What to expect at your Consultation and Report of Findings

The Consultation and examination

At the consultation its purpose is to discover the origin of your symptoms and in simple terms “see if we can help you.” It takes 30-40 minutes and consists of a medical history with lots of questions, as well as a physical examination, followed by a debrief which explains our findings. Typically there is an intake form to complete that should take no more than 4 minutes.

During the consultation the questions will be regarding your pain and symptoms, for example, how long you have had it, where it hurts, what aggravates the pain etc. It will also include a medical history as per General Chiropractic council guidelines. Your treatment goals will clearly be established at this point. For some patients feeling better is not enough, they need to “keep up with the wife on a walk”, or “play with the grandkids on the floor.”

An examination is then performed (with your clothes on). This consists of simple tests such as range of motion, palpation, reflex and neurological testing, orthopaedic testing, stress testing of ligaments, joint and muscle palpation etc. Its goal is to help us discover which structures in and around your spine and joints are causing your pain. For example, if L5 palpation reproduces your pain exactly then we can be confident it is a pain generating structure and requires attention during a treatment. Our goal with every patient is to find the source of their pain so we can help them feel better fast, and make a long term change to their spinal health. The other reason the examination is important, is we can use the findings to measure your improvement (through functional tests). For example, if your reflexes or range of motion improve, that is a reliable measure of progress. The examination will also guide us regarding our treatment approach. The Chiropractor will make clinical decisions regarding how best to treat you based on your examination. However, sometimes a referral will need to be made for and MRI scan or to a GP, orthopaedic, or neurological consultant.

Following the examination, we will sit down with you and provide an explanation of what we found, as well as letting you know if we can help. We aim to be transparent, and set expectations with your care. If we cannot help you (or you need a referral) we will typically let you know at the consultation. We NEVER accept patients into care if we doubt we can achieve their health aims or treatment goals. Following our examination, we provide either a “low back pain information pack” or a “neck pain information pack.” That includes lifestyle advice, stretches, exercises, ergonomic advice, as well as postural tips, pain management tips. Its goal is to help you recover from your pain (whether its acute or Chronic low back pain, neck pain, sciatica relief, or disc bulges or prolapses) as fast as possible, as well as create a long-term improvement so the pain never, ever, comes back.

Report of findings (your first treatment)

At the report of findings (15-20 mins) we firstly read back your medical history to clarify things with you, as well as ask any additional questions. We then explain the anatomy and function of the spine to you using models. We also explain why we believe you have symptoms, and relate that to your examination findings as well as explain the significance of the tests that were performed. At this point we outline a course of care to you that will help you achieve your treatment goals.

We will always be transparent, and tailor the treatment to your goals (as well as set your expectations). When explaining your treatment plan we will explain the re-examination appointments where we will objectively measure your progress, both using visual analogue scale pain forms (that you complete), as well as re-testing the painful or positive tests from the examination. We will explain the treatment process in detail and typically also demonstrate the treatment before performing them. If you require specialist equipment like an IDD disc decompression therapy machine we will explain this during the report of findings.

If lifestyle advice is needed such a posture advice, or ergonomic advice we give it to you at this point. If there are MRI images available, we will sit down with you and talk you through what you are seeing. Our goal is always to provide a targeted (clear and easy to understand) personalised treatment plan tailored to your specific treatment goals. Once we have outlined your course of care we will discuss the different discounts that are available, then with your consent give you your first treatment.

Following your first treatment we will typically call you the evening of your first treatment to check in with you. Sometimes patients have extra questions or can feel a little sore from the treatment.  We find it beneficial to provide tips, advice, or reassurance following the first Chiropractic treatment.