What to Expect When You See A Chiropractor

At Family and Sports Chiropractic Clinic, we understand how daunting a visit to a chiropractor in Vancouver WA can be. There are many unknowns about the experience that can leave you feeling just a little hesitant to reach out for your first appointment.

What to expect when you visit a chiropractorWe want you to know that when you come visit our office, our primary goal outside of healing your body, is to help you feel at ease. Our process is designed to be patient-centered, so you can relax knowing that we are your partner in finding out how to help you live your best life.

So to help you feel more at home and prepared when you visit our office, today we will be discussing the things you can expect to experience at an appointment with Dr. Chani Henderson.

 

When you first come into our office, you will be met with paperwork. We know that this is a major annoyance, but as a standard in the medical world, you have likely come to expect it by now.

The Paperwork

When filling out the paperwork, try to be as thorough as possible. Some things can get lost in translation in a verbal discussion, so documenting all of your symptoms can be a big help when you see Dr. Henderson later.

The Questions

Once you have completed checking in for your appointment, you will be called back. When you get to the exam room, you and Dr. Henderson will go over your entire health history. This is an important step to coming up with a treatment plan that will work for you. Even the smallest detail from your past could have an impact on your current condition. For this reason, there will be a ton of questions, and not just about your back. The answers to them will give the doctor a good picture of your overall health.

Once you have answered all of the questions and Dr. Henderson feels ready to continue, she will give you a thorough exam.

The Exam

This exam will consist of both orthopedic and neurological tests to help pinpoint exactly what you are dealing with. This exam is both to help your doctor diagnose you, but also to make absolutely sure that you are in the right spot. Sometimes you would be better suited seeing a different type of medical professional or specialist, and if this is the case, Dr. Henderson will let you know.

The X-rays

If X-rays are deemed necessary, we have an x-ray machine onsite ready to go, so you can have them done the same day. This will help give the doctor a good picture of what you are dealing with quickly, allowing you to move on to a treatment plan as soon as possible.

What can I expect during a follow-up appointment?

The initial appointment is typically a long one due to its investigatory nature. If you come back in for an adjustment appointment, it will be much quicker and will focus on your personalized treatment plan.

Your adjustment appointment will begin with a mini-history assessment of symptoms and a short exam to determine whether or not you are healing and improving to expectation.

Following the exam, you will receive an adjustment based on your personal needs. In our office, we use a variety of techniques, each one tailored to our patients’ individualized treatment plans.

Before you leave, Dr. Henderson will likely assign you some home care exercises to do on your own time. After that, you will be on our way. For these follow up appointments, you will usually be in and out in about 15 minutes. This is because once we know what the underlying cause is, we simply focus on treatment.

We hope that this brief overview of our procedures has helped you feel a bit more at ease about coming to see a chiropractor in Vancouver WA. Making sure that our patients feel at home and comfortable from the moment they walk through our door is very important to us.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation! We can’t wait to assist you in finding ways to live a life free of pain.