If you’re visiting a chiropractor for the first time, it’s completely natural to feel a bit uncertain about what lies ahead. Many people arrive at their first appointment with questions swirling through their minds: What does a chiropractor do on the first visit? What should I wear? Does chiropractic treatment hurt? Will I even receive treatment?
The good news is that chiropractic care is far more accessible and comfortable than most people imagine. Let’s walk through exactly what to expect when going to a chiropractor and address some of the most common concerns and misconceptions along the way.
What to Expect When You Go to a Chiropractor
Understanding what happens at a chiropractor appointment can help ease any nerves about your first time chiropractic experience. The process is structured, thorough, and designed entirely around your comfort and care. Unlike a quick GP appointment, your first visit will typically last longer to ensure we gather all the information we need and provide you with an initial treatment.
Initial Screening and Patient History
By the time you step through our doors for your first time chiropractic appointment, you’ll likely have already been screened to understand the primary issue that’s brought you in. This initial screening helps us prepare for your visit and ensures we can make the most of your time with us.
Chiropractic appointments generally begin with a comprehensive discussion about your health history. This isn’t just a quick five-minute chat — we’ll go as far back as needed to build a complete picture of your overall health. You’ll also be asked to complete a detailed questionnaire that covers various aspects of your wellbeing, and not just the immediate problem you’re experiencing.
Why so thorough? Because your body doesn’t work in isolation. Many people don’t realise that other health conditions can significantly impact how your body functions mechanically and how it heals. For instance, conditions like diabetes can affect your body’s healing processes, which is important information when we’re developing your treatment plan.
We need the full story to help you effectively, so try to answer any questions truthfully.
The Physical Examination
One of the biggest concerns people have when going to a chiropractor for the first time revolves around the physical examination. There’s often an expectation of hospital gowns and sitting in your underwear, but that’s simply not the case.
All you need to wear is loose, comfortable clothing. That’s it. Chiropractic examinations are designed to be accessible and non-invasive, allowing you to maintain your dignity and comfort throughout the process. Think of it as similar to what you might wear to a yoga class or for a gentle workout. It’s clothing that allows you to move freely without restriction.
During this examination, we’ll perform various tests to assess your condition thoroughly. This is your body’s comprehensive MOT, a complete evaluation of how everything is moving, functioning, and where issues might be lurking beneath the surface.
Your Report of Findings
After your examination, we won’t leave you in the dark. You’ll have a consultation where we discuss your report of findings. This is where we’ll share our diagnosis with you, explain exactly what we’ve discovered, and outline how we plan to address it.
We’ll walk you through which specific techniques and skills will be used in your treatment, ensuring you understand not just what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it. This transparency is crucial.
Your First Treatment Session
Here’s something that surprises many people during their first time chiropractic experience: you will typically receive treatment during your very first appointment. Many people worry that they’ll go through all the examination and discussion only to be sent home without any actual care. That’s not how we work.
Your first treatment session may include spinal adjustments and manipulation techniques, deep tissue work, acupuncture, and joint manipulation, depending on your specific needs. We’ll also provide you with exercises to do afterwards. This is what we call “pre-hab before rehab”. These exercises are an essential part of your recovery plan, giving you active tools to support your healing in between appointments.
First Time Chiropractic Experience: Common Questions
When people visit a chiropractor for the first time, they often have a number of questions and concerns. Here are some of the most common ones we’re asked by people going to a chiropractor for the first time, along with our honest and straightforward answers.
Does Chiropractic Treatment Hurt?
Let’s address the elephant in the room straight away: does going to a chiropractor hurt? The short answer is that treatment shouldn’t hurt. However, we also need to be realistic about individual circumstances.
If you’re arriving in absolute agony, some aspects of treatment may cause discomfort. But here’s what’s important: we’re sympathetic to your situation, and we’ll tailor our approach specifically to you. Treatment is supposed to be comfortable. In fact, many people actually enjoy it.
We will take into account your initial pain level when deciding on your ideal treatment plan. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here. We use a variety of different techniques for a host of different situations, and we adapt our methods to suit your body, your condition, and your comfort level.
There’s no maximum or minimum age for treatment either — we work with everybody, from newborns to the elderly, adjusting our techniques accordingly.
Can You Go to a Chiropractor Whilst Pregnant?
This is a question we hear often: can you go to a chiropractor while pregnant? The answer is absolutely yes. Is it safe to go to the chiropractor when pregnant? Again, yes.
Both pregnant and post-partum women can receive chiropractic care safely. Treatment truly is for all, and we adapt our techniques to ensure both mother and baby are safe and comfortable throughout.
Is Chiropractic Care Safe? Understanding Chiropractor Side Effects
Chiropractic care is very safe. Like any intervention, there are always relative risks, but these are carefully mitigated through the formal examination process we’ve described. Our thorough assessment ensures we understand your complete health picture before any treatment begins.
When it comes to chiropractor side effects, you might experience some soreness and inflammation after your first few treatments. Think of it like going to the gym for the first time, there’s often some initial discomfort as and when your body adjusts, but it gets easier with time.
Some people report feeling a bit sluggish or sleepy after treatment. This is completely normal and absolutely nothing to worry about. These “side effects” are temporary and typically diminish as your body adapts to the treatment.
Every member of our chiropractic team is fully trained and qualified to provide the highest quality service possible — so you can lie back without any worries.
Who Should See a Chiropractor?
The simple answer to, who should see a chiropractor? Almost anyone. Professional athletes understand the value of chiropractic care as nowadays, every sports team will have support crew, including chiropractors, who focus on increasing range of movement and maintaining peak physical function post-exercise.
Whilst many people will come to us when they’re experiencing specific issues, chiropractic care offers benefits that extend well beyond immediate pain relief. The truth is, pain is often something that’s lived with, pushed aside, and backed into a corner over time without treatment.
Chiropractic care is about helping it find an escape route. Mechanical issues creep up gradually, and the human body is remarkably good at adapting and compensating to keep things ticking — until it can’t anymore. As a result, people often let niggles and twinges slide, thinking they’ll just sort themselves out, but eventually the human body will reach its limit.
So, who should see a chiropractor? Anyone who wishes to maintain their mobility and function rather than waiting for their body to stiffen up. Whilst we can’t make definitive claims about preventing specific future interventions, keeping your body mobile and moving well now certainly seems preferable to dealing with more significant limitations later in life.
What to Expect Chiropractor Appointments Beyond the First
Understanding what to expect when you go to a chiropractor doesn’t end with your first visit. Chiropractic care takes a more comprehensive view of your ongoing health and movement quality. Unlike the typical approach, where people receive a few physiotherapy sessions before returning to life as normal, chiropractic care is about maintaining your progress and preventing issues from snowballing.
You might be surprised to learn that chiropractic care attracts a completely even split between men and women. It’s not a treatment that favours one sex over another, it is simply there to help everybody be the best they can be.
Your First Time Chiropractor Visit: Nothing to Fear
Now that you know what happens when you go to a chiropractor for the first time, there’s nothing to feel anxious about. Your first visit is the beginning of a partnership focused on your wellbeing, comfort, and long-term health. From your first treatment to the take-home exercises, every step is designed with your care in mind.
What does a chiropractor do on the first visit? They listen, they assess, they explain, and they begin helping you move better. Whether you’re experiencing pain now or simply want to maintain your mobility, visiting a chiropractor for the first time could be the beginning of a journey back towards feeling your best.
Looking for more information about how chiropractic care can help? Are you interested in booking a session? Contact Bespoke Chiropractic today.
