Your First Visit
Convenient Offices in: East Providence / Pawtucket / Providence / Central Falls
Your first visit to our East Providence RI, Pawtucket RI, Providence RI, or Central Falls RI office will begin with a consultation. Your doctor will take a full medical history and ask you about your present condition. Next, the doctor will perform an examination to evaluate the nature of your problem. This examination generally includes a series of basic physical tests, as well as a specialized chiropractic evaluation of spinal movements and posture.
Your first visit will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Not all patients will receive spinal manipulation on the initial visit; this is a clinical decision and varies from patient to patient. For those patients who do receive spinal manipulation on the initial visit, it may be a normal occurrence to feel mild discomfort. To help alleviate this, you should ice the affected regions 10 minutes on and 15 minutes off, one to three times on the day of your first treatment.
PATIENT HISTORY
In preparation for the examination, we do require information about you and your injury. A few of these are:
When and how did the pain start?
Where is it located?
Is it a result of an injury?
What activities/circumstances make it better?
What activities/circumstances make it worse?
CONSULTATION & EXAMINATION
Along with reviewing your history, a complete orthopedic and neurological examination will be performed. This includes but is not limited to: the range of motion test, muscle strength, and reflex test. If necessary, your doctor may recommend X-rays or other diagnostic testing to obtain further information about the mechanics of your spine and determine your condition.
REPORT OF FINDINGS & TREATMENT PLAN
Once all tests are completed, your chiropractic physician will explain your condition and determine an appropriate treatment plan for you. Treatment plans do vary from patient to patient. Our goal is to get started to provide you with the most effective treatment for relief of your symptoms. Over the course of care, your chiropractic physician will monitor your individual progress and may recommend changes in your lifestyle, work environment, and exercise patterns.
If necessary, you may be referred to another healthcare specialist for further evaluation if your condition warrants.
