Going to a new practitioners office often makes people feel anxious or unsure of what to expect. Upper Cervical Chiropractic offices may feel like a different experience compared to a more traditional chiropractic office.
I’ll introduce myself: I’m a Boulder Chiropractor and I own an Upper Cervical Chiropractic office.
Really, this article is about 4 things you can expect on your first visit upper cervical chiropractic visit at MY office. Most upper cervical chiropractors practice a very similar protocol. So if you’re wondering what to expect on your first upper cervical chiropractic visit, this post should help shine some light for you.
The benefits of chiropractic care can address things like neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases and chronic pain. Here’s a list of the 4 things you can expect on your first upper cervical chiropractic visit:
#1 Do You Qualify For Upper Cervical Chiropractic?
No, we aren’t an exclusive club. However, not every person who walks through the door is the right candidate for this type of chiropractic care. I might get some kickback on this one, but stay with me here. Your chiropractor will determine the following two things right away:
- What is your personal objective for coming in for upper cervical care?
- What symptoms are you experiencing that brought you to the office? How long have you been experiencing them?
What are you looking to get out of this visit?
Everyone walks through the door with different objectives in mind for their healing process. As a chiropractor, we cannot assume everyone has the same objectives. For example, are you looking to get out of pain as soon as possible? Or are you interested in correcting the cause of your symptom?
This is not meant to be a polarizing statement. There are some patients, who truly want to just BE OUT OF PAIN. Whatever does the trick the fastest. The only hiccup is that this is often coupled with ‘symptomatic treatment,’ instead of ‘correcting’ whatever is causing your concern.
Let’s explore these two mentalities
Mentality 1 = ‘Just get me out of pain right now.” Typically this means you’re looking for a quick-fix, rather than a long term solution.
I won’t lie, I have found myself reaching for the Advil bottle from time to time for a headache. Rather than evaluating my water intake that day. Or if I should try a 10 minute meditation or breathing exercises to try to calm down my stress levels.
Mentality 2 = “Correct whatever had made this concern happen in the first place so it is less likely to ever return.” This is when we aim to resolve whatever is causing your concern.
It should be known that Upper Cervical Chiropractic is not a quick-fix. Upper Cervical Chiropractors aim to correct a misalignment located at the top of your neck. We aim to do this in as few adjustments as possible.
Our process is:
- Correcting the structure.
- Stabilizing this area.
- Create balance inside your nervous system.
This process takes a little time.
Healing is a process that your body goes through. It is not a singular event of I’M HEALED!
Disclaimer: our office certainly does see miracles with patients healed quickly after their first adjustment. This is of course not the typical case!
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Ok. Let’s say your doctor has now qualified you’re in the right office. Upper Cervical Chiropractic might be a solution for you:
#2 Your Upper Cervical Chiropractor will go over your health history.
This is EASILY one of the most important things to starting care. By the time someone ends up in an Upper Cervical Chiropractor’s office, usually they have tried MANY modalities, medications, rehabilitation, etc. It’s very important for your doctor to know your healthcare journey up to the point you reached their office. This information will be very important for your doctor when determining what your treatment plan will look like.
#3 Your Upper Cervical Chiropractor will do a physical and neurological exam on your spine.
You might be thinking a physical exam sounds intense or scary. Fear not, it’s pretty basic stuff and nothing to fret over. Your physical exam should include things like:
- Basic range of motion of your neck. Essentially how far can you turn from side to side, up and down, and so forth.
- Posture Analysis.
- Palpation of the spine and surrounding muscles.
- Some orthopedic tests to check for weakness or pain.
As for your neurological exam, this is my favorite part! The most powerful question within Upper Cervical Chiropractic is: how is that affecting your nervous system?
Your neurological exam should include things like:
- How your eyes track movement, your balance, your ability to detect physical sensations, and so forth.
- An autonomic thermography scan.
#4 You will need special imaging of your neck.
If your chiropractor is practicing true Upper Cervical protocol, they MUST take imaging of your neck. This point is not negotiable. Period.
In order to truly experience the benefits of chiropractic care, especially with an Upper Cervical Chiropractor, special imaging is required. You wouldn’t want your dentist filling a cavity without x-rays first, right?
The reason Upper Cervical Chiropractors get such results is because they eliminate all guess-work in their practice. Taking imaging allows your doctor to see exactly how your upper cervical spine looks. Most importantly, it will show the exact misalignment. This guides us to give the most PRECISE correction to that area. The more precise your correction is, the less care you will need over the course of your healing process.
Let’s Recap.
So a quick recap of the 4 things you can expect on your first visit Upper Cervical Chiropractic Visit:
- Determining if you’re in the right office for your care needs.
- Review your health history in depth.
- Undergo a physical and neurological exam
- Get Upper Cervical Chiropractic imaging taken.
Uppercervicalawareness.com is a great resource to learn about the benefits of chiropractic care and find an upper cervical chiropractor in your area. You can also simply look up in a web search: “upper cervical chiropractic near me” or “upper cervical chiropractor near me.”
If you’re in Boulder County, click here for a complimentary one-on-one consultation in our office if you’d like to meet us and talk more. You can always give our office a call at 303-900-7703 or send us an email at info@uccboulder.com. I’d love to connect!
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