Worried about your first chiropractor visit? Allow us to ease your fears.

The truth is, you have nothing to worry about. The chiropractor is only there to help and they won’t do anything without your consent.

But, if you still have concerns, this guide will help. The following list describes what your first chiropractor visit will be like. By knowing what to expect, you can overcome your inhibitions and get the help you need.



Read on to learn about and prepare for your visit to the chiropractor.

How To Prepare For Your First Chiropractor Visit

The easiest way to prepare for your first chiropractor visit is to call your chiropractor. When setting up your appointment, ask them what you need to bring to your initial consultation. 

In general, though, it’s helpful to bring immunization records and a list of any medication you’re taking. There will be a questionnaire about your medical history, including any conditions that run in your family.



Find out as much of this information as you can and write it down. Include any current health problems you have, any allergies, plus any concerns you want to ask about. Bring this information to your visit.

Chiropractic Consultation: Your First Visit

Your first visit to the chiropractor will be mostly a consultation to determine what treatment you need. Although, it may also include a chiropractic adjustment.

The initial visit starts with a questionnaire and a physical exam. After this, the chiropractor discusses treatment options with you to create a treatment plan. Lastly, you will schedule follow-up appointments according to the treatment plan.



Next, let’s look at each of these aspects of your first visit in more detail.

Gathering Information

It’s essential that your chiropractor knows of any past or present health conditions and treatments. These factors determine which chiropractic treatments will be the most helpful. This medical history also tells the chiropractor which treatments they should avoid.

Additionally, the questionnaire will attempt to determine the cause of the issue you’re experiencing. The cause is very important since the point of chiropractic medicine is to treat the underlying condition, not merely the symptoms.

For example, the pain caused by a repetitive stress injury could be very similar to the pain caused by a car accident injury. The treatment for these two conditions, however, could be very different. 



To determine the cause of the issue, the questionnaire will ask certain questions about your job and lifestyle. Please make sure you disclose all the requested information so that the correct treatment is prescribed.

Physical Exam

Next, the chiropractor examines you physically. This examination is usually focused around the affected area. For example, if you’re experiencing shoulder pain, the doctor will examine your shoulder, neck, and upper back.

However, the pain could be caused by some issue far away from the affected area. One common example is back pain caused by having one leg longer than the other. So don’t be too surprised if the doctor examines seemingly unrelated areas of your body.



Usually, the examination will test your reflexes, range of motion, posture, and spinal alignment. For this, you’ll be asked to move or stretch in certain ways and x-rays will be taken.

Creating a Treatment Plan

There’s really no way to give you a general idea of what your treatment plan would look like. Each patient’s chiropractic issues are very unique. So, each one is given case-by-case treatment.

Usually, though, the severity of the problem and the amount of time it has gone untreated will affect the total duration of the treatment plan. That is, extensive damage and problems that took a long time to develop usually take a long time to correct. Still, there’s no way to know the severity of the issue or the length and type of treatment without a consultation.



Also, know that it’s very rare that the issue will be solved in a single visit. It usually takes at least one follow-up appointment in addition to your first chiropractic adjustment to ensure the problem is corrected.

Your First Adjustment

Most chiropractors will give you your first chiropractic adjustment during your initial visit. How the adjustment is performed depends on the specific type of corrective care you need. But since it won’t take very long, it makes little sense to wait until a follow-up appointment to do it.

However, there are some instances in which an adjustment might not be appropriate. For example, if surgery or other measures are required, an adjustment might be unnecessary, unhelpful, or even harmful.



Of course, such cases are rare. The hope of chiropractic medicine is to solve issues without surgery or other such drastic measures. And, most of the time, chiropractors are able to achieve this goal through adjustments and other non-invasive treatments.

Future Visits

Again, there’s no way to know for sure how many follow-up treatments you’ll need until your consultation. But, typically, your treatment will include multiple adjustments over a set period of time.

Also, it’s very important that you follow this schedule set by your chiropractor. That is, the adjustments must be done within a certain timeframe.



If you skip an appointment, it can undo all that the treatment has accomplished up to that point. Then, you’ll have to start the treatment all over again. So, if you’re serious about getting chiropractic help, you must be prepared to follow the doctor’s prescribed treatment plan