What to Expect at Your First Chiropractic Appointment: Clear, Comfortable, and Collaborative
by Dr. Chantal Joseph, Chiropractor
If you’re new to chiropractic care, it’s very normal to feel unsure about what the first appointment involves. The good news is that your first visit is straightforward, informative, and centred on understanding your concerns and goals. My aim is to make the process clear and comfortable so you know exactly what to expect and feel confident throughout the session.
1. A Conversation About Your History, Concerns and Goals
Your first appointment is about one hour, giving us time to talk and assess. After that, we decide together on the plan moving forward.
We start with a simple conversation about:
What brings you in
What factors improve or aggravate your symptoms
How your symptoms affect your daily life, work, or sport
Your health history and any past injuries
What you want to achieve moving forward
This is an open discussion. You can tell me as much as you’d like about your experience, and you’re welcome to ask questions at any point. The goal is to understand your situation clearly and set direction for the appointment.
2. A Movement and Physical Assessment
After the history, we move into the physical assessment. This involves observing how you move and identifying what might be contributing to your symptoms. Depending on your concern, this may include:
Checking joint movement and range of motion
Assessing strength and muscle tension
Observing posture and movement patterns, including injury or sport-related motions.
Palpating muscles and joints
Evaluating functional performance - tasks related to your goals, daily or athletic.
This assessment provides key information about how your body is functioning. It helps identify areas that may be irritated, restricted, or not working as efficiently as they could.
3. Clear, Direct Explanation of Findings
Once the assessment is complete, we sit down and go over the findings. You’ll get an explanation of:
What I believe to be contributing to your symptoms
How your movement patterns or lifestyle factors may play a role
What areas we should focus on
What the next steps look like
My goal is for you to leave with a full understanding of what’s going on. This is also where you can ask questions, get clarification, and make sure everything makes sense to you.
4. Your Personalized Treatment Plan
After discussing the findings, we build a plan based on your goals, activity level, and the assessment findings. Treatment options may include some combination of:
Education and lifestyle strategies
Soft tissue techniques
Manipulation
Joint mobilizations
Acupuncture
Exercise-based rehab
Orthotics
Modalities
Not all of these tools will be used for every patient, they are simply options we can apply. The goal is to determine the combination of tools that works best for you, based on your injury, what the evidence shows, my clinical expertise, and your preferences or comfort level. Your plan is individualized, not a one-size-fits-all approach, and it can change from visit to visit depending on how you respond to treatment. We discuss what I recommend, why I recommend it, and how it fits into your goals.
I also believe strongly in patients having an active role in their recovery. That means we clearly outline:
What I’ll address during sessions
What you can work on at home to support progress
What kind of change we can realistically expect
This open approach helps us work together as a team and ensures your expectations match your plan.
5. Treatment
Depending on how long the assessment and discussion take, we may begin treatment during the first session. If not, we start at the next visit. Either way, you leave with a clear plan and understanding of the path forward.
6. A Collaborative and Comfortable Experience
Your first visit is about establishing trust, clarity, and communication. You should feel comfortable speaking openly and asking questions throughout the appointment. Chiropractic care isn’t meant to be intimidating, it’s a structured, practical approach to understanding your body and improving how you feel and function.
If you’ve seen a Physiotherapist or Registered Massage Therapist before, the flow will feel familiar. The main difference is simply the range of tools I can use to help you, something that varies between practitioners across all fields.
If you’re unsure or want to talk things through before booking, we can always schedule a consult call. The goal is for you to feel informed and confident from the very beginning.
Your first visit is designed to give you clarity, direction, and a plan that makes sense.
