What to Expect

At your first appointment you will discuss with the Chiropractor the symptoms you are experiencing. To ensure the Chiropractor has the best understanding of your health and the cause of your symptoms, you will asked questions about the information you provided as part of your intake form, including:

your work and out of work activities
medication
accidents
and previous and current conditions or illnesses.

The Chiropractor will then conduct appropriate neurological and orthopaedic tests.

Neurological tests assess your nervous system
Orthopaedic tests access your joints and soft tissue structures which help move and support your skeleton.

Report of Findings

The Chiropractor will explain the assessment findings so you understand why you are experiencing your symptoms.

Working Diagnosis and Prognosis

The details you have provided as part of your consultation and the results of your assessment will enable to the Chiropractor to determine your working diagnosis (the cause of your symptoms) and prognosis (the likelihood of your symptoms resolving with Chiropractic and self care/other advice provided by the Chiropractor).

If the cause of your symptoms falls out of a Chiropractic remit, the Chiropractor will refer you to your GP or other appropriate healthcare professional.

Plan of Care

The Chiropractor will propose a plan of care. Your response to chiropractic and your symptoms will be reviewed at each appointment to ensure chiropractic care is meeting your needs.

Self Care After Appointments

The Chiropractor will explain how best to look after yourself following adjustments. This usually involves:

Drinking plenty of water
Avoiding overly strenuous activities
Avoiding stressful situations
Taking only lukewarm showers or baths after being adjusted on the day of your appointment
Being aware of your posture
Eating nutritious food.

What to Expect from the Adjustments

Due to the speed and specificity of McTimoney adjustments, your chiropractic care is often very comfortable to receive. You may experience immediate improvements and many patients immediately report feeling "freer" and "balanced". For the first 48 hours after the first couple of appointments, it is also normal the experience:

Slightly aggravated symptoms
A headache
Feeling overly tired
Or generally ache all over.

These are all very normal reactions and indicate that your brain and body is responding well to the adjustments and making the necessary changes towards becoming pain free and functioning well again.

Stroke

There is a theoretical risk of stroke occurring from chiropractic, due to some Chiropractic techniques involving the rotation of the head and neck. This is theoretical, and there has never been a reported case of Chiropractic causing a patient to have a stroke. In addition, the McTimoney technique (the technique used at Living Well Chiropractic) does not involve rotation of the head or neck.

Follow Up Appointments

You will be asked to make a mental note of the changes between appointments and a verbal review will be made at each follow up appointment. At appropriate follow up appointments a neurological and orthopaedic reassessment will be undertaken, and a comparison to the initial findings and your plan of care will be made and discussed.

At appropriate stages, the Chiropractor will start to introduce postural and lifestyle improvement suggestions. The Chiropractor is keen to provide you with advice that enable you to be healthy and well for the rest of your life.