What to expect at your first visit to a chiropractor
If you've never been to a chiropractor before, you might be wondering what to expect when visiting a chiropractor for the first time. Here at Agape Family Chiropractic, we do a thorough exam for all new patients so that we can uncover the root of the problem. After filling out some paperwork and taking a detailed history, here are a few things we check during the new patient exam.
1. Postural assessment
One of the first things we check on new patients is their posture. We evaluate if you might have a high shoulder, a high hip, or a head tilt, we look for signs of rotation in the spine, and we evaluate the spinal curves. When a misalignment in the spine is present, it can contribute to postural distortions, so we evaluate your posture to looks for signs of spinal misalignment! When a bone in the spine is misaligned, it can interfere with the nervous system's communication between the brain and the body. In chiropractic, we call this a subluxation.
2. Range of Motion
After looking at posture, the doctor will guide you through range of motion for each part of the spine. This means we have you show us how far you can move in certain directions. During this part of the exam, we are not only looking at how your movement looks compared to textbook "normals," but we also compare each side to the other. For example, if your head can turn in one direction but only half as far the other way, it gives your doctor information about what kind of subluxation might be present.
3. Reflexes
You might remember your medical doctor tapping your knee in the past at checkups, and looking for how the leg kicks out afterwards. This is one of many tests for reflexes! In your chiropractic exam, your chiropractor will use a reflex hammer to tap multiple spots on your arms and legs to evaluate nerves throughout your body. When testing reflexes, we aren't just looking to see if the reflex is there or not, but we are also looking to see if the reflex is underactive or overactive. Reflexes are a great test because they are very specific to certain nerve levels, so they give us great information on how those nerves are working.
4. Strengths
Show us your muscles! Don't worry, this part of the exam doesn't require any weights or gym equipment. :) During this part of the exam, we test different movements in the arms and legs against resistance from the doctor. We aren't necessarily looking at how strong you are, but we are comparing the muscle response of each side compared to the other. If a nerve is irritated, it may not fire as well to the muscles that it supplies. This means that the muscle might end up slightly weaker or that it might "catch" and have a delay before firing. Asymmetry in muscle firing can be a sign of subluxation.
5. Palpation
Palpation is when the doctor will feel the spine for how the joints are moving. This may occur laying face down or seated. Chiropractors are extensively trained in palpating the spine to identify misalignments. This is the main way that the chiropractor identifies where you might need to be adjusted at each visit. When palpating, the chiropractor is evaluating how vertebrae move relative to each other, as well as how a vertebra might be rotated or tilted. This allows the chiropractor to determine the specific kind of adjustment that might be needed to get the vertebra realigned and correct the subluxation.
6. Orthopedic Tests (as needed)
The doctor might perform a few orthopedic tests, depending on your case. These are specific movements designed to give more information to the doctor about what might be causing the problem. The doctor will typically ask you to perform a specific movement to the best of your ability and then ask if the movement makes your symptoms change.
7. X-ray (as needed)
X-rays are sometimes needed to evaluate the spine further. If the doctor determines from your exam findings that an x-ray might be needed, we will refer you to an imaging center where you can get that imaging done.
As you can see, our new patient exams go into great detail about the functioning of the spine and nervous system. Scheduling an appointment with your chiropractor for a chiropractic exam can help uncover the source of the problem, so that you can get to the root of the issue. We are here to help you heal from within!