What Happens at Your First Chiropractic Appointment in Edmonton?
If you’ve never been to a chiropractor before, you may not know what to expect. If you have been to a different chiropractors office, they may have different procedures.
I’m sure you have questions, and rest assured, that you’ve come to the right place!
You may be wondering if you get adjusted right away? Will you need X-rays? Will the chiropractor be able to tell what is causing your pain? And how do you know if chiropractic care is even the right treatment for you?
At Riverbend Chiropractic & Wellness, your first appointment starts with understanding you and your problem.
We take the time to learn what brought you in, perform an appropriate assessment, explain what we find, and recommend the next steps based on your individual needs.
Here’s what you can expect during your first chiropractic appointment in Edmonton.
What should I bring to my first chiropractic appointment?
First thing first, is to fill out your intake form.
When you scheduled your appointment, you should have received an email with the intake form. If you can’t fill them out online (or don’t want to), we also have a paper version you can fill out before your appointment in the office.
In your intake form we ask a few types of questions. Demographic, and contact information. The usual things. Name, address, numbers, personal health number, etc.
It is also important to know of any health issues, or conditions that you are dealing with. We ask about past and current medical conditions,medications, history of surgeries and procedures, imaging history.
We do have access to Netcare, which means that we can review any of your imaging or lab results that have been done in Alberta with you.
What to Wear?
During your first visit with us (and future visits), we will likely be performing therapeutic treatment. This means you will be moving around, and we will be moving you around. Pressing in some areas, pulling in other areas, and we may be using various types of equipment to help you recover.
With all of this movement, we recommend wearing loose comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely.
Sometimes we also need to expose an area that we are addressing. For example, if you have a knee concern, we will likely need to examine and touch your knee! This means we need to be able to get to your knee. Shorts would be a great option here.
The most important part of your visit is that we ask you to come prepared to tell us what you’re experiencing and what you want to get back to doing.
Maybe your back pain is keeping you from golfing.
Maybe your neck pain is making it difficult to work at your computer.
Maybe your knee hurts when you climb stairs.
Those details matter because treatment shouldn’t just be about making a painful spot feel better. We want to understand how your problem is affecting your life, so we can help make your life better, too!
What happens during your first chiropractic appointment?
Every patient is different, so there isn’t a single checklist that we use for everyone.
Your appointment will generally include several important steps.
We start with a conversation
Before we start testing or treating anything, we want to hear your story.
We’ll ask questions such as:
- What brought you in?
- Where are you feeling your symptoms?
- When did they start?
- Did anything happen to cause them?
- What makes them better or worse?
- Have you experienced this problem before?
- What treatments have you already tried?
- How is it affecting your work, sleep, exercise or daily activities?
- What would you like to be able to do again?
A good conversation (also known as a ‘history’) gives us 70-90% of the information we need to make a diagnosis.
For example, there is a big difference between someone who developed back pain after lifting a heavy box yesterday and someone who has had recurring back pain for five years.
Understanding that difference helps us determine what we need to look at next.
We perform an appropriate assessment
Next, we’ll examine the area causing you trouble and look at how your body is functioning.
Depending on your symptoms, this may include things such as:
- Range-of-motion testing
- Orthopaedic testing
- Neurological testing
- Strength testing
- Reflexes and sensation
- Movement assessment
- Joint and soft-tissue examination
- Postural or biomechanical assessment
Not every patient needs the exact same examination.
Your assessment will be based on your symptoms, your history and your goals.
The purpose isn’t simply to find something that feels tight or doesn’t move perfectly. The goal is to gather enough information to understand what may be contributing to your problem and determine what should happen next to help you reach your goals.
We determine whether chiropractic care is appropriate
This is an important part of your first appointment.
We want you to receive the right care at the right time.
Chiropractic treatment may not be right for you, and if it isn’t, we will know!
Sometimes further diagnostic imaging, such as X-Ray, ultrasound, or bone scans are what is indicated next. For example, if we are thinking that you may have a fracture, we need to get an X-Ray first.
Sometimes the chiropractor will refer you to your medical doctor.
Our job is to help you understand your options and make sure you’re receiving appropriate care.
If we think you need something outside our scope of practice, we’ll tell you.
We explain what we've found
One of the most important parts of your first appointment is making sure you understand what’s going on. That is to say, what is causing your pain ‘your diagnosis’, and WHY it is there.
We’ll explain our findings in plain language and answer your questions.
You should leave with a better understanding of:
- What may be contributing to your symptoms
- What we’re concerned about, if anything
- What we’re not concerned about
- Whether further investigation is needed
- What treatment options may be appropriate
- What you can do at home
You shouldn’t need a medical dictionary to understand your treatment plan.
If something doesn’t make sense, ask.
We create a plan around you
Once we’ve completed the assessment, we’ll discuss what makes sense moving forward.
Your plan may include chiropractic treatment, soft-tissue therapy, acupuncture, rehabilitation exercises or other appropriate services.
The exact approach depends on your problem and your goals.
For some people, the goal may be getting through the workday without pain.
For someone else, it may be returning to running, lifting weights, playing with their kids or getting back on the golf course.
Your treatment plan should reflect what you want your body to be able to do.
And your plan isn’t set in stone.
As you improve, we reassess and adjust the plan based on how you’re responding.
Will I get adjusted on my first visit?
We treat our patients on their first visit, 99% of the time.
Most patients do receive treatment during their first appointment, but it isn’t something we automatically do with everyone.
Whether treatment is appropriate depends on what we find during your assessment.
Sometimes it’s reasonable to begin treatment right away.
Sometimes we need additional information first.
And sometimes the best first step is a referral or further investigation.
If an adjustment is appropriate, we’ll explain what we’re doing and why.
You can also ask questions or tell us if you’re uncomfortable with any part of the treatment.
Do I need X-rays before seeing a chiropractor?
No.
X-rays and other imaging aren’t automatically required for every person with spine, joint, or nerve pain.
The good news?
If you require imaging, your chiropractor is able to provide you with a requisition to get the appropriate X-Ray and or other imaging that is required.
These requirements are largely dependent on your history, symptoms and examination findings.
Does chiropractic treatment hurt?
A chiropractic assessment shouldn’t be something you have to simply “tough out.”
Some examination tests may reproduce familiar symptoms because we’re trying to understand what is causing them. We’ll explain what we’re doing and monitor how you respond.
Some treatments can also result in temporary soreness, similar to what you might experience after exercise.
If something hurts or doesn’t feel right during treatment, tell us.
Communication is part of good care.
And one more thing, if you don’t want the chiropractor to do something, just tell them! We always work with you, and within your comfort zone.
How long does a first chiropractic appointment take?
Your first appointment generally takes longer than a typical follow-up visit because there is more to cover.
We need time to discuss your history, perform an assessment, explain our findings and determine an appropriate plan.
We don’t want you to feel rushed through the process.
Generally speaking however, we set aside 30-40 minutes for your initial visit.
What happens after your first chiropractic appointment?
Once you’ve completed your first visit, you’ll have a clear idea of three things:
1) What is causing your problem.
2) What needs to happen to resolve your problem.
3) How much time, effort and money that may be required.
Depending on your situation, that could include:
Treatment: Chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, dry needling, shockwave and other treatment may be used when appropriate.
Rehabilitation: Exercises can help improve strength, mobility, coordination and your ability to return to the activities you enjoy.
Further investigation: If your symptoms require additional investigation, we can help determine the appropriate next step.
Reassessment: Your progress should be monitored rather than assuming that the same treatment will work forever.
The goal is to give you a plan. We won’t leave you wondering what you’re supposed to do next.
What makes Riverbend Chiropractic & Wellness different?
Aside from having one of the few Chiropractic Orthopaedic Specialists in town, at Riverbend, we believe good chiropractic care starts with listening, and providing a thorough assessment.
We’re not interested in giving every person the same treatment simply because that’s what we did for the last patient.
Your history, examination, goals and response to care all matter.
Our approach combines chiropractic care with rehabilitation and other evidence-informed treatment options. When a problem requires something outside the clinic, we can also help connect you with the appropriate healthcare professional or further investigation.
Most importantly, we want you to understand why we’re recommending something and how it fits into your goals.
You don’t need to know exactly what’s wrong before you walk through the door.
That’s what your first appointment is for.
Ready to book your first chiropractic appointment in Edmonton?
If you’ve been dealing with back pain, neck pain, headaches…any spine, joint or nerve concerns, we’d be happy to help you understand what’s going on and what your options are.
Book your assessment with Riverbend Chiropractic & Wellness and take the first step toward getting back to what you love doing.