Q: Can chiropractic help me?
A: The honest answer is that we won’t know whether we can help you until our doctor talks to you about what is happening and examine you. How quickly we can help you will vary due to how the injury, pain, or other condition happened and how long you have been suffering.
Q: What should I expect after an adjustment?
A: Every patient experience is different, depending on how you injured yourself and how long it has been since the injury happened. Some people feel immediate relief and some people take more time.
Q: How many visits will I need?
A: For most people, we will have a good idea of how many visits you will need after examining you on the first visit. We typically recommend seeing us twice per week for two weeks to get things moving properly and help us have a better idea of how you are progressing. As you improve, we will space out visits because adjusting a patient more than needed doesn’t aid improvement.
After initial pain is relieved and normal function is restored, many people choose to see us regularly (usually once per month) to prevent future problems, but not all do. You will never be pressured to see us for regular care if you choose not to. Some people just call us when they feel they need us and that is completely fine with us.
Q: What if I was told that I need neck surgery or back surgery?
A: Having neck surgery or back surgery is no guarantee that your pain will go away, often causing further pain, reduced range of motion, long term painful scar tissue, and risk of extremely severe complications. We have too many times seen misdiagnoses or overly aggressive diagnoses from other doctors that lead to unnecessary surgery. Please realize, an opinion from a doctor is only an opinion, not the only answer. If you are told that you need surgery for any reason other than immediate life-saving need or broken bones, it is in your best interest to see our doctor for a second opinion. We have seen many patients that thought surgery was their only option and after chiropractic care at Mahalko Family Chiropractic, they are now living happy, pain-free, normal lives with no side effects of surgery. Even if we feel that we can not help you and may need surgery, we will recommend you to surgeons that we know and trust.
Q: Do I need a referral from my medical doctor to see a chiropractor?
A: No, but we are happy to accept referrals as we work well with many good medical doctors.