Jonas Space – Health Blog

If you have never been to a Mesa Chiropractor before, you may have a lot of questions about the treatment, and the procedures that are performed on your first visit. You, may also be afraid, nervous, or have anxiety because you are unfamiliar with chiropractic. In this article you will learn more about what your first chiropractic office visit may consist of, and this help better prepare you for your visit.

History of your current complaint

On your visit to the chiropractor for the first time you will have a consultation that will include the history of your current complaint. The office will provide you with forms that will have a series of questions that provide background information on the current condition, that include symptoms, when the condition started, how it started, what causes the pain or dysfunction to become worse, your current limitations, and questions about prior medical conditions.

The reasons for these questions are to provide the doctor with the basic information to be able to understand the extent of the condition. This information also provides the doctor with information that will be placed in you medical record, and for comparison of treatment outcomes.

Physical Examination

During the first visit you will have a physical examination before you receive any treatment. The doctor will perform testing to determine where your problem is coming from, and what is causing the health problem. Theses tests may consist of reflexes, pulse, respirations, neurological tests, orthopedic tests, and examination of the joints and muscles. All of these tests will provide a peace of information that will lead to the correct diagnosis of the health condition.

There are some tests that are more commonly performed in a Mesa Chiropractor office verses a primary care office, among these muscle strength, range of motion, and neurological tests. In addition to the aforementioned tests, the patient my be asked to walk for observation of the gait, or to perform shoulder or spine movement to observe how the area moves.

Imaging and Diagnostic Studies

After a medical history, and physical examination have been performed, most offices will obtain x-rays or a MRI of the body region in question. By obtaining these studies the doctor will be able to make a more accurate diagnosis, which will allow the doctor to treat the condition more successfully and reduce the amount of care that is required.  After the doctor has the results of all the tests, they will now develop a treatment plan to treat the cause of your health condition.

How long will it take to correct the problem?

Your fist office visit will be the longest at the office due to the amount of information that is required to gather on the first visit, and will most commonly take about one hour. The second office visit will normally take 30 minutes, and you will be provided with the results of the testing, and the recommendations on treatment. Depending on the nature of the health condition, you may receive treatment on the first office visit, however, most office do not provide treatment on the initial office visit.

The doctor will use the information that was obtained during the initial office visit, and the information gathered from any testing performed to prescribe a treatment plan, and outcome goals of the care. The extent of condition will determine the length of the treatment plan, and will normally consist of 2-3 treatments per week for a period of time, at the end of the initial period of time you will have a re-examination to track your progress, and to determine if a change in treatment is needed or if you are responding to care.

To learn more information about Chiropractic care visit Chiropractor Mesa