What to expect at your first chiropractic visit

Many people arrive at the practice not really knowing what’s going to happen. That’s understandable: chiropractic is still less familiar than physiotherapy, and the image floating around online (those videos of adjustments with lots of “cracking”) doesn’t help. So let me walk you through, without any dressing up, what a first visit with me in the Eixample actually looks like.

First things first: a conversation

The first visit starts sitting down, not on the table. I need to understand what brings you in: where it hurts, since when, what makes it worse and what eases it, how you sleep, what you do for work, whether you play sports, whether you’ve had accidents or surgeries. This is the case history, and I take whatever time it needs. Neck pain in someone who spends nine hours a day at a computer in a 22@ office is not the same as neck pain in someone who’s just had a car accident, even if “my neck hurts” in both cases.

If anything comes up in this conversation that falls outside what chiropractic can address, I tell you right there and refer you to the right professional. Choosing honesty over the sale is part of the job.

The assessment

Next comes the postural and orthopaedic assessment. I look at how you stand, how your spine moves, which areas are stiff and which are overcompensating. I run mobility and orthopaedic tests to locate where the problem is really coming from, which often isn’t where it hurts most.

If your case needs imaging —an X-ray, an MRI— or a doctor’s evaluation before we continue, I’ll tell you. I don’t work blind.

I explain what I find

Before touching anything, I sit you down and explain what I’ve seen. In plain words, not jargon. I want you to understand why what’s happening to you is happening, and what I’m proposing to do. And I want you to decide: there are no mandatory packages here, no closed twenty-session plans signed on day one.

The first adjustment (if appropriate)

If the picture is right, we do a first chiropractic adjustment: a specific, controlled manual technique directed at the particular joint that needs it, to help it recover its mobility. I adapt the force and the vector to each person. For an expectant mother, a baby or someone with osteoporosis I don’t use the same technique as for a 30-year-old athlete: that’s where low-force techniques like Activator or a drop table come in.

You may feel mild tiredness or muscle soreness in the following 24-48 hours, similar to starting a new sport. It’s normal and short-lived.

How long does it take and how much does it cost?

The first visit lasts 45 to 60 minutes, because it includes the whole assessment. Follow-up sessions are shorter, 15 to 25 minutes. On price, the first visit is around 80-100 € and follow-ups between 60 and 75 €. If you want the exact current price, just ask when you book.

And after that

At the end I propose a plan tailored to your case: how many sessions make sense to try in the initial phase, how often, and what to expect. Most people notice changes between the third and sixth session, though every body moves at its own pace.

If you’ve never been to a chiropractor, my advice is simple: come with no magical expectations and a genuine interest in understanding your body. We’ll figure out the rest together.

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Have questions before coming in? Take a look at our FAQ or book your first visit at our Eixample practice. If you’d like to know more about the discipline itself, here’s what chiropractic is.