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Answers to your frequently asked questions » What will happen at my first chiropractic adjustment?

What will happen at my first chiropractic adjustment?

During your initial visit, your chiropractic physician will consult with you about your medical history, current conditions/pains/symptoms, and any sports injuries, car accidents, or other events that may have caused trauma to your body. You will undergo a basic exam and have X-rays taken of your spine to determine the course of treatment.

After your initial consultation with your chiropractor, you will come back for your first adjustment. Many things can cause our spines to become mis-aligned – sports, injuries, accidents, everyday activities, sitting at a desk all day, etc. These mis-alignments of the spine, or “subluxations,” can contribute to aches, pains, and many common conditions. The doctor will use his hands to manipulate your spine in a way that brings it in line and closer to a “normal” curvature.

Q:An MRI shows I have a disc problem. Do I need surgery?
A:

Over half of normal adults with no symptoms will have a disc problem show on their MRI. Although each case is different, most problems respond well to conservative therapies such as chiropractic and massage. It’s your body. View surgery as a LAST resort.
 

Research shows: A bad disc doesn't always mean back surgery.

Q:Have I Got A Slipped Disc?
A:

Spinal discs are fibrous rings, containing a soft gel-like ‘cushion’, between each of your spinal bones (vertebrae). Discs cannot slip, because they are attached to the vertebrae, but the term ‘slipped disc’ can mean disc damage such as a bulge (protrusion), a tear or rupture (prolapse/sequestration). The resulting pressure or irritation on the nerves that exit your spine can cause pain in your back, or ‘referred’ pain over an area through which the nerves pass. Sciatica, for example, is leg pain caused by nerve irritation or pressure in the lower spine. Your chiropractor will explain the cause of your pain – it may not be a ‘slipped disc’ as many other problems have similar pain patterns.

Q:How can chiropractic help to treat sports-related injuries or pains?
A:

Almost every professional sports team now has a chiropractor on staff. This is because chiropractic can be extremely beneficial for daily maintenance and improvement of stamina & flexibility, as well as for the treatment of sports-related injuries, aches, and pains. If you have had a sports-related injury, visit Everybody’s Health for an initial consultation to determine how chiropractic can best treat your condition.

Q:How long does it typically take after starting to receive chiropractic treatment to start feeling improvements in my symptoms/pains/overall health?
A:

Each person and condition is different. Many people feel better after just a few treatments; however, others may need multiple sessions.

Q:Is chiropractic safe when I am pregnant?
A:

According to the American Pregnancy Association, chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe. Changes to the spine occur during pregnancy and can be helped with chiropractic care. All chiropractors are trained to work with pregnant women.

Q:Is it bad to "crack" your back or neck a lot?
A:

This question is frequently asked because people associate the "cracking" or "popping" of one's back or neck with a chiropractic adjustment. The two are not the same thing. If a person has a desire to "crack" his/her neck or back it is often because one area of their spine is fixated or jammed causing another area to move too much and "pop", sometimes by itself. It's the fixated or jammed area that needs to be properly adjusted by a chiropractor so that the other parts of the spine will not be hypermobile and noisy. When you "crack" your back you may be relieving the tension for a little while. Do you notice how it keeps coming back? That is because you are not giving yourself a specific chiropractic adjustment. The cause of the spinal tension, the fixated or jammed (subluxated) vertebrae, has not been corrected. Any person who makes a habit out of "cracking" or "popping" their back or neck needs to go to a Doctor of Chiropractic to have their spine checked. Even a chiropractor cannot adjust him/herself.

Q:Is it normal to have soreness or pain after a chiropractic adjustment?
A:

Your chiropractic adjustment itself should not be painful; however, after your first few chiropractic adjustments, you may experience minor soreness. This is normal, and is caused by the muscles around your spine reacting as your spine is adjusted. If you experience soreness, ice the affected area for relief.

Q:Once you see a chiropractor, do you have to go for the rest of your life?
A:

No! We care for problems in one of 3 phases of care. Patients always choose the level of care they desire. The extent to which you choose to benefit from your chiropractic care is ultimately up to you. Each and everyone of us is solely responsible for the quality of our health and well-being. However, we do strongly urge all practice members to consider lifetime, wellness chiropractic care. This is where the long-term, lasting benefits of care are enjoyed. Regular exercise and healthy eating habits are a lifestyle decision and so is lifetime, wellness chiropractic care. You need to remain subluxation free for life.

AcuteCare Goal - Relieve Pain.

Most patients show improvement within the first 2 to 5 visits. Initial treatment usually works best when a person is seen frequently for a short period of time.

RehabCare Goal — Correct Bio-Mechanical Problems

Chiropractors restore pain-free motion and improve strength with continued joint mobilization, muscle therapy and posture exercises. Learning new body motion patterns helps change how you move so you can feel good and be well.
3. WellnessCare Goal - Prevention & Performance
Regular therapy and intelligent Life Habits help people keep moving, stay active and maximize their Health Span.

Q:Should I continue chiropractic care if I don't have any symptoms and I feel better?
A:

Yes. Just because symptoms disappear, does not mean your subluxations are corrected. Most of the practice members seen in our office have spinal degeneration (decay) which has taken years to develop. The trauma of the birth process, slips, falls, accidents and countless other stresses over the course of your lifetime adversely affect the health of your spine. The longer you wait to have your spine checked by a chiropractor, the longer it will take to correct your subluxations. However, how you choose to use chiropractic care is ultimately up to you. It has been our experience that those who stop care when they are "feeling fine" return with the same health challenge(s) which brought them to our office in the first place...only it's usually gotten worse. On the other hand, those practice members who commit to long-term, wellness chiropractic care, find their health challenge(s) rarely return and they enjoy a higher quality of life and health.

Q:What causes the sound made during a chiropractic adjustment?
A:

That sound is not your spine "cracking" or "popping" like most people think. That sound is created by gas (in this case, nitrogen) rushing in to fill the partial vacuum created when the joints are slightly separated. Another example of this phenomenon would be the "pop" sound you hear when the cork is taken out of a champagne bottle. Not all chiropractic adjusting techniques produce this noise. In fact, some adjusting techniques use little force and thus produce no noise at all.