What to Expect At Your First Chiropractic Visit – Part One

Welcome to Cornerstone Family Chiropractic! We are SO excited to serve you on your first chiropractic visit with us! 

Below, you will find a brief overview of what you can expect from us on our first visit, and more so, how excited we are to help educate you on neurologically-based chiropractic care! As you read through the information below, please note that it is our most sincere desire to help you understand the true meaning of chiropractic, and why we choose to use chiropractic care as a primary form of health care. 

We know that choosing the right care for you and your family can be overwhelming, so as you read more about us, please feel free to jot down your questions. We would love to address them as you come in for your first chiropractic visit! 

We are excited to serve you. Thank you for taking the time to read more about neurologically based-chiropractic care, and how to help your family thrive! For more insight into the tests we do and what they mean, read on.

Your Initial Evaluation with Us

As you come in for your first chiropractic visit with us, one of our chiropractic assistants will welcome you in and ensure that you fill out the proper paperwork, allowing you to share any health concerns and health goals that you have with us.  

After that, we will give you a brief tour of our office to ensure you know exactly who we are and what you can expect from us. 

During your consultation, we will sit down and talk for a while about what is important to you as you begin your care with us. We will also educate a bit more around the nervous system and how it controls and coordinates everything in your body.

After our time together in consultation, we will conduct four different evaluations that will show us a grand picture as to what is going on with your spinal health. The coolest thing is that you get to see it! We start by running several comprehensive evaluations to ensure we have a full understanding of your spine’s condition, the function of the nervous system, and more.  

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

The first assessment we’ll do at your chiropractic visit is a heart rate variability test or HRV for short. This exam allows us to show you just how healthy your nervous system is operating. While the test is going, we leave the room, encouraging you to relax as best you can so we can get as accurate a result as possible.  

The HRV test is used to detect the balance between your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system. Your body is at its best when the two are balanced, because the sympathetic nervous system takes over when the body is under stress and the parasympathetic nervous system stabilizes the effects of the sympathetic nervous system.

If your systems aren’t well balanced, your vagus nerve can be overstimulated even at rest, meaning that the stress response is continual in your body. The effects of a prolonged stress response can be far-reaching, potentially leading to:

• Muscle tension
• Respiratory issues
• Heart problems
• Immune disorders
• Gastrointestinal difficulties

Thermal Scan

After we’ve done your HRV test, we’ll ask you to change into a gown which will allow us to have full access to your spine during the remainder of your first chiropractic visit. These exams will enable us to share with you some of the most amazing information around the health of your nervous system, regarding muscle tension and spinal inflammation. 

After that, we’ll do thermal imaging. The thermal exam is used to detect how well your body can control your organs, glands, and muscles through your autonomic nervous system.

SEMG 

During the Surface Electromyogram (also known as a Surface EMG/sEMG), we’ll use a device to measure the muscle tension in your spine, starting at the bottom (the sacrum) all the way to the top of your cervical spine. The exciting thing about the sEMG test is that it provides spinal imaging in real time, showing us where potential subluxations (misaligned vertebrae) are and how they may be affecting your muscle structure. 

Overall, the sEMG gives pertinent information on the tension, symmetry, and balance of the muscles supporting and stabilizing the spine. When we review the test after your first chiropractic visit, we’ll be able to pinpoint specific areas where muscle tone is not where it could be, and how much those areas are affecting your overall health.

Once all three of these tests are complete, we’ll go over your COREscore, which will tell us more about the significance of your heart rate variability test, sEMG, and thermal imaging. If you have any questions as we’re going over the results, feel free to ask! We’re always happy to help practice members gain a better understanding of their bodies.

X-Rays and Weight Distribution Balance Test

Once you’re done with the initial assessments for your first chiropractic visit, we’ll lead you into the X-ray room and check your weight distribution balance. Don’t worry – we won’t ask you to stand on one foot! Instead, we’ll have you stand on two scales (one foot on each). This part of the test can be very surprising to practice members, as there’s usually a significant difference between the weight each side of the body holds. 

The final leg of our initial visit is a full spinal X-ray. During this portion, we’ll ask you to stand in a few different directions, as we take your full spinal X-rays. 

Some may wonder why it’s important to have X-rays done at your first chiropractic visit. We will be able to learn things such as disc condition, bone quality, alignment, neuroforaminal openings, and other types of spinal findings. This process is SO important, as we will be able to measure data to a millimeter, and allow you back on your second visit with Dr. Robert to see all of your unique information pulled together! 

It’s also helpful for your chiropractor to see how God designed each individual’s spine. Since everyone’s spine has a unique curvature to it, seeing X-rays helps Dr. Robert know how to approach your spinal adjustments in the most specific and beneficial way, without having to guess. Dr. Robert will analyze the X-rays and then, on your next visit with us, he will review them in detail and answer any questions you may have. 

Find Out How We Can Help You At Your First Chiropractic Visit! 

Here at Cornerstone Family Chiropractic, helping our practice members is what energizes us. It all starts with education, and sharing the same sense of awe we have when we realize we are truly “fearfully and wonderfully made.” As we’ve said, everything flows from the spine, and it’s remarkable what our bodies can do when we simply focus on allowing the body to heal. 

All of our assessments are non-invasive, and the results from the adjustments can make a huge positive impact on your life! For those of you who are looking for a natural approach to healthcare, and want to avoid any unnecessary medications and surgeries, chiropractic may be the gift you have been looking for.

If you’re ready to be part of the message of hope we’ve been able to bring to our practice members, schedule your first chiropractic visit today!