new patient Dealing with pain
If you have never been to a chiropractor or you're new to our clinic these are a few things to guide your expectations.
You can start by booking your visit online below and filling out a few simple health history questions.
Not ready for that yet?
Then try the Free Discovery Visit option and we can chat about what you’re dealing with and other options available.
Initial exam/first visit
After dropping off your new patient information we will look into every comment you make to help guide our exam. Then after taking a full history, we will begin the exam. The exam can include things like orthopedic tests (used to find dysfunction), range of motion, movements screens, neurologic exam, palpation, etc. In the exam we are looking for clues as to what caused the pain, because often times the source of the pain and cause of pain are two different regions.
The exam, most often, will include the SFMA. The SFMA will give us an idea for how the system is being affected by the pain and/or causing the pain. This assessment will pinpoint areas of dysfunction, whether it is joint, soft tissue, or a motor control deficit.
The first day is all about the evaluation. You should expect to spend about an hour with the doctor. The reason we don't (typically) treat the first visit is we want to review your information and the notes we've made to get the best course of action.
The second visit we dive further into your specific problem and begin treating the dysfunction.
Pain Relief
Often times patients' pain will resolve rather quickly. This can actually be problematic, as the patient tends to think the treatment is complete. This is not the case. Removing pain only allows us to further treat the underlying cause of the pain.
People move different in pain (i.e. when we stub our toe we limp or if our low back is flared up we need items to help go from seated to standing). When we move different it is often referred to as a compensation. Compensations lead to overuse and that leads to dysfunction and potential injury. So it is imperative that we remove pain so that we can begin to retrain an improved movemement pattern.
Each visit you can expect to spend about 15-45 mins with the doctor. Throughout your care we teach you techniques to do at home to further improve your tissue integrity and movement intelligence. Things like how to effectively roll, stretch, and activate certain muscle groups.
corrective exercises and release
Daily active care is typically required for long term relief.
As we progress you out of pain and into our performance/wellness treatments, you'll continue to learn self-care techniques that will keep you feeling like you should.
When coming in for a visit please consider the clothes you are wearing. We often do movement analysis in the exam and would ask that you have on something that allows you to move well and without embarrassment (skirts, jeans, and certain tops are advised against).