractors combine validated evidence-based research with their clinical reasoning to provide the best treatment to solve your problem.