Patient Medical History Importance for Optimal Treatment

The first step in chiropractic care is getting the individual’s medical history. Many visit a chiropractor with certain expectations of how things will go. They will lay down on a table while the chiropractor adjusts the spine. There will be pops and cracks, and the tension will go away. And afterward, they’ll feel better. However, without an individual’s medical history, the treatment will not be as effective because of the lack of information. This means that a chiropractor is only able to perform general adjustments but is not able to get to the root cause and maximize the full potential of the adjustments. Patient education starts the moment someone walks into the clinic.  

The nature of holistic medicine

Some questions a chiropractor might ask include:

• What type of pain is presenting – shooting, burning, aching, throbbing, etc?
• Have you had any recent surgeries?
• Is there a history of chronic pain?
• What medications are being taken?

Each will be explained in further detail and what they mean for the development of a treatment plan. An individual needs to understand how important their medical histories are for treatment progress. Patient history prevents executing the wrong treatment plan by having an informed understanding of the individual’s body. For example, a chiropractor can’t perform the same adjustments on a senior with osteoporosis that they do on a middle-aged athlete. And someone recovering from surgery will not have the range of motion when healthy. An adjustment can result in X, Y, or Z, depending on the factors at work. Medical history is vital as it eliminates any unknowns, so a chiropractor can solve for X, Y, or Z by being able to provide the best outcome for the individual.  

The more information, the better the treatment plan

When an individual has neck pain, a doctor is not going to prescribe immediate surgery, unless it is an emergency. Rather, they will perform a full examination, ask questions, try to find the cause, and analyze the intensity of the pain. A chiropractor is no different, and individual medical history is vital. Obtaining as much information as possible can help a chiropractor reach a proper diagnosis and ensures the right course of action is taken. Individuals often do not realize but for example,

• An automobile accident that happened last year could be manifesting symptoms now.
• Shoulder surgery five years ago could be limiting the range of motion, affecting the musculature around the cervical spine.
• Chronic plantar fasciitis and self-medicating for a while can cause instability in the lumbar spine affecting the cervical spine.

Every little bit of information can help put the puzzle together to get a clear picture of what is going on. The biggest contributor of information is patient medical history, formally documented and informally spoken.  

Informed care

A visit to Injury Medical Chiropractic Clinic is a collaboration between patient and chiropractor that leads to informed and the best treatment possible. Medical history informs optimal care. For more information or for more tips on chiropractic care, contact us today.

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Dr. Alex Jimenez’s Blog Post Disclaimer

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, and sensitive health issues and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate and support directly or indirectly our clinical scope of practice.* Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation as to how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900. The provider(s) Licensed in Texas& New Mexico*

References

Hunter, J. “Medical history and chronic pain.” The Clinical journal of pain vol. 17,4 Suppl (2001): S20-5. doi:10.1097/00002508-200112001-00007