What happens when you visit a chiropractor?

Answer 1

When you first visit a chiropractor, just as when you first visited your primary care physician, your chiropractor will take a thorough medical history including the history of your present illness, your past and current medical conditions, medications and therapies currently prescribed, your past surgeries, your social history, your family medical history, and a review of symptoms or diseases related to your body systems.

In addition, your chiropractor will perform a physical examination that will not only assess the musculoskeletal and neurologic systems, but may also investigate cardiovascular, respiratory, peripheral vascular, head and neck, ears, eyes, nose , throat, genitourinary, and abdominal regions.

Further diagnostic testing may be ordered after this initial visit that may include x-rays, laboratory blood testing, MRI, CT, EMG, or other diagnostic studies.

After your chiropractor has made a complete assessment of you, he/she will often give you a report of findings which may occur on the same day or at your next visit.

During this report of findings the doctor of chiropractic will explain diagnoses obtained and what the treatment plan is.

Often chiropractic therapies include physical therapy that may be passive (such as therapeutic ultrasound or electrotherapy) or active (such as therapeutic exercises.

The chiropractor may also include adjustments which involve joint manipulation, manual therapy, acupuncture, clinical nutrition, and/or wellness planning.

The different types of treatments or the adjustment techniques utilized vary depending on the specific chiropractor you have selected.