Booking a chiropractor usually comes with a flicker of nerves, mostly because nobody explains what happens in the room. This walkthrough covers it in order: what to bring, what gets asked, how an adjustment unfolds, and how the next 48 hours tend to go. It’s the same sequence every new patient gets here in Bassendean.
Here’s the whole appointment in one view. Times are typical rather than fixed.
| Stage | What happens | Roughly how long |
|---|---|---|
| Booking and intake form | Book online, then fill in a health form | 5 minutes |
| History | Questions about your pain, medications and past injuries | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Examination | Movement, hands-on and neurological checks | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Explanation | What the examination found, and the plan | 5 minutes |
| Treatment | Soft tissue work, mobilisation and spinal manipulation | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Whole first visit | Walking in to walking out | About 45 to 50 minutes |
Wear something loose, like gym gear. Jeans or a tight dress make it harder for your chiropractor to see how your spine and hips move.
Bring any scans you’ve had, whether that’s an X-ray, an MRI or an ultrasound, plus the written report. Old imaging sometimes adds nothing, and we’ll say so.
Write your medications down, or bring the boxes in. Blood thinners, anti-inflammatories, blood pressure tablets, supplements and herbs all matter, along with pregnancy, recent surgery and diabetes.
Allow roughly 45 to 50 minutes for the first appointment, and 20 to 30 minutes for follow-ups, which is easier to plan once you know what to expect at your first chiropractic visit.
You don’t need a GP referral for private care, and AHPRA-registered chiropractors are covered by most private health extras.
Bring someone along if you’d like company. We’re at 103 Old Perth Road, Bassendean, a 12-minute walk from the train station, with parking in front and behind.
The talking comes first, and on a first visit it runs closer to twenty minutes. Your chiropractor wants to know where it hurts, when it started, what makes it worse, and what you’ve already tried.
Some questions seem odd. They matter. We ask about numbness around the groin, changes in bladder or bowel control, unexplained weight loss, night pain that wakes you, and dizziness when you turn your head, because they rule out the few problems that need urgent care instead of manual therapy.
Then comes the examination, another 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll bend, turn and walk a few steps while your chiropractor watches how you move, then they’ll feel along your spine, test your reflexes, check strength in your arms and legs, and lift a straight leg. You stay in your own clothes, and you can ask for a gown or keep your shirt on.
Be honest about that health list. healthdirect advises telling your chiropractor about conditions affecting bones and joints, blood-thinning medicines, fragile skin, and recent neck or back injuries, because those details decide what’s safe on the day.
Not every first visit ends with an adjustment. Sometimes the examination points to something that needs a GP, an X-ray, or a different practitioner, and we’ll say so in writing.
You’ll lie on a padded table, face down or on your side, and you stay clothed, covered by a towel where it helps. Hands work firmly into tight muscle, a bit like a deep massage with a firm press behind it. Getting into position takes a few seconds.
Noises happen during manual therapy. Joints pop, and the sound is gas releasing inside the joint, though plenty of effective treatment makes no noise at all.
Speak up whenever you want.
If the pressure is too much, or you’d rather stop, say it and everything stops.
Spinal manipulation follows a consistent sequence. Here’s the shape of it.
An adjustment takes seconds, though a full session runs 10 to 15 minutes and may include soft tissue work, mobilisation and stretches. Our chiropractic page lists what our four chiropractors offer.
How much soreness is normal? A dull ache in the treated area for a day or two is common, much like the stiffness after a hard gym session. It turns up a few hours later, peaks overnight, and settles within 48 hours.
Gentle movement helps most. A walk, a heat pack for 15 to 20 minutes, water and a decent night’s sleep.
Go easy on the heavy stuff for two or three days. Skip the deadlifts, the gardening marathon, long drives and hours slumped in one position.
Ring us if the soreness is worse than the pain you arrived with, if it’s still there after three days, or if tingling, numbness, dizziness or a severe headache turns up.
Book with us for joint or muscle pain, stiffness, restricted movement, recurring neck or back pain, headaches starting at the neck, sports injuries and posture problems.
Go to a GP, or an emergency department, for the red flags. Loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin, worsening weakness in both legs, fever with severe back pain, unexplained weight loss, pain that wakes you every night, or pain after a fall. Sudden severe headache, chest pain, slurred speech or facial drooping needs urgent attention. healthdirect’s back pain guide explains when back pain needs medical assessment.
If you’re in Bassendean, Bayswater, Ashfield, Morley, Guildford, Midland or Maylands and you’d like to know what to expect at your first chiropractic visit, call The Wellness Place in Bassendean on (08) 9379 3838, or book an appointment online.