Why It's Important to be Honest With Your Chiropractor

From texting a friend that you’re stuck in traffic, when you really just left the house, to telling your mother that you love the oversized hand-me-down sweatshirt she gifted you, we all have our reasons for smudging the truth or withholding concerns. Being honest with our healthcare providers is no exception. While we may think that we are saving ourselves shame or embarrassment, it may be at the cost of our health.
We have built in best practices to record and review progress at every level of care with various questionairres to make sure we are hitting our patients’ personal goals. Here is why it is so very important to be truthful to your chiropractor and ways to make it happen.

Time Spent Focusing on the Wrong Areas

A doctor’s ability to treat your pain is limited to the information that you provide. This sounds obvious, but if you do not let your chiropractor know that an area of your body is in pain, they will never know that you are experiencing said pain. Sometimes patients don’t deliberately withhold information from their chiropractors, but they minimize their pain or rationalize why they are feeling it.
For example, let’s say you usually visit your chiropractor for shoulder pain. One day you come into your appointment after spending more time than usual in the garden one weekend. You may write off your knee pain the next day as a consequence of more time than usual bent down. Even though you consider this to not be a huge red flag, your chiropractor might have a different opinion. But if you only focus on your shoulder pain, you are not taking the appropriate steps to prevent and treat your knee pain. Just remember, your body is sending you signals for a reason. Without your vocalizing these signals to your chiropractor, they may be looked over completely.

Be Honest About Your Bad Habits

None of us like to admit our faults. Especially the habits that have negative effects on our health. No matter how embarrassed you may be, it is so important to be upfront about your habits to your chiropractor. Your chiropractor’s job is not to shame you or tell you what you’re doing wrong. As a healthcare professional, their job is to help you live a healthier lifestyle. This means they need to know how to get you on the healthiest path. In order to do that, they must know your not-so-healthy habits so they can work together with you to improve and overcome them!

How to Communicate Your Pain

Now that we’ve covered the importance of being honest with your chiropractor, we want to offer easy steps to make it happen. Everything is easier said than done, so here are some ways to make being truthful with your chiropractor easier:
Write down a list of questions and concerns before your appointment. We can sometimes forget to bring up something that was bothering us over the weekend or between visits. This also helps with those who struggle to talk openly about themselves.
Consider bringing a close friend or family member with you. If you are the type that needs a support system to feel comfortable, bring a friend! They can even help you remember concerns you forgot about.
Get access your medical records. This can help your chiropractor be aware of any health issues you’ve had in the past that could resurface or be the source of a current concern.
It’s so very important to be honest with those who only want the best for your health. We know it can be challenging to be completely transparent, but remember that we are here to help you. The more information you provide you chiropractor with, the better your results will be.