This week I'm not talking about back pain neck pain, headaches, tingling and numbness or other nerve related problems, instead this week I'm going to list some common questions I get as a Chiropractor in Ann Arbor from new patients and the answers I give them.

How will I feel after their first chiropractic treatment?

Many people will feel less pain. Also, many will feel more relaxed, calmer and less tense mentally and physically then before the adjustment. Some say the world seems brighter.

Will I feel sore after my first treatment?

Generally no. However, occasionally people experience minor soreness that is like that you might experience after exercising a muscle that hasn't been used for a long time. If this soreness occurs the soreness will generally subside within a few hours to a few days. In the case a you feel sore after the first adjustment, I recommend that you ice the sore area.

What should I do to help compliment the adjustment? That is, make the adjustment more affective?

Drink plenty of water

Stretch lightly

No heavy lifting and when you do lift use proper lifting techniques

Only light exercise until I let you know when you can begin more intense exercise (I would also recommend exercises to avoid)

Consume a low inflammatory diet.

Make sure to sleep on a firm mattress

Use shoes that have minimal or no heal

Don't wear a wallet in your back pocket (as to avoid the fulcrum effect that comes when sitting on the wallet)

As a patient do I need to keep the treatments you have recommended?

The treatment recommendation is made to optimize the effectiveness of care. The less follow through with the recommended care generally directly correlates to less long term effectiveness of the care. Some patients will be treated for the first time and then not follow up with any of the additional recommended care. These patients may feel better after the first treatment, but the pain that brought them in for care in the first place will likely return. A patient is generally best served by following through with the doctors recommended treatment plan.

With questions about this blog post or about chiropractic in general you can reach me at my Ann Arbor office at [email protected].