On your first visit, you will check in with the front desk staff to receive the paperwork for you to fill out (It is recommended that you print these forms up prior to coming in to expedite your waiting time). This paperwork lets our doctors know of your needs and your long-term health goals. You will find the front desk very helpful and supportive of your health goals while you are a patient at our office.
Dr. Beberman or Dr. Genin will ask you about your health complaints and your main concerns. They will also ask about your family history, dietary habits, other care you may have had in the past (chiropractic, medical, physical therapy, etc.), your job, and other questions designed to help determine the nature of your illness and the best way to go about treating the problem.
A thorough physical and spinal examination will be performed to detect any structural abnormalities, which may be affecting or causing your condition. This examination will include a state-of-the-art computerized postural evaluation, orthopedic, neurological and range of motion testing. All of these elements are important components of your total health profile, and vital to the doctor in evaluating your problem.
An "adjustment," as Doctors of Chiropractic use the term, means the specific manipulation of vertebrae, which have abnormal movement patterns or fail to function normally. This misalignment is called an “subluxation”. Doctors of chiropractic spend years learning motion palpation (the art of examining by movement or touch) and other forms of spinal examining procedures, so that they can administer specific and appropriate spinal adjustments.
Once our doctors have identified your problem, they will begin care by way of these adjustments. Particular attention will be paid to that area of your spine where a subluxation has been detected. The adjustment is usually given by hand, and consists of applying pressure to the areas of the spine that are out of alignment or that do not move properly within their normal range of motion.
Doctors of chiropractic use many sophisticated and varied techniques, and the specific procedure to be used will be determined and explained completely to you following a careful evaluation of your physical findings.
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions that you may have.
Under normal circumstances, adjustments do not hurt. The patient may experience a minor amount of discomfort during the adjustment, which lasts only seconds. Adjustments are extremely safe. The risk factor is estimated to be in excess of 1 million to 1.
Each patient will receive a recommended course of treatment which us unique to their condition. This recommendation depends on the severity of your condition. A severe condition treatment plan may require two to three visits per week for a number of weeks, with a reduction in frequency at various stages thereafter. A condition with only slight discomfort may start off at
once per week.
At Balance Chiropractic there are three main stages to chiropractic care:
1. Many patients start
seeing a chiropractor during the Relief stage, where they are looking for acute pain management. The goal of this phase is to have you feel better as quickly and completely as possible.
2. In the Corrective stage, the doctor will treat the underlying causes that create an imbalance, discomfort, or pain. Chiropractic care at this stage will facilitate the body's natural ability to heal and stabilize itself. A large percentage of healing takes place during this phase.
3. Once you are in the Maintenance stage of care, chiropractic will maintain the progress you have achieved, support ongoing healing and to help prevent future health problems. Your treatment plan becomes largely about staying well rather than getting well. We have patients who continue to come in once per week for active maintenance. We also have patients who come in once every two or three weeks, once a month, or only when they are in acute pain.
After the adjustment, the doctor will give you further instructions on what you can do at home to help implement your health goals. The best results are achieved when you take an active role in your own health by following your at-home care plan. Please remember to make sure you schedule about an hour for this first visit. We look forward to helping you achieve optimal health at Balance Chiropractic!
