Nervous about your first chiropractic appointment? Knowing what to expect at your first chiropractic visit can make the process much easier.
At Lake Street Chiropractic in St. Catharines, we understand that most people don’t schedule their first chiropractic appointment simply because they want an adjustment. You may be dealing with pain or stiffness affecting your neck, back, head, shoulders, knees or feet—and maybe it has started to interfere with your work, sports, exercise, sleep, or everyday life.
Our goal from your first visit is to make you feel welcome, understood, and confident that your concerns are being thoroughly assessed.
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, we use an integrated chiropractic assessment to identify the factors that may be contributing to your pain or discomfort. We then determine which combination of treatments may be appropriate for you.
Your First Chiropractic Visit: What to Expect
We understand that taking the first step toward chiropractic care can sometimes come with questions or apprehension. You may be wondering:
- Will chiropractic treatment help me?
- Will the examination hurt?
- Will I need an adjustment?
- What is causing my pain?
- Will I need X-rays?
- How long will it take to feel better?
- Will I receive treatment at my first chiropractic visit?
Our first priority is to listen to your concerns and make you feel comfortable.
You’ll Be Welcomed by Our Friendly Staff and Complete Your Health Questionnaire
When you arrive at Lake Street Chiropractic, you’ll be greeted by our welcoming and friendly team.
Before your consultation begins, you’ll complete a comprehensive health questionnaire. This typically takes approximately 10 minutes and can be completed online before your appointment.
If you have not submitted the forms online, our staff will provide you with the questionnaire to complete before the appointment begins.
Your health history provides important information about your current concerns, previous injuries, medical history, lifestyle, and other factors that may be relevant to your care.
Once we have reviewed your questionnaire, we’ll have a better understanding of where to focus during your consultation and examination.
A Thorough Chiropractic Consultation
Next, you’ll be brought into our consultation and examination room for a detailed discussion about your concerns with Dr. Geron Cowherd, DC.
We want to understand more than simply where you hurt.
We’ll discuss:
- What brought you into the clinic
- When symptoms began
- How symptoms affect everyday life
- Previous injuries or problems
- Your work and activities
- Sports and exercise
- What makes symptoms better or worse
- Health history
- Goals for care
Often, people seek help when a problem has progressed to the point where it starts interfering with something important—whether that’s working, playing sports, exercising, caring for your family, or simply enjoying everyday activities. Understanding how your problem affects your life helps us develop a more complete picture.
An Integrated Chiropractic Examination
After your consultation, we’ll perform a thorough physical and chiropractic examination.
This isn’t simply about looking at one painful area. We’ll assess how different parts of your body are functioning and how they may be contributing to your symptoms.
Depending on your concerns, your examination will typically include assessing:
- Posture and alignment
- Walking and gait
- Vertebral alignment and motion
- Spinal joint movement
- Muscle tightness and strength
- Nerve irritation or compression
- Neck and low back mobility or range of motion
- Shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, and foot movement
- Movement patterns
We use palpation touch to identify areas of muscle tension, restricted movement, or joint dysfunction.
Why Do We Look at Your Gait?
Your walking pattern can provide valuable information. The way your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and pelvis move can influence the alignment and movement of the rest of your body, including your spine. We do a visual or computer gait analysis.
Will You Need X-Rays?
After your examination, we’ll determine whether X-rays or radiographs may provide additional information that is important for your care. Looking at the spine or other joints provides valuable information on the degree of joint degeneration (arthritis) and helps rule out other potential issues.
Not every patient requires imaging. If we believe X-rays would be helpful in understanding your condition or determining the appropriate approach to care, we’ll provide you with a requisition and direct you to one of the local imaging centres we work with.
In many cases, you can have your X-rays completed immediately following your first appointment. We have access to the images once they are taken, allowing us to review the information as part of your overall assessment.
Treatment at Your First Chiropractic Visit
Treatment begins when appropriate. Depending on your individual situation and the findings of your examination, some treatment may be appropriate during your initial visit.
This could include techniques such as:
Active Release Technique® (ART)
Active Release Technique® is a hands-on soft tissue treatment approach that focuses on muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.
ART may be incorporated when tight, restricted, or irritated soft tissues are contributing to your symptoms or limiting movement.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture may be recommended as part of an integrated approach depending on your condition and individual needs.
Acupuncture is often used in acute, very painful issues before traditional chiropractic adjustments are appropriate.
Following your first chiropractic visit, home care instructions will be provided for sleep, movement, icing and light stretching.
The most important factor is that your care is based on your individual examination findings—not a predetermined treatment plan.
Your Return Visit: Report of Findings
At your first return visit, we will bring everything together and give you a report of findings where we will explain what we found in your examination and X-ray results and discuss the factors that may be contributing to your spinal or joint problem.
We will explain the treatment options that may be appropriate for you and answer your questions. Now we are fully prepared to give you the chiropractic adjustments necessary. Depending on your needs, your treatment plan may incorporate a combination of chiropractic adjustments, Active Release Techniques®, acupuncture, and active exercise rehabilitation.
We will work with you to establish a treatment plan designed around your condition, goals, lifestyle, and needs.
Worried About Your First Chiropractic Visit?
It’s completely understandable to feel nervous or apprehensive about trying chiropractic care for the first time. You may have never been to a chiropractor before. You may have questions about adjustments. Or perhaps you’ve been dealing with pain for a while and aren’t sure what to expect. We want you to know that you don’t have to have all the answers before you walk through our doors.
We’ll take the time to listen, explain what we’re doing, answer your questions, and make sure you understand your options. Our goal is for you to leave your first chiropractic visit feeling that your concerns have been heard, understood, and thoroughly assessed.
Ready to Book Your First Chiropractic Visit?
If you’re dealing with pain, headaches, or discomfort in your neck, back, shoulders, feet or other areas of your body, an integrated chiropractic assessment may be a helpful place to start.
At Lake Street Chiropractic in St. Catharines, we combine chiropractic care with Active Release Technique®, acupuncture, and active exercise rehabilitation to create an individualized approach to care.
Ready to find out what’s contributing to your pain?
Lake Street Chiropractic
Serving St. Catharines and the Niagara Region for over 40 years.
Helping you move better, feel better, and stay active with chiropractic care, Active Release Techniques®, acupuncture and active exercise rehabilitation.