What to Expect at Your First Chiropractic Visit
Chiropractic Visits – What to Expect
Visiting a chiropractor for the first time can feel like a big step, especially if you’ve ever heard some of the common myths about chiropractic care. To help assuage some of that pre-visit stress, we’ve taken the time to explain how chiropractic treatment works at Advanced Spine & Sports Care, so you can know what to expect during your first and subsequent visits. This way, you can simply focus on getting better instead of focusing on any uncertainties.
Visit #1
Your first visit to Advanced Spine & Sports Care begins with a consult. We get to know your concerns, what brought you in, as well as your full medical history. This will then allow us to plan a logical treatment plan that is individualized and fitted to you and your specific needs.
Rarely do any adjustments occur during the first visit, but we often do passive physical therapy for pain control. This is done for the patient’s best interest to be sure we do all the necessary tests to determine the best course of treatment and that chiropractic care will be safe and effective for you.
Visit #2
On your second visit, we will go over the Report of Our findings. This is done in a very comprehensive manner; health concern by health concern. We’ll discuss possible treatment options and determine if chiropractic can help your problems. If we feel like chiropractic can help, we start with three consecutive adjustments in which we will monitor your process closely and work to formulate the best possible course of treatment. The first of the three adjustments will occur during this visit.
During this time, you’ll also meet with our financial coordinator for a “mini-consult” to discuss insurance and calculate your expected out-of-pocket costs.
Visit #3
On the third visit, the second adjustment takes place. This appointment is scheduled close to the first adjustment, and we aim to keep all variables constant at this time. For example, if you exercise, we want you to continue to exercise as normal. If you don’t, now isn’t the time to start. We want to see how your body responds to care when you are doing what is normal for you.
Visit #4
On the fourth visit, the third adjustment takes place. In conjunction with your initial imaging and lab results, these three adjustments help to establish the overall treatment plan and prognosis. During this visit, we discuss our revolutionary Four-Phase Approach to Functional Health Recovery that we have developed at Advanced Spine & Sports Care and how long each phase is expected to last. An overview of our Four-Phase Approach is outlined below:
Phase 1: Relief Phase
The Relief Phase is designed to decrease pain and inflammation. Generally speaking, this phase is most important to patients as it gets them across the pain threshold as quickly as possible and restores as much movement and flexibility as possible.
Phase 2: Correction Phase
During this phase, the pain should be gone or much improved. The focus is now on correcting problems discovered on the x-ray, like misalignments. You’ll also receive exercises to do at home to help support these corrections. These movements help to re-educate your neuromuscular pathways into proper positioning and alignment.
Phase 3: Strengthening Phase
Similar to physical therapy, this phase builds up your strength. Yet, instead of focusing on just the area of concern, we build up the strength of your entire body. This ensures that not only is the skeletal system in proper alignment, but the muscular system is strong enough to support it, allowing them to work together effectively. Treat symptoms locally but rehabilitate globally.
Phase 4: Supportive Phase
The fourth phase ensures all the time and effort into “feeling good” isn’t lost—it’s here that we work to maintain this progress. Patients graduate from patients to practice members, and we create lasting habits in diet, exercise, and overall health and wellness.
Also, during the fourth visit, we schedule time again with the financial coordinator to help map out the potential costs of the Four-Phase Approach. They are experts at understanding and navigating the potential pitfalls of insurance coverage, so you can understand your responsibilities in a clear and transparent way, allowing you to simply focus on getting better.
Conclusion
As you can see, chiropractic care isn’t a one-and-done treatment option. Chiropractic care is a process, or a spectrum of care, where we focus on the patient’s wellness as a whole. Just as you would routinely visit a dentist to maintain optimal tooth health, or regularly exercise in order to have a strong cardiovascular system, chiropractic is a lifestyle choice.
At Advanced Spine & Sports Care, we first work to fix the problem, then set the patient on a path of a healthier lifestyle for the long term.
To schedule your first appointment, simply click here.