What to expect on your first visit:
Going to the Chiropractor can be a new experience for many of us. A first appointment is made usually because 1) you are fed up with living in pain, and it's time to do something about it. Or 2) maybe you were in a work-related or auto accident and your pain is sudden and emergent.
Your first visit to the chiropractor will likely include new patient paperwork, getting to know your doctor, a discussion of your medical history, your current condition, and goals. Then the doctor will lay out a plan for recovery. You may have some x-rays done and you may even receive your first round of treatment. Plan about an hour for your first visit. It's important to schedule your follow-up visits and keep your appointments so that your recovery stays on track.
When visiting Dr. Jade, wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Your clothing should not restrict movement. You need to be able to lie down in them, both on your back and on your front, and move easily. You can wear running shorts, yoga pants or leggings with a loose top. Wearing belts, buttons and snaps may be uncomfortable to some patients.
Part of your treatment plan may include adjustments, or manipulations as they're sometimes referred to, or the minor movement of vertebrae in the spine. The objective of this movement is to realign vertebrae that have moved out of place for a number of reasons ranging from normal daily activity to trauma such as a car accident.
When these vertebrae are out of place, it has an overall systemic effect from muscular to the central nervous system. Without proper alignment and flow of all nerves and systems in the body from the brain, we can't function at our peak.
An adjustment is often a pressure from the chiropractor utilizing the hands or an instrument to move a vertebrae back into place. This happens with a quick movement and is often without discomfort. You may hear a noise that sounds like you're cracking your knuckles referred to as joint cavitation. It is the release of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen from the joint.
If you indicate a dislike for bending, twisting, and cracking Dr. Jade may use her PulStar machine to help treat you. Instead of the traditional bending or cracking, this machine uses short palpitations to move your vertebrae back into place.
After your treatment, be sure to discuss your plan with Dr. Jade and schedule your next appointment. Multiple treatments are the norm and will help you fully heal.
What results to expect:
Chiropractic is based on the idea of removing imbalances in an effort to allow our body to heal itself. For this to happen, the network of nerves and signals from your brain, down your spinal cord, to the network of nerves in your outermost extremities must be allowed to flow freely without any interruption. Chiropractors have the ability and skill to remove these interruptions, or misalignments, and allow the body to perform as it was meant to.
If you've ever been in a car accident, played a sport, fell down or just bumped into something too hard, it's very possible that you are not functioning at your best due to a misalignment. While there are many potential mechanical or structural causes for misalignment, there are also chemical reasons. For instance, if you smoke or drink excessively or even just have a poor diet, the chemical issues in your body can eventually cause underlying conditions and disease to appear.
Allowing a chiropractor to get you back on track both chemically and structurally will bring your body back to the proper state it should be in to perform at its peak. You'll feel better and look better once you've allowed your treatment plan to fully work.