New Patients at Murray Chiropractic
What to Expect
If you’ve ever gone to a social event where you didn’t know anyone, you know how uncomfortable that can make you feel. Our goal is to eliminate every shred of apprehension and make you feel at home. Since chiropractic care involves a series of visits, with each one building on the ones before, it’s important that our relationship can go the distance. We’ve found that one of the best ways to have successful patient relationships is to explain everything in advance. No surprises! The more you understand who we are, what we do and why we do it, the better results you’ll enjoy. It’s as simple as that.
Your First Visit
You’ll find plenty of convenient parking and a well-lit parking lot. You’ll be greeted by name when you enter our office. If you’ve already completed your admitting paperwork, great! If not, after doing so, our chiropractic assistant will review in detail the reason for your visit and complete a health history. We will likely show you a short five-minute chiropractic orientation DVD and then you’ll meet Dr. Pete Murray.
The purpose of your consultation with the doctor is to discuss your health goals and see if chiropractic is likely to help you. If it looks promising, a thorough chiropractic examination, including orthopedic and neurological testing, will help identify the cause of your problem. X-rays help to confirm the doctor’s findings; diagnostic imaging can help locate any bone abnormalities, fractures and reveal your spine’s phase of spinal decay.
On your report visit we explain what we found and how we may be able to help you.
Your second visit will be a report on the findings in your case. We encourage you to bring someone with you to support you in your care. Often times, the doctor will go over a lot of things in a short period of time, many of them new and different than what you’ve heard before, so it’s nice to have an “extra set of ears” along with you.
By the time the doctor is finished with the report, you should have a very clear picture as to what is wrong with you, what caused it to get that way. Next the frequency of your chiropractic treatment plan will be recommended . You will be given plenty of opportunity to ask questions as well. Once you have all of your questions answered, we will continue your care.
Following the doctor’s portion of the report and adjustment, one of our CAs will explain your insurance or finances as it pertains to your care. If you will be submitting your charges to an insurance company, she will have contacted them to find out what your responsibility will be, based on the information provided from them. Our office is a provider for most major insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also treat a great deal of workers compensation injuries and personal injuries related to accidents.
After the investment of time needed on the first and second visits, many patients become concerned that every visit will be of equal length. In a word: no. A typical visit may require just a few, highly-focused, minutes. But don’t think the brevity of a regular visit lessens its value! With the groundwork laid, we can quickly size up what your spine and nervous system, adjust you and get you on your way. Like a regular workout at the gym, each visit builds on the ones before. Miss a visit and we can lose the momentum necessary to make the needed changes.
It’s impossible to predict how you will respond to chiropractic care. Everyone is different. We’ll have a better idea after a dozen visits or so. How long you benefit from chiropractic is always up to you! You’ll invite a relapse of your original problem if you discontinue your care once you feel better. Only then can make more accurate prediction about what it will take to complete your recovery and what will be needed to help you stay well.
We’ll conduct several of the tests we performed on your first visit. This will give us a way to compare where you are, in relation to where you were. Obviously, this is essential for plotting a more accurate plan for future care. Hopefully, if your progress is verified by objective examination protocols, we usually modify your visit schedule. With the momentum established from the intensive schedule during the early part of your care, we can often reduce your visit frequency without sacrificing continued progress.
About this time, many patients are feeling significantly better. They’re often tempted to discontinue their care. And of course, how long you benefit from chiropractic is always up to you. Please note that you are predisposed to a relapse if you discontinue care before supporting muscles and ligaments are fully healed. That’s something that happens after symptoms disappear. Just let us know so we can support your decision!
Take the First Step
Contact Murray Chiropractic today to schedule your appointment. We look forward to meeting you soon!