When you arrive at the office you will be greeted with a big smile and you will have a chance to ask questions before seeing one of the doctors. If you bring your paperwork filled out, you will be seen sooner. The biggest waste of time when you go to the doctor’s office is you have to spend half an hour filling out paperwork. That is why we recommend downloading the paperwork from this site and fill it out before coming so you can bring it with you on your first visit. That way you can be seen quicker.
You will then go back with one of the doctors and receive a consultation which includes going over all your paperwork and asking some detailed health questions to give the doctor an idea of what tests may need to be performed. One of the first tests performed is usually a computerized muscle, nerve, and range of motion scan. These tests will uncover where the cause of the problem is located by determining muscle and nerve pattern irregularities. This technology was developed at NASA and is 1000 times more sensitive than your typical EKG test today. These tests are painless and we have scanned children 2 years old and above. You will need to get into one of those fashionable gowns that everyone loves to wear so be prepared. Once the problem areas have been identified, the doctor may order and take x-rays to see why the nervous system has been compromised.
The doctor will take a few minutes to show you the scans and x-rays for 2 reasons. First, when our doctors go to a doctor for a test, they want to know, “Hey, what did you find?” You will be treated the same way the doctor wants to be treated. Secondly, a picture is worth a thousand words and our patients feel better knowing that the problem has been found and they can see it for themselves.
Then the doctor will bring you up front to make an appointment to come back in for a complete report of your findings. You will be given a little homework to complete before you see the doctor for that appointment so you will get the most out of that visit. It has been our experience that the patients who get the most education about their particular problem seem to do the best with their care and do not keep coming back to the office with the same problem over and over again. This first appointment should last approximately 1 hour.
This is usually your second visit. The doctor will go over all the results of your scans, x-rays, and any other procedures ordered. It is important that you understand exactly what your problem is so you can make an informed decision as to how you want to go about regaining your health. That’s right. It is your health and it is your decision so make it carefully. As a matter of fact, we have seen over the past 20 years the patients who bring a spouse, family member, or even a friend to the report of findings ask better questions and tend to get better faster as a result of being more educated about their problem and what is needed to fix it. Please make arrangements to bring someone with you to increase your chances of a full and fast recovery. Once the doctor has explained in detail all the results, options will be presented on how to fix the problem. Unless this is a life-threatening situation which is very doubtful, the first option will be to watch and wait. If you are willing to put up with the pain until you have to do something about it, you can always wait until the problem gets worse before beginning treatments. This is a bad option in most cases but it’s your decision. Usually this option will cost you more in time and money later as the problem becomes harder to fix as time passes.
The second option will be to patch it up. This can be done by restoring normal motion to the affected areas thereby alleviating some nerve irritation and the patient usually feels much better. But the problem is still there and will need to be addressed later but some patients are very happy to have the pain go away temporarily and then return for more care when the problem flares up again. This is the option I believe most Americans choose all across our country because they were not educated on the third option to fix the problem or the patient felt as though the treatments would take too much time or cost too much to fix or they did not feel it was a serious issue at the moment.
The third and final option would be a plan to fix it. You would assume everyone wants to fix their problem but this option requires that the patient take responsibility to perform all the stretches, exercises, and posture movements daily at home for months at a time. See, once the pain is gone most people think they are better or cured. Wrong! Think about this. Do you only brush your teeth when you have a throbbing pain? Or do you brush daily to prevent a problem? Pain is not the best indicator of health. Our office specializes in fixing problems and pushing our patients to work and do their part so we can rescan and rex-ray to prove the problem is fixed and we didn’t just put a “bandaid” on a “boo boo.”
You will have the medical facts presented in a simple way so you can make the best decision possible for your health and the health you want to experience in the future. We are here to help and to support you in whatever way you decide.
Below are a series of videos by Dr. Pat to help you further understand what is involved with chiropractic. Flash player required to play clips. Click here to get it. It's easy and free!
