WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FIRST VISIT

Case History

At your initial consultation we will want to have a detailed conversation about your current condition and your past medical history, as well as general health and lifestyle questions.

Some questions may seem irrelevant but they all help towards reaching a diagnosis and deciding whether Chiropractic is the right treatment for you.

Physical Examination

After taking your history, we will move on to a thorough examination to assess your range of movement, posture and how well your musculoskeletal system is working. The examination will also include various orthopaedic and neurological tests.

A gown is available for you to wear during your examination and any subsequent treatments.

Report of Findings

By this stage we should have gathered enough information to tell you what the problem is and what we can do to help you. If your condition is appropriate for Chiropractic treatment we will explain what the treatment will be, how long it is likely to take for you to recover, how many treatments you may need and how much the treatment costs.

You may have some questions of your own too, or things that are concerning you, so please do not hesitate to ask if you have something on your mind.

Treatment

In most cases treatment will commence at your first visit. Chiropractors use their hands to perform safe, specific adjustments to free up joints in the spine or other areas of the body that aren’t moving properly. The adjustment is a type of manipulation that involves a quick precise thrust and often results in an audible ‘pop’ or ‘crack’ (that’s just the sound of gas bubbles popping in the fluid of the joint as the pressure changes). The adjustment helps to free the restricted joint and relieve the irritation of the surrounding tissues. Healing takes place over a number of weeks, especially if you have been living with your problem for a long time.

Treatment may also include massage of the soft tissues, stretching, and ultrasound. In addition you may be advised on the use of heat or icepacks and rehabilitative exercises at home.

When your symptoms have eased, we often recommend that you attend for periodic check-ups to help prevent a relapse of your condition and maintain your general well-being.

Does it Hurt?

Often the treatment will begin to relieve your symptoms straight away. However there is no ‘instant cure’, particularly for long term cases. Some patients will experience a little soreness or tenderness around the area that has been treated, and if there is already a lot of inflammation it may appear to worsen in the short term. If you have any concerns about your treatment or need to speak to us before your next appointment please call…….we are here to help you.

What are the Risks?

There are very few risks with Chiropractic. Apart from a little localised tenderness, serious side effects are very uncommon. Very rarely, neck manipulation has been linked to strokes, although research shows that Chiropractic is one of the safest and most effective forms of treatment there is.