A well functioning nervous system is the key to a vibrant life.

When you step into our Kennebunk chiropractic office, you may be wondering what you’re in for on your first visit… 

First, I will either send you paperwork or have you fill some out in house when you get here. We will go over this paperwork together and look at our practice policies and your current complaints, health concerns, and wellness goals. Unlike many other offices, I will provide treatment on the first visit unless otherwise indicated! Before I do that, I will go over all your options for care with you and let you know what I recommend (for example, I may recommend you add in acupuncture as well to decrease stress).

If this is your first time at a chiropractor, don’t worry! I take my time and am careful to explain the process while going at a speed that works for you. After the visit I will give you some “homework” or rules to follow for the next few days after your treatment. This is also the perfect time for you to ask any questions that may have come up during your appointment. 

Finally, I will let you know when I recommend that you come back in for a follow-up. At the follow-up we will go over how you felt after the first adjustment and what your care goals are. I specialize in holistic treatments for pain and love working with you to help you achieve your wellness goals.

We’ll take it step-by-step from there! 

What does a FIRST VISIT look like?

What does a TYPICAL visit look like?

I have two tiers of care; the base tier is my “Wellness” group. These patients are moving well, feeling good, and are coming in for a full spine maintenance adjustment. The Wellness Visit includes an adjustment as well as a little acute muscle work if indicated. 

The second tier is the Full Body visit and includes an adjustment as well as more intense muscle/body work. This tier is typically recommended to patients who have an acute condition and need a little more work done to start feeling better (although this is a patient favorite and most choose to stay at this level after experiencing it).

How do I know WHEN to see a chiropractor?

The simple answer to this question is that you should always have a chiropractor you see for regular maintenance care. When you see a chiropractor, you are making sure your nervous system, the master system of the body, is functioning at its best. Just like you see a dentist twice a year to check up on your teeth, you should see a chiropractor periodically to make sure your body is moving and functioning the way it should be!

If you’re not completely satisfied with that answer, I get it. So, I’ll list a few red flag questions that indicate you should see a chiropractor…

  • Do you have neck pain or feel that your neck isn’t moving well?

  • Are you experiencing chronic or newly occurring headaches or migraines?

  • Are you constantly massaging but not making any significant progress with muscle tightness?

  • Do you experience pain in your low back?

  • Do you play competitive sports?

  • Have you changed any of your daily activities to avoid pain?

  • Do you have painful periods? 

  • Are you pregnant?

  • Are you having difficulty falling or staying asleep? 

  • Have you been in a car accident?

  • Are you working on a computer a lot of the day?

  • Do you have trouble focusing/have brain fog? 

If you answered “YES” to any of these then we HIGHLY recommend you see a chiropractor or give me a call!

  • The answer to this question depends on who you ask and what kind of condition they’re in. While most people love the feeling of getting adjusted, for some it can be a little uncomfortable. What keeps these individuals coming back is how they feel after the adjustment when they’re moving better and pain-free!

  • No, it’s not your bones breaking, I promise. That noise can be attributed to a small release of air from between the bones at the joint. I use this metaphor most often: think of if you had two flat pieces of glass stuck together with water between them. If you were to suddenly separate the glass pieces you would hear a loud crack as the surface tension broke and air moved in.

  • Adjustments are very safe when done by a chiropractor. We are able to assess each patient’s condition and determine when adjusting is appropriate. The most common “negative” side effect we see is some soreness after the adjustment that is usually replaced by increased movement and decreased pain within 24-48 hours.

  • This is one of my favorite questions. Of course, you don’t have to come see me forever, I don’t make you sign a binding contract or anything. My goal is to get you feeling and functioning as optimally as possible. However, after achieving this state, most patients choose to continue maintenance care because they love how they feel (and they are able to heal faster if they ever “fall out of alignment” again)!

  • This is another “depends” question. It depends on a lot of factors including age, chronicity, condition, doing your homework, and keeping up with the treatment plan. Honestly, most patients report feeling better immediately after the adjustment and a lot will walk out of the office pain-free. However, this is not always the case and can take anywhere between 2 and 10 sessions. Both are normal!

  • The short answer, yes. The long answer, yes absolutely. Okay, all jokes aside… chiropractic adjustment allows your nervous system to flow and innervate the rest of your body as optimally as possible. This is always a good thing as the nervous system is the master regulator of the body. So, whether you’re dealing with neck pain, headaches, low back dysfunction, sleep disturbances, or brain fog… an adjustment can help you!

  • As I’ve said before, the nervous system is the master system of the body. There is no process in the body that happens without the nervous systems go-ahead. An adjustment can help restore optimal function of the nervous system and allow your body to heal as it should. There is even tons of research showing how the adjustment positively impact the brain and it’s function!

  • Most likely, yes. I use several adjusting techniques, from the manual diversified (where most of the “popping” happens), to low force techniques like activator, SOT, and Thompson. I also do a lot of muscle work and gentle mobilization for those patients who would rather not hear the popping noise, or what we call a “cavitation”.

  • Yes, and we highly recommend it! There is awesome evidence to show that chiropractic care can align the hips (which are especially mobile during pregnancy), decrease sciatic pain, keep baby positioned correctly, decrease labor time, and decrease labor pain!

  • Yes, and we highly recommend it! We have a saying in chiropractic that goes, “As the twig is bent, so the tree grows crooked”. And, although this doesn’t literally mean if you don’t get your child adjusted they will become deformed, it does mean that an adjusted child is one who has a balanced system, responds to stressful stimulus better, has fewer problems associated with growing, has a strong immune system, and feels better overall. Plus, kids love being adjusted!

  • Another question I’m very passionate about. Insurance tries to control and put limits and barriers to care. Insurance is great for reactive health care such as emergency surgery, but tends to be very strict on preventative wellness care or “alternative” methods in general. By not accepting insurance we are able to provide you with longer appointment times, very personalized care, and as many visits a year as you want or need.

    Some insurance plans have “out of network” coverage for chiropractic and in those cases we are happy to provide the necessary documentation for you to submit for reimbursement. But we don’t let insurances dictate how we invest in our care.

FAQs

Nervous system centered chiropractic care

We work with your nervous system to help your body regulate and heal itself,
just the way it was designed to.