What to Expect?

What to Expect at Your First Chiropractic Consultation?

Dr. John and his staff will conduct an initial interview with you, either over the phone or in person. This interview is focused on discussing Dr. John’s philosophy, expertise, general approach, and your preferences. This discussion does not include a clinical exam.

Initial In-Office Clinical Exam

The initial in-office clinical exam generally includes 3 areas:

Patient history and symptoms: In preparation for the chiropractic consultation, you will be asked to fill out forms that provide background information about your symptoms and condition.

You are usually asked to provide information on family medical history, any preexisting medical conditions, or prior injuries and previous and current health providers and treatments.

Types of questions typically include:

When and how did the pain start?
Where is it located?
Describe the pain - is it sharp, dull, searing/burning, or throbbing? Does it come and go, or is it continual?
Did the pain start as a result of an injury?
What activities/circumstances make it better or worse

The chiropractic exam: A thorough chiropractic exam, including general tests such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and reflexes, as well as specific orthopedic and neurological tests to assess the following:

Range of motion of the affected part
Muscle tone
Muscle strength
Neurological integrity

Further, chiropractic tests may be necessary to assess the affected area such as having you move in a specific manner, posture analysis, or chiropractic manipulation of the affected body part.

Diagnostic studies: Based upon the results of your history and chiropractic exam, diagnostic studies may be helpful in revealing pathologies and identifying structural abnormalities to more accurately diagnose a condition.

These studies are not always necessary during the chiropractic exam and should only be undertaken if the chiropractor has a good reason to believe that the X-ray or other test will provide information needed to guide your treatment program.

The most common diagnostic studies during chiropractic exams include:

X-ray exam
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan
Other laboratory tests

Many chiropractic clinics can perform basic X-rays, but an MRI scan and more extensive imaging studies are usually referred to an outside center.

Diagnosis After the Chiropractic Exam

Findings from the combination of the above described history, physical examination, and any required diagnostic studies lead to a specific diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is established, Dr. John will determine if the condition will respond to chiropractic care.

At the end of your initial visit, Dr. John will explain your diagnosed condition, individualized chiropractic treatment plan, (or other treatments) and anticipated length of chiropractic care.

He will also provide the above information in written form, so that you may take it home and think about it and conduct your own research.

Goals of Mayville Chiropractic Care

Dr. John will establish specific goals for your individual plan for treatment:

Short-term goals typically include reducing pain and restoring normal joint function and muscle balance
Long-term goals include restoring functional independence and tolerance to normal activities of daily living

To reach these goals, a specific number of chiropractic visits will be recommended. For most types of lower back pain, a treatment recommendation of 1 to 3 chiropractic visits per week for 2 to 4 weeks will be prescribed, followed by a re-examination by Dr. John.