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Initial Visit 1. Significant Health History Prior to meeting with your chiropractor, this office asks you to fill out a form that will provide the doctor with background information about your conditions, when they started and what were the noticeable symptoms. You may be asked to sign a release for your doctor to obtain a copy of your medical records from other practitioners. 2. Nervous System ScanSince your brain controls everything in your body through your spinal cord and its many connecting nerves we perform two separate nervous system scans. The first is a muscle tension scan which measures muscle imbalance and tension along the different spinal levels. The second is a thermal scan which measures imbalances in your skin temperature along each of the different spinal levels. Differences from level to level indicate nerve interference disrupting your brains ability to properly control bodily functions. 3. Physical Examination Now that you have finished your health history, you will most likely enter an examination or treatment room, where you will undergo a comprehensive physical examination. Chiropractors perform a lot of the usual tests that your family physician would. For example, surveys like blood pressure, pulse, reflexes and respiration. Your Chiropractor will also test particular neurological and orthopedic responses to gain information about the range of motion of the affected area, neurological consistency, muscle tone and strength. The Doctor of Chiropractic might possibly further examine you to better assess what diagnostic studies he will have to perform.
4. Diagnostic Study On some occasions, further studies will be needed in order to make a diagnosis. These studies could include x-rays, CT scans, MRI, blood work, urinalysis, or other diagnostic testing. The importance of these tests will be discussed with the patient, and a referral will be made to the proper facility to have the testing done. 5. DiagnosisThe final culmination of the history, examination and diagnostic studies results in a specific diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is established, the chiropractor will determine if the condition will react to chiropractic care. 6. Treatment Plan & Adjustment If your diagnosis calls for the care of a Chiropractor, he will then discuss with you a treatment plan (methods used), frequency of appointments, costs, helpful tips and a general description of your personal healing process. You might be capable of receiving an adjustment the same day. Your doctor will likely recommend a series of visits. Chiropractic, like most manual therapies, relies on repeated interventions over time to achieve  maximum effect. If you have any questions at all about the treatment plan, be sure to ask the doctor. If you don't begin to experience improvement within a week or two, raise the question of whether the treatment is working. If you are not seeing significant improvement within a month, consider seeking another kind of care, or a second opinion. If it is decided that your case is not one which will respond to conservative chiropractic care, a prompt referral will be given to an appropriate health care provider. Some conditions that do respond well to chiropractic care will also be recommended for co-management with another health care provider. This is done in those cases where the best treatment of the patient involves other forms of treatment in addition to chiropractic | | |
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