YOUR FIRST VISIT

 

You are joining many of your neighbors who have chosen the natural, drugless, chiropractic approach to good health. 

 

No one enjoys filling out paper work, but it is very important for a doctor of chiropractic to understand the nature and history of your condition, in addition to any thing that may be hereditary, which might affect treatment options.  If you would like to fill out the paperwork in advance please click on “intake forms” to the left and you can print the pages and bring them to the clinic.  The doctor will review these forms and ask additional questions to help form a diagnosis.  It would also be helpful to have a list of any medications and/or supplements that you may be taking.

 

After you and the doctor have discussed what brought you to the office he or she will begin the examination phase of the visit.  Dr. Purser and Dr. Jones have been thoroughly trained in how to conduct an examination by using several methods, which may include muscle testing and palpation of the spine or other structures. The examination will also include various orthopedic tests which are done by moving you, or having you move, in different ways to challenge different structures (usually joints, muscles or ligaments).  Depending on the outcome of these tests the doctor will move onto other tests in order to narrow the diagnosis and determine what kind of treatment will be the most effective for you.

 

Sometimes the doctor will determine that there is a need for an X-ray examination.  The reason for a chiropractor to take X-rays will include one or more of the following:

1. To analyze the spine for alignment and posture and to detect spinal curvature such as scoliosis, kyphoses or lordosis.
2. To detect indications of spinal degeneration (altered disc space; changes in spinal curves; bone spurs or osteoarthritis).
3. To detect broken, fused, oddly shaped or malformed bones; congenital malformations and osteoporosis and other conditions.  Also to rule out pathological conditions such as tumors or bone infections.  This information guides the doctor in performing an effective spinal adjustment.

 

After the examination phase of the first visit the doctor will discuss treatment options with you.  There are often many different ways to approach a problem and Dr. Purser and Dr. Jones are interested in finding the correct one for you.  We will often begin treatments on the first visit to help start relieving you of the symptoms that may have brought you in.

 

Remember, it is YOUR body.  Please talk with the doctor about any questions or concerns you may have.  Be sure that you are comfortable with the process.  If you are not, the doctor will look for alternative ways of treating you.  In the days after the treatment it will be important to pay attention to how you feel.  This will be valuable information for the doctor in evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment and evaluating how to alter and refine it as your body changes and improves.

 

Our goal is to make your spinal column healthy again, relieving the stresses from your nerves, muscles, ligaments, joints, bones and internal organs.  The effects can be immediate, or they may take time.  It depends on your overall genetic health, your diet, exercise, lifestyle and regularity of chiropractic care.