Dr. Jeff Langmaid walks through what happens at your first chiropractic appointment: intake forms, case history, physical exam, possible imaging, then either treatment or a referral elsewhere. Each office does things differently, but this is the basic structure.
Hi, I'm Dr. Jeff Langmaid with the Evidence Based Chiropractor. And today I wanted to break down the five things that happen on a first visit to a chiropractic clinic. For those of you out there that have never been to a chiropractor, it can be very intimidating. You might be looking across YouTube or looking online and seeing a vast array of different techniques and different ways that chiropractors interact with their patients. But I wanted to break down the five things you can and should expect each and every time you visit a doc as a new patient in his or her clinic. And they are intake paperwork, history, physical exam, special tests and imaging, and then either getting an adjustment or a referral to a separate practice. So let's break every single one of those down so you can have a great expectation of what you should anticipate when you go into a chiropractic office. Step number one is intake paperwork. As with all doctors, medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or chiropractor, there is always going to be some intake paperwork that you can either fill out before getting to the office, if it is an office that has modernize their note taking, or you fill out right before you see the doc. Your intake paperwork gives great information and context around what you've been through, any other health challenges you might be experiencing, as well as some of that standard stuff around insurance, where you live, Social Security number, all of that. The second step is history. Case history is when you sit down with the doctor or a member of the doctor staff and explain really what's going on with you. The goal of the history is for that clinician to get a better understanding of why you called their practice, of what you're looking to achieve and what your goals might be, and ultimately start the medical decision making process to understand what are the challenges you're going through and what may be the best treatments moving forward. That history goes right into number three, which is the examination. There'll always be a physical examination. This is the other side of the coin of the case history. The physical examination is either done by the doctor or a member of the staff to really get down to what are the physical ailments that you're dealing with, what's causing the pain that you're struggling with, and what may be some of the restrictions, whether it's in range of motion, mobility or stability that you're dealing with in causing the pain that drove you into that practice. So a physical exam can include such things as orthopedic test, range of Motion testing, palpation, hands on in really seeing you move and what restrictions you might have. Step number four is special tests and imaging. This is an optional one that doc might recommend X rays, might recommend mri. It all depends upon what is found in the history and the physical exam as to what occurs in the special tests and imaging. For many people there's no special test and potentially no imaging necessary to start care in the office. But if there's something picked up in that history or something found on the physical exam, that is a question mark and has that doctor thinking and still trying to decide exactly what is the best and right course for you, he or she may order a special test such as blood work, maybe a CT or an mri, or even take an X ray to understand better the structural aspects of what's going on in your spine. And finally, that is when all of the information is gleaned and step number five comes into play, which is either you are going to begin care, probably get an adjustment in that practice, or whether there is a red flag that says you need to go somewhere else and be referred to another specialist clinic to help you get on the road to relief. So step five typically occurs either that first day or the next day. And again, that could include such things as beginning care as adjustments, soft tissue work, maybe a little bit of exercise and rehab, cryotherapy. There's a vast array of different techniques and modalities you might experience in your chiropractor's office office. But all of that tells you that you are in the right place and they have a plan of action, a treatment plan and a care plan to help you get from where you are when you came in to where you want to be when you finish up receiving the care that they give in their practice. So I hope that that broke down and simplified the process of what you can and should expect when you go into a local chiropractor's clinic in your area. If you have any questions on this, leave them down below and I hope to see you soon in the next video. Bye bye. Hey, what's going on? If you loved that video, be sure to subscribe to this channel. The evidence based chiropractor puts out videos all the time at the intersection of marketing and research, showing you how to grow your practice while also growing your knowledge base. So if you liked it, be sure to comment down below or hit subscribe and I'll see you in the next video.
