You may be nervous after making your appointment with a chiropractor in Mesa, AZ from Lifecare Chiropractic. Your physician may have recommended trying out a spinal adjustment to help with pain management and while the prospect of being pain-free is exciting, the unknown is stressful. When preparing for your first adjustment, it helps to know what you can expect. A Mesa, Arizona chiropractor wants you to get a general idea of how things will happen and how long the process takes to ease your anxiety while you wait for relief.
The Consultation
Your first meeting with a chiropractor Mesa, AZ residents trust may not involve an adjustment. It may be a consultation, a time that allows you and the practitioner to meet and review your medical records. Not everyone who is referred for an adjustment is a candidate. Thus, a chiropractor may meet with clients to discuss their cases. At the consultation, the practitioner will ask you questions, review your medical treatment, and set expectations. Sometimes, the practitioner will perform a cursory exam, take measurements and perform additional diagnostic exams. From there, they will set a tentative course of treatment, including your first adjustment appointment.
The First Adjustment Appointment
Several factors go into determining what will occur at the first adjustment appointment. At your consultation, the chiropractor in Mesa, AZ should set out a plan to help you gain relief over several sessions. The practitioner may have discussed whether they will perform the adjustment with the help of a machine or by hand. Thus, by the time you get to the first adjustment, you should be fully prepared for what will happen.
Adjustments aren’t always to the same area of the back. There are lumbar adjustments, cervical adjustments, and thoracic adjustments that may be performed at one appointment. Some patients don’t need adjustment to all areas. The chiropractor’s treatment plan will address the type and frequency of adjustment that they will perform at each appointment.
Adjustments Take Minutes
Most spinal adjustments take only minutes to perform. The chiropractor will perform a series of maneuvers placing pressure on various areas of the back until the spine realigns or adjusts. Once that is done, the pressure is released and the adjustment ended.
Expectations Following the Adjustment
The chiropractor may want you to return the day after your first adjustment to ensure any discomfort you feel is normal. Typically, the area adjusted and those adjacent can feel the most pain in the hours and days following adjustment. After that, there should be a relief of that pain and the pain in the area that brought you to chiropractic care in the first place.
Visiting a chiropractor may make a significant difference in dealing with chronic pain. Make an appointment to see if an adjustment by a Mesa, AZ chiropractor from Lifecare Chiropractic can help give you relief.