Monday, July 23, 2012

How to Know If Your Chiropractic Appointments Aren't Long Enough

Newcomers to chiropractic are full of questions about the idea of chiropractors and their practice. Simple questions, such as the chiropractic appointment length, are mixed with some more important questions, such as "will my first adjustment hurt?"

First and foremost, you are probably wondering whether chiropractic visits will help relieve your pain and discomfort. First time patients have often found that chiropractic care has brought relief, sometimes after the first visit. If you suffer from back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, muscle strains or problems with joint pain, the answer to the last question is a resounding yes, a chiropractor can help.


After understanding how a chiropractor can help many patients then ask about chiropractic appointment length, and of course there is not one single answer. As a general rule, however, a first visit is likely to take around 30 minutes.

The first visit with any chiropractor is very important. It's important for a practitioner to gain a good understanding of the pains and/or discomfort you are experiencing. Is your pain due to an injury or a minor accident? How long ago did it happen? Maybe there was muscle strain from lifting something heavy or a fall that you did not realize at the time would cause injury. Often, muscles or joints suffer minor damage but, do not result in immediate symptoms. Chiropractors will be on the look out for these types of incidents that could have caused your condition before you were even aware that there was a problem.

First visits are important, because it can demonstrate how safe and natural chiropractic is and how beneficial it will be to your well being. A first visit may involve X-rays, and of course this can take longer. If you are overly concerned about your chiropractic appointment length you can always call ahead and ask to speak with the practitioner, give him a brief description of your issue and ask about X-rays. It is certainly good to know if the practitioner believes in taking X-rays for every first time patient, because some do.

When it comes to musculoskeletal issues, rather than let them spoil your enjoyment of life, enlist an experienced chiropractor to help. In the end, knowing the chiropractic appointment length is not as important as knowing your practitioner and their preferred method of adjustment. Medical practitioners examine painful areas, prescribing pain relievers or muscle relaxers which does not address the root cause of painful symptoms.

This is in stark contrast to chiropractors, who believe that the examination of a painful area is merely the starting point. Pain often means there is a problem elsewhere in your body. It can take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to trace conditions to their root source.

As for the amount of pain to expect from an chiropractic adjustment, this depends on several factors and can be difficult to answer. You will want to find someone experienced whose adjustment technique is effective but, works within your comfort level. Inquire about the examination and adjustment techniques beforehand and that may help with your comfort level on your first visits. The most commonly used chiropractic technique is known as Deep Force, which uses high velocity, low amplitude thrusts at vertebra and joints to realign them. While you may experience a "popping sound" much like cracking your knuckles this is generally not painful. The sound is called "osseous" which is the sound caused by tiny gas bubbles in the joint cavity fluids as they break.

Our bodies are a complex set of systems that are interrelated. As chiropractors work to move joints back into place in the spine, neck and lower back it increases circulation in the joint. By restoring each joint to its proper place, the neurological activity, which has quilt likely been disrupted, will go back to normal. This promotes more healing to take place.

Tight muscles are often caused by tendons or muscles that have formed around a misaligned joint and by slowly stretching and helping them to relax they can be coaxed back into their proper place which can relieve a lot of discomfort. Any minor discomfort you may experience while being treated, is a small price to pay for the long term benefit of living pain free.

What truly heals the body is finding these root causes of pain and treating them. Chiropractic appointment length is good to know, but knowing first hand how much better you will feel is even more important. Take control of your well being, and improve your overall health by experiencing chiropractic care.

Dr. Steve Schram has been in the field of chiropractic nyc for nearly thirty years. To learn more about the length and duration of chiropractic appointments you can visit the practice website.

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