What to expect on your first visit

​Your chiropractor may be treating your back pain, neck pain, headache, or other aches and pains, but he or she needs a complete picture of your health history and overall current health in order to provide the best possible treatment for you.
On your first visit, your chiropractor may ask about the following:

• What brought you to see the chiropractor
• How your condition is affecting you, and what are you trying to achieve by seeing a chiropractor
• Personal and family medical history
• Major illnesses you have experienced
• Surgeries or operations you have had
• Medications you are taking
• A description of your present condition
• The steps you have taken to manage your condition
• Your diet and exercise
• Your sleeping habits, daily activities, work routine, stress level, and home life

It is a good idea to wear comfortable clothes and shoes for your visit to the chiropractor. Your chiropractor may perform some of these tests:

• A check of your blood pressure, pulse and breathing
• A test of your reflexes, strength and sensations
• Orthopedic tests
• An analysis of your posture
• An X-ray of your spine
• An analysis of your movement — he/she will observe how you walk, turn, bend or lift things, as well as how your body moves in the affected area
• A hands-on evaluation of how well your spine moves, identifying restrictions and areas of improper motion

Tip: Bring a copy of any X-rays or radiology reports you have. These assessments give your chiropractor a better picture of your complete health. He or she will make a diagnosis, prescribe a course of treatment, and once the matter of informed consent has been discussed, treatment usually begins.
Your chiropractor will recommend a course of treatment specific to you that may also include mobilization of the joints, soft tissue therapy, electro-therapies such as ultrasound, and therapeutic exercises. Chiropractors may also provide nutritional counseling, and recommend rehabilitation and injury prevention strategies. Your chiropractor will discuss any treatment options with you so that you can collaboratively decide together on the best course of action for you.
If your chiropractor diagnoses a condition more appropriately treated by another health care professional, he or she will make a referral.

​Common Musculoskeletal Conditions Treated 

​Chiropractic has provided effective relief to millions of individuals suffering from back and neck ailments. Chiropractic has also provided relief from many other musculoskeletal complaints ranging from knee and ankle problems to carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow. In fact, musculoskeletal pain or discomfort in any area of the spine or extremity is a candidate for safe, natural, noninvasive chiropractic care. If a condition exists which is better suited for treatment by a medical specialist, chiropractors are fully trained to identify such conditions and make the appropriate referral. However, most patients suffering from musculoskeletal complaints can and are successfully treated with chiropractic every single day.
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Common musculoskeletal conditions treated:

• low back pain and stiffness
• neck and upper back pain and stiffness
• mid back pain and stiffness
• headaches and migraines
• leg pain, weakness, numbness and tingling
• arm pain, weakness, numbness and tingling
• extremity joint pain and dysfunction
• carpal tunnel syndrome   

​Common Injuries Treated 

​Chiropractors commonly treat all types of injuries and recognize the unique findings associated with each. For example, it's important to understand that auto injuries often involve a delayed onset of symptoms which commonly surface weeks and even months post-accident. In work injuries, chiropractors routinely look beyond the actual injury and address such things as work station setup, ergonomically correct equipment, and proper work techniques. For sports injuries, chiropractors often check for biomechanical and muscle imbalances as a routine part of the treatment plan. Treating the whole person and optimizing health is what chiropractic is all about.
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Common injuries treated:

• automobile accident and whiplash injuries
• on-the-job and lifting injuries
• sports/athletic injuries
• slip and fall injuries
• chronic injuries   

​Non-Musculoskeletal Conditions Treated 

​In addition to musculoskeletal problems, chiropractic treatments have also been shown to benefit many individuals suffering from "medical" ailments such as chronic ear infections in children, menstrual pain and irregularities in women, and arthritis in the elderly. Although chiropractic care is not a specific form of treatment for such conditions, research has shown that many "medical" conditions can be caused or aggravated by irritation to spinal nerve roots which share an intimate relationship with the spinal structures. By restoring proper nerve functioning by normalizing spinal structure and function, we believe some individuals suffering from these "medical" ailments can obtain partial and in some cases, full relief.
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Non-musculoskeletal conditions which studies have shown benefit from chiropractic:

• asthma
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• dizziness and dysequilibrium
• dysmenorrhea
• infantile colic
• low energy levels
• otitis media (ear infection)
• ulcers   

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