The Nervous Patient

As I am heavily biased towards the benefits and importance of Chiropractic care, I have to always remind myself that many patients entering the clinic for the first time is often the first time they have entered any chiropractic clinic. That can often be a nervous experience for anyone trying something new, not to mention a medical consultation with a relatively new profession many people don’t exactly know what it is we do.

Here at JS Chiropractic, I have developed strategies and techniques during that first appointment to always help try and put everyone at ease, not only will that make the patient more relaxed, but it will also help improve the healing and recovery process.

Studies have shown that a heightened state of anxiety during an appointment will limit its efficacy. Patients might forget important aspects of their medical history that could be relevant to their case. During testing procedures, a nervous patient may test slightly differently and the Doctor might not be able to do all the tests required to achieve an accurate diagnosis.

During the treatment, the best patient is always the most relaxed, it allows the adjustments that we make to have the biggest impact on the body. The body is in a parasympathetic state being optimised for healing and recovery, A sympathetic state (otherwise known as fight or flight) will reduce the body’s ability to heal and repair, instead focusing the body’s energy elsewhere.

This is why JS Chiropractic is designed in a large open-plan office. It is why the Doctors don’t wear suits, ties, or white coats and why the appointments are as much about getting to know and understand you as a person as well as identifying and beginning to help fix your problem.

It is why we offer a free discovery call either in office or over the telephone, where patients can begin to establish a rapport with the Doctor before undergoing the first chiropractic consultation. It is a goal to establish a state of “ease” when people arrive at the office and during the whole experience.

If you know somewhen who struggles with medical appointments due to anxiety, please let them know about us and what we do; our doors are always open and we are always here to help.