First Visit

What to expect

Chiropractic

It all starts with paperwork! Arrive early, and after you complete the intake form as fully as possible, you will be taken to a treatment room where your chiropractor will meet with you to discuss your health history and current concerns.

The chiropractor will perform a thorough assessment to determine what type of issue you are dealing with, and a diagnosis will be provided. Your chiropractor will then suggest a treatment plan customized for you and your body. Our chiropractors ensure that you are fully informed at every step so you are comfortable with the process and the adjustments.

In most cases on the first visit, women will be asked to change into one of our lovely gowns, and guys will remove their shirts. This is so that the chiropractor can take a closer look at your back, as well as check for any abnormalities on your skin. We are required to see the skin of the area that will be treated.

This first visit takes approximately 45 minutes in total, and will usually include your first treatment (adjustment) as well, after reviewing and signing an informed consent form. Subsequent visits will be anywhere from 7-15 minutes, depending on the treatment. These treatments can be performed while the patient is fully clothed, so no more gowns!

Massage

Arrive early for your first visit in order to have time to complete the massage intake form. Our therapists will need a complete picture of your current health situation, including any medications or other treatments/therapies you are undergoing. This information is critical to ensuring that massage is not contraindicated. See Massage Therapy FAQs for more information about contraindications.

Your therapist will come to the front to take you and your paperwork to the massage room. They will review the information with you and then leave the room so that you may disrobe and get under the covers on the massage table. Clients leave only their underwear (panties) on. Only the body part that the therapist is working on is exposed at any one time. The rest of the time you will be under a sheet, blanket, and sometimes a heating pad. The lights in the room will be dimmed and quiet music may be played in the background as well to help you relax.

Most massages will start with you lying face down, and finish by having you turn face up for the final few minutes. Once your time is completed, the therapist will leave the room so that you may get dressed. Get up slowly and carefully from the table, as massage can leave you feeling very relaxed and sometimes a bit light-headed.

Some clients will experience some muscle stiffness or soreness after their first massage, much like the feeling after your first time back at the gym, or the first time you hit the ski slopes for the season. Drinking plenty of water, resting, and even an Epsom salt bath is sometimes recommended post-massage.

Acupuncture

An extensive intake form and questionnaire will be given to you, the answers to which will reveal any potentially beneficial treatments required, as well as your main area of concern. Dr. Sourang will review your form, and then use questioning and observation, as well as visual and sensory clues, to come up with a treatment plan personalized for you. Checking your tongue colour and texture, as well as evaluating your pulse, are common diagnostic tools. You will also receive a treatment on your first visit, so allow about 1 hour for the appointment.

You will likely be asked to change into a gown, or into a pair of shorts, so that the acupuncturist will be able to access the correct points for the acupuncture needles. Most treatments are performed while the patient is lying face up on the table. The needles will be inserted at the points that will be most beneficial for your treatment, which may not always be where you think! If you have a sore shoulder, you may also find you end up with needles in your feet or wrist.

The areas where the needles will be placed is gently wiped with an antiseptic. The needles are very fine and usually patients only feel a slight pinching sensation as they are placed. All needles are individually wrapped and sterile, for single use only.

The needles are left in place for the duration of the treatment, and you will be able to relax in a quiet, darkened room. Quite often patients will be so relaxed that they will fall asleep. Once the treatment time is up, usually about 45 minutes, the acupuncturist will return to the room and carefully remove all of the needles.

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