WHAT TO EXPECT
We know a first visit to a doctor can be stressful. Filling out paperwork and getting to know your way around the office can be overwhelming. At Barger Chiropractic of Folsom, we want to reduce your stress and make you comfortable. Here, you will find information about your first visits, the forms you will need (and can print out and fill out ahead of time) and what to expect on your visits with us.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
Chiropractic is like building a house–you have to build it in order or it will never be right! You can’t put the walls up until the foundation is already poured and solid, and you can’t get the roof up until the walls are up and in their proper place. If you do it in the wrong order it will never be right. The same is true for your health. Your body needs a specific plan to repair itself completely and correctly. That’s why there are three steps of chiropractic care:
RELIEF CARE
STEP 1.
Most people come to a chiropractor because they are in pain. If you are in pain when you first come to Barger Chiropractic of Folsom, our main goal is to help you feel better and reduce your symptoms as quickly as possible. Depending on how severe your pain is, daily visits for a week or two may be needed at first to alleviate your pain. In some cases where the underlying condition has been neglected or ignored for a long time, treatment for several weeks or months may be needed.
Many people assume if they don’t have pain then they are healthy. Unfortunately, pain is not a good indicator of health or wellness. In fact, pain and other symptoms are often the last to appear when the condition has advanced to a more serious stage. For example, when you get a cavity in a tooth, it doesn’t hurt to begin with. The pain comes after it has grown until it needs to be drilled and filled, or worse. Or what about heart disease? or cancer? It doesn’t matter whether you are talking about diabetes, heart problems, stress or problems with the spine, pain is usually the last symptom. When you start with chiropractic care, pain is most often the first thing to go away, even though the underlying problem is still there.
Your first visit with us, we will find out what’s going on, where it hurts and how it started. A full history of the injury is taken, your health history and any illnesses and conditions that could contribute to your pain. The doctor will do a full exam, including range of motion and posture analysis. Your first treatment is determined by the severity of your condition and tolerance for adjustment or therapy.
CORRECTIVE CARE
STEP 2.
At this stage of care, tissues, joints and muscles can heal more completely. Reducing or eliminating you initial pain levels is often the easiest part of a patient’s care. But, if all the chiropractor did was fix the pain and then stop care, the underlying condition would still be there, and the chances of the pain recurring and the underlying condition actually worsening are greater. In order to prevent recurrence of pain and additional injury, continuing care is often necessary even though the initial symptoms and pain are gone. ​
In the corrective stage of care, you will probably have fewer visits at Barger Chiropractic of Folsom, spread out over a longer time. The doctor will recommend exercises and stretching to strengthen the muscles and speed up the healing process. Flare-ups can happen because the underlying problem is not completely healed, and you should not be discouraged. Depending on the type of injury or condition and how long you have had it, corrective care, also called the restoration phase, can take a few weeks to a year or more. Think of that house again! An old house took many years to get run-down and it can take months or years to restore the damages and deterioration and turn it into the beauty it once was! It is the same with the human body. How well do you want to be?
WELLNESS AND SUPPORTIVE CARE
STEP 3.
Once you body has healed, it is still important to continue care with periodic adjustments at Barger Chiropractic of Folsom to avoid problems in the future and keep your body in tip-top shape. This doesn’t mean you are “hooked” or addicted to adjustments. It means that life and living and the things we do on a daily basis takes its toll on our bodies and a chiropractic adjustment helps keep everything working so you can avoid many aches and pains other people suffer.
That house is a great example again! You continue to care for that house, repair plumbing and electrical, repaint the walls, and vacuum and dust on a regular basis to keep it in great running order and make it last. It’s the same with your body. With regular adjustments your joints will last longer and you can do more of the things you enjoy without pain and stiffness.