When you have pain in your back or neck, seeing your family doctor should be a first step. However, if your family doctor is not able to achieve results, you may want to see a chiropractor (such as Boone Family Chiropractic). However, be sure to remain open-minded about conventional medicine because a mixing of conventional medicine and chiropractic work will achieve the best results.

Describing Your Symptoms

As you describe your symptoms, make sure that you do not minimize them. Also, make sure that you tell your doctor about your lifestyle choices and whether you smoke or drink. If your chiropractor understands your level of physical activity, he or she will better understand the nature of your neck and back pain. Your diet, level of exercise and how you sleep are especially important.

When you are speaking with your chiropractor, you will want to pay attention to the working relationship that you have formed with the chiropractor because you will likely need multiple appointments before you can have your condition treated. This is especially true if you are experiencing a flare-up of back pain.

Setting Goals

While working with your chiropractor, you will need to think about your long-term goals. For example, one patient might simply have the goal of getting better sleep or experiencing less back pain. Another patient might have the goal of being able to run a marathon. However, you will need to set very specific goals. For how long do you want to be able to run before you are forced to stop? How many hours of sleep are you aiming for?

Measuring Your Achievements

Once you have defined specific goals to achieve, you will need to measure your achievements to make sure that you are meeting your goals. The benefit of working with a chiropractor is that he or she can help you set realistic goals so that you do not become discouraged if you are unable to meet them. Your chiropractor, through a physical examination, will know what you can realistically achieve.

Chiropractic goals are usually divided into short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are usually focused on alleviating pain and restoring functionality to your back. Short-term chiropractic goals can include trying to recover from whatever is causing your back problems in the first place. Your chiropractor will continue to help you achieve normalcy. This will often require the work of both your chiropractor and other medical professionals.