Most patients that present to my office have back pain, neck pain, headaches, sciatica, arm pain or tingling, and hip pain. We will discuss some of the options of a “typical” treatment plan. How many treatments it takes for the “average” patient to feel better. And last but not least the benefits of “wellness” chiropractic care.
Being a doctor I have to preface this with, every patient and case is different and has it’s own intricacies that require specific care and attention. The information I will give you here are some averages I see in my practice.
Now that we have the disclaimer out of the way let’s get to the fun stuff.
First visit: On your first visit you will have some paperwork to fill out. Please bring your insurance card and driver’s license, or some form of identification. Dr. Myers will take a history and perform an exam. Based upon exam findings he may adjust you the first day. If x-rays or further imaging, MRI/CT, are needed he will refer you for those. Our office prefers to use Borgess sites but Bronson imaging can be ordered too. This visit typically takes 30-45 minutes.
Follow up visits: Dr. Myers will recommend a follow up visit, typically within a few days or a week. This second visit will be an evaluation on how your body responded to the first chiropractic adjustment. From this visit a treatment plan will be recommended. Some patients need to be seen three times a week for a few weeks, while some can be two times or even once a week at first. Again this depends on your condition. Most patients that have acute pain find relief with chiropractic care after about 7 visits.
My analogy for initial care is:
“it’s like going to they gym. If you want to lose weight you have to go more than once a month. Same with chiropractic care, you need to give it an effort on your part to feel better at first.”
These visits typically take 10-20 minutes. We try to be very considerate of your time and scheduling. Our pet peeve is making patients wait to be seen by the doctor.
Wellness care: Once your initial pain has decreased you have the option of using wellness care. Most wellness care patients come in once a month for a “tune-up.” This is how chiropractic care varies from traditional medical care. I’d be willing to bet the last time you went to your family doctor was because you were sick or had a concern. Chiropractic care is focused on your body functioning properly to prevent pain and more importantly correct neural function. Your nerves literally control every cell in your body. If a nerve is “pinched” it can cause pain and also decreased function of the organs it supplies. Of course if you decided to use chiropractic as just a temporary pain relief, we are happy to treat you for that too.
So what happens if you don’t choose to use wellness care? Most patients that I see that had pain then decide to “give me a call when they need me,” call again in about six months. Not because chiropractic care did not work, but because the condition was never maintained. If you lose 10 pounds then stop going to the gym and gain 10 pounds back again does that mean the gym workouts didn’t work? No, it means you didn’t follow through and maintain your progress and hard work.
At Elements Chiropractic we are here to make you feel better and to keep you feeling better with wellness care. Your body is worth 20 minutes a month for a quick “tune-up.” Be nice to your spine, you only get one!