How Long Do Chiropractic Appointments Really Need To Be?

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?"

Of course, the main thing on many people's minds is whether chiropractic visits will bring relief from back or spinal pain, or neck discomfort. First time patients of chiropractic care need not worry about any of these issues. So, the answer to that all important question about whether a chiropractor can help, is yes.

As for questions regarding your chiropractic appointment length, this can be difficult to answer because it depends on the severity of your problem. You can expect, however, that a first visit may run about 30 minutes or so, depending on the severity of your problem.

The first visit with any chiropractor is very important. First, they need a basic understanding of the problem that brought you in to begin with. Is the pain or discomfort due to a minor injury or accident? How long ago did it happen? Perhaps there was incident that took place that you did not recognize at the time could cause injury. Often, muscles or joints suffer minor damage but, do not result in immediate symptoms. Experiences chiropractors can can follow a trial of pain and discover a root injury you might not know you had.

First visits are important, because it can demonstrate how safe and natural chiropractic is and how beneficial it will be to your well being. Some first visits do require X-rays but, that will not be the case for everyone. This of course will affect the chiropractic appointment length somewhat. X-rays might be necessary but, you should certainly question the practitioner about the need for them and get straight answers.

A licensed, experienced doctor of chiropractic is trained to help with musculoskeletal issues that are keeping you from enjoying life to its fullest. More important than knowing your chiropractic appointment length or what the treatment will be like is knowing that your practitioner is experienced and professional. While a medical doctor will examine a painful area and prescribe muscle relaxants or pain relievers, quite often, a specific area of discomfort is not the root source of the pain.

This is in stark contrast to chiropractors, who believe that the examination of a painful area is merely the starting point. Discomfort is often an indicator that there is a root problem elsewhere in the body. Expect it to take somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes for an experienced chiropractor to find the root of your trouble.

The amount of discomfort caused by a chiropractic adjustment is another thing many people worry about. You will want to find someone experienced whose adjustment technique is effective but, works within your comfort level. Chiropractors should be happy to offer explanations about their method of examination and adjustment techniques if that will increase your comfort level during your appointment. Most chiropractic techniques involve high velocity, low amplitude thrusting of joints which will align joints along the spine, including those in the neck and back. 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.

The human body is very complex system, with many sub-systems. Realigning joints in the lower body and neck or vertebra in the spine helps to increase the circulation of healing fluids to surrounding muscles and nervous system. By restoring each joint to its proper place, the neurological activity, which has quilt likely been disrupted, will go back to normal. A body entirely aligned properly can trigger optimum healing.

Even muscles, which have tightened around mis alignments, can be stretched until they relax and move back into a proper position, which improves mobility. Any minor discomfort you may experience while being treated, is a small price to pay for the long term benefit of living pain free.

In short, it helps heal the body and the root causes of pain. Understanding and having reasonable expectations about your chiropractic appointment length is important but, understanding how much better you will feel is paramount. Take control of your well being, and improve your overall health by experiencing chiropractic care.

Dr. Steven Schram is a chiropractor in NYC. Find out more about chiropractic appointments at his website about chiropractic care.