New Patient Center
Welcome to the ChiroCare new patient center!
We understand that arriving at a doctor's office for the first time can be nerve racking. If you've never experienced chiropractic care before, you may not know what to expect when you come to our Rensselaer chiropractic office for the first time. Filling out paperwork, learning new faces and names, and getting to know your way around the office can be an overwhelming experience.
That's why at ChiroCare our aim is to remove any unnecessary stress or tension and make you feel comfortable during your visit with our chiropractor.
In this area of the website, you will be able to take care of items necessary for your visit prior to arriving. If you have any questions at any time, please don't hesitate to contact our Rensselaer chiropractic office at (518) 283-3220!
What to Expect
Laying the Foundation for Total Health
Chiropractic care is like building a house - certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly. When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. Your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three general phases of chiropractic care:
Phase 1: Relief Care
If you are in pain when you come into our office, the first objective is to help you feel better. Depending on the severity of your problem, it is typical to need care two to three times per week for four to 12 weeks.
Phase 2: Corrective/Restorative Care
During the corrective care phase, muscles and other tissues are allowed to heal more completely, thereby helping prevent injury. It is typical to need care four to eight times per month for six to 24 months, depending on your overall health and the severity of your problem.
Phase 3: Wellness Care
Once your body has fully healed, it is important to come in for periodic adjustments to avoid problems in the future. Usually, this only requires a quick visit to the chiropractor one to four times per month, based on your lifestyle and goals.
Phase 1: Relief Care
Thumbs Up to Relief
Many people go to a chiropractor because they are in pain. In this first phase of care, the main goal is to reduce your symptoms. Sometimes this will require daily visits, or two to three visits per week for a time.
Most people are under the assumption that if they don't feel any pain that there is nothing wrong with them - that they are healthy. Unfortunately, pain is a very poor indicator of health. In fact, pain and other symptoms frequently only appear after a disease or other condition has become advanced.
For example, consider a cavity in your tooth. Does it hurt when it first develops or only after it has become serious? How about heart disease? Regardless of whether you are talking about cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stress or problems with the spine, pain is usually the last thing to appear. When you begin chiropractic care, pain is also the first symptom to disappear, even though much of the underlying condition remains.
Phase 2: Corrective Care
Teaming Up for Optimal Health
Most chiropractors regard the elimination of symptoms as the easiest part of a persons care. If all that the chiropractor does is to reduce the pain and stop there, the chances of the condition recurring are much greater. In order to prevent a rapid recurrence of symptoms, it is necessary to continue receiving care even though your symptoms are gone.
During the correction / restorative phase of your care, you will not have to receive adjustments as often as you did during the first phase of care and, depending on your particular circumstances, you may begin doing exercises and stretches either at the center or at home to help accelerate your healing.
Do not be discouraged if you have mild flare-ups in your symptoms on occasion. This is normal. Flare-ups are bound to occur during this phase because your body has not fully healed. Depending on the severity of your injury or condition and how long you have been suffering from it, this phase of your care may last anywhere from a few months to a couple of years.
Phase 3: Wellness Care
Maintenance is Key to Healthy Living
Once your body has fully healed, routine chiropractic care can help ensure your physical problems do not return and keep your body in optimal condition. Just like continuing an exercise program and eating well in order to sustain the benefits of exercise and proper diet, it is necessary to continue chiropractic care to ensure the health of your musculoskeletal system.
When you make routine chiropractic care a part of your lifestyle, you avoid many of the aches and pains that so many people suffer through, your joints will last longer, and you will be able to engage in more of the activities you love.
Health Resources
The following resources have been assembled to provide you with more chiropractic wellness care information available on the internet.
Chiropractic Directory
Chiropractic Organizations
www.ChiropracticResearchReview.com
Exercise and Nutrition
Fitness Centers
Thought and Meditation
Life Coach
Acupuncture
Dentist
Homeopath
Naturopath
Pilates
Yoga
Payment Options
ChiroCare believes in the value of wellness care for you and your family and have maintained a pricing structure that allows care for all budgets. Our office participates in most insurance programs. We also accept auto accident and workers compensation cases. For patients who have little or no chiropractic insurance coverage, flexible payment programs can be arranged. To learn more about our payment options for chiropractic and wellness care, you can call our office directly.
Insurance
Most insurance plans are accepted at our office. We accept auto accident, workers compensation, personal injury and most health insurance plans, including Medicare. Since there are so many plans and coverage varies widely, please call us to find out if your plan covers care in our office. Our staff will verify and explain your benefits before treatment, at no charge.
No Insurance
For patients who have little or no chiropractic insurance coverage, flexible payment programs can be arranged. If you have no insurance or do not have chiropractic benefits there is still a way for you to receive the care you need. Many patients pay directly for care, as they discover chiropractic to be extremely cost-effective and affordable.
Health on a Budget
At ChiroCare, we're convinced that a small amount of your time and money to care for your most important asset--your health--will be far less time consuming and expensive than trying to recover it. If you feel you do not have enough time or money to take care of yourself, please contact us--we can help! The last thing we want is for you to come to our wellness center in crisis. So please, we would like to encourage you to take your health very seriously. As the old saying goes, if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Unfortunately, too many people don't discover how true that statement is until it is too late.
Get in Touch Today
If you would like to stay informed about the latest in chiropractic care or if you want to start receiving free articles about health and wellness news, subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, even if you are not a patient. We also offer a community content area, which includes wellness articles and other healthcare resources.