What to Expect During Your Chiropractic Journey at Motivity
We recently updated the email we send to new patients before their first visit. After reviewing it, we realized this information is valuable for our current patients, too. Think of this as a helpful refresher on our chiropractic process, why consistency matters, and how you can get the most from your care.
Your Initial Exam and Adjustment
During your initial exam, emphasis is placed on the specific complaint that brings you in, but we approach this as a full-body checkup of your muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems.
Every exam is a little different depending on what’s going on. I review your paperwork ahead of time, so detailed information helps me prepare better.
If possible, wear clothes that allow movement and that you’re comfortable in. There’s usually some time spent lying face down on the chiropractic table, so keep that in mind when planning hair and makeup for the day :)
Typically, the exam includes:
An initial conversation about your current concerns
A look at your range of motion
Orthopedic testing
X-rays, if needed
Chiropractic analysis
Neurological screening
Other tests may also be performed based on your individual needs.
The Purpose of Chiropractic Adjustments
After the exam, I perform an adjustment based on my assessment of what’s causing your problem.
Most problems are not resolved in one visit. Yes, there are those rare “Hollywood adjustments” (I call them Hollywood adjustments, because that is how Hollywood depicts chiropractic) where something is simply stuck and needs to be mobilized. But most problems are more complex, and are the result of many repetitions of bad habits, often over the course of years, of unhealthy movement patterns, of compensations for old injuries, poor work ergonomics, etc.
Sometimes your complaint (pain is the most common, but it's not the only sign that something is wrong) may seem to have come out of the blue. But usually what happens is your body makes do with what it has and compensates faithfully until that particular dysfunction becomes too much to bear or until some part (muscle or joint or disc) fails. Our most important goal is to fix that dysfunction!
True recovery takes time. Usually, you will feel an improvement after your first adjustment, then the symptoms will either partially or fully return. Initially, this window is short (12-48hrs), but as we work with you we will begin to create newer, healthier patterns and that window will be longer and longer until this better you is now your normal you!
Adjustment Techniques We Use
Typically I will do some combination of:
Muscle work (deep tissue massage)
Stretching
Chiropractic adjustments
Adjustments themselves may involve:
Manual techniques (the ones you hear as “pops”)
Table techniques (using the built-in mechanism on the chiropractic table to perform the adjustment)
Instrument-assisted techniques
It depends on what is going on with you which technique or combination of techniques I use.
If you are nervous, tell me! You don't have to do the "pops" if you are not comfortable with it. Just let me know your concerns and we will work out a good alternative approach.
You may have some mild soreness after the first visit—this is perfectly normal. Often the process of recovery requires mobilization of joints and muscle tissue that is fixated. These fixations often result in adhesions that need to be separated. The resultant soreness is typically no worse than mild post-workout soreness. If you feel anything more than that let me know and we can move at a lighter pace as needed.
The Overall Chiropractic Treatment Process
After each adjustment, pay close attention to how you feel:
Where do you notice improvement?
Where do you not notice improvement?
How long does improvement last?
Initially, adjustments happen three times within a short period (1–3 days apart). This allows us to see how you are responding to our treatment, adjust our strategy if needed, and help us come up with an informed game plan moving forward.
Following these initial visits, I create a comprehensive treatment plan tailored specifically for you. This is not the generic schedule of visits many clinics give all patients. This is a thoughtful plan that considers:
How well you've responded initially
What else you have going on with health, work, and other personal history
Your goals
I’ll suggest:
A schedule of care
Other services (some at Motivity and others elsewhere) that may help you
Supplements that will complement your health
And I will give you an at-home program of exercises and stretches tailored to help meet your specific needs.
This is a conversation. I welcome your input. It's better to have a plan that works for you than one that you won't be able to stick to.
Commitment is Key for Lasting Results
Your results will be so much better and faster if you stick to the plan all the way through. Remember we are working on improving your body's function, not just treating the pain. Pain is the body's signal that something is wrong. You will likely feel a decrease or even complete cessation of pain before the end of the treatment plan. This does not mean we are done! We have simply improved enough that the warning sirens are no longer going off.
True recovery takes some time beyond this point. After all, we don't go to the gym once expecting immediate transformation. We don't go to the PT once and call ourselves healed. If we stop right as pain is going away then the first time you make a wrong move you will likely find yourself back in the original predicament. We want you to transform into a stronger, more resilient person, not just hit the pause button on pain.
