What to Expect on Your First Visit

Many new patients are not sure what to expect during their first visit, here at Central Ohio Spine and Joint we are committed to making this process as easy as possible so we have broken down what to expect.

Our Commitment to You: We place our patients first. Each patient that walks through our door is treated like an individual.  We take the time to learn about your unique condition and make our recommendations specific to your health goals. We will only accept your case if we feel we can help.

Consultation: Our providers will start by taking a thorough history of your current complaint as well as a review of your current and past medical history.  We will review any available imaging (x-ray, MRI etc) and/or lab studies that have previously been performed.

Examination:  We will provide an extremely detailed evaluation including a review of systems, neurological, musculoskeletal, and orthopedic tests. Throughout the evaluation process we will also be looking at how efficiently you move. For example, we may have you perform a gait evaluation or a squat test to help us understand why you are experiencing the symptoms

Preliminary Diagnosis:  The combination of the medical history, examination, and diagnostic studies (if available) will enable us to reach a preliminary diagnosis. We will review in detail the etiology of your pain and injury.  At that time, we will also discuss treatment options, treatment frequency and duration.  Patients may also receive advice on home care, lifestyle modifications, exercise instruction and nutritional advice.

You will walk out of your first visit knowing the following:

What is wrong.

            How are we going to fix it.

            How long is this going to take.

If we determine you would be more appropriately managed or co-managed by another health care professional, we will make the proper referral.

Do we perform x-rays on the first visit?

We only recommend imaging studies if it is clinically indicated by your medical history and or examination findings.  It has been a common trend over the years in the chiropractic profession to x-ray every patient prior to treatment.  Based on the current literature and medical research, routine x-rays of this nature are deemed medically unnecessary.  We follow the guidelines and research as closely as we can to provide the highest quality care, in a safe environment for our patients.  If we feel x-rays or other imaging studies are necessary we will make the proper referral to obtain this information.

Will I get treated on my first visit?

Based on your thorough consultation, review of your medical history and examination we will determine the most appropriate route of care.  Most patient that consult our office we be treated on day one. If we feel we need additional medical information and or feel your safety if at risk we will discuss additional treatment options at that time.