Are you feeling nervous, worried, or anxious about an upcoming chiropractic visit? This isn't as uncommon as you might think, especially in people who have never seen a chiropractor before and in those who are about to see a new chiropractor. You're allowed to feel what you're feeling, but if you'd like to put your nerves and worries aside, reviewing the following reassuring points about chiropractic care may help with that. 

Chiropractors complete many years of schooling.

Sometimes chiropractors are written off as unqualified or under-trained, which may make you even more nervous to see one. But this is not the case at all. Chiropractors spend many years training for their careers before they are issued licenses and allowed to practice. At a minimum, they spend 4 years in an undergraduate program and another 4 years in chiropractic school. They also then have to pass practical tests and various board exams before practicing. You're not seeing some fly-by-night snake oil salesperson; you're seeing a real, trained medical professional. 

Chiropractors now use gentler techniques.

Years ago, chiropractors often used forceful bodily manipulation moves to adjust the spine. This worked, and it wasn't really dangerous, but it could be a little off-putting to patients. The good news is that most chiropractors today use gentler adjustment techniques, when possible. They often use a tool called an activator to manipulate the spine in your neck, as this is a gentler approach. Even when adjusting your back, they tend to use as little force as possible to get the desired results. If you're worried about being wrenched on and jerked around, you can set those worries aside, being that chiropractic treatment isn't really like that.

Chiropractic care does not hurt.

Are you worried it might hurt or sting when your vertebrae pop back into place? It won't. Chiropractic adjustments do not hurt. In fact, many patients report that it feels really good when their spine cracks. They feel a sense of relief and release. After your adjustment, you may be a little sore for a while, but this soreness shouldn't be anything that keeps you from going to work or living your life. Many patients don't even feel sore at all.

It's normal to worry about something new, especially when you don't know what to expect. But in the case of upcoming chiropractic services, you really can set those worries aside. This visit won't hurt, and the treatment is being performed by a knowledgeable medical professional.