Your chiropractor works hard to keep you healthy, but you're in this together. Your compliance with recommendations, attitudes about treatment, and overall lifestyle are an essential part of the process. They can make the difference between a healthy body and frequent injuries, and they can even affect recovery time. Here are three steps you can follow to become an ideal chiropractic patient.

1. Develop positive attitudes.

You have the ability to single-handedly destroy your own health despite the chiropractor's efforts, so it's important to have you on board with the program. Some essential attitudes to develop about your treatment and health include:

• Viewing health as a goal that you work toward and your chiropractor helps you achieve. A commitment to wellness and a positive mindset are important because your mind can cause you to become ill through negative thinking even if your body was originally healthy.
• Thinking positively about your chiropractic care. Chiropractic clinics are a popular medical choice today, with a high percentage of satisfied patients planning to return to the same provider, so you can trust any reputable chiropractor to have your best interests in mind as well as a high level of skill.
• Taking responsibility for your own lifestyle. Stay informed, ask your chiropractor lots of questions and realize that everything you do has an impact on your health and your future. Work with your chiropractor to develop a healthy lifestyle and good habits, some of which are mentioned below.

2. Nurture good habits.

The more good habits you have in your life, the less likely you are to fall victim to lifestyle-related problems like back pain or sports injuries. Some of the habits your chiropractor would most like to see you develop include:

• Using good posture. One way you can make a habit of good posture is to keep posture constantly in mind for several days or weeks (it may take up to a month for the habit to gel). You can set frequent reminders on your phone, or you can ask someone at work or school to be your "posture buddy" and remind you whenever they see you slouching.
• Exercising safely. Sports-related injuries are commonly seen in the chiropractor's profession. Prevent exercising and sports injuries by using proper technique and equipment, participating only when you feel well, and always doing a thorough warm-up and cool-down each time.
• Managing stress. Stress frequently causes headaches, muscle tension, and other problems treated by chiropractors, so the better you manage your own stress the more pain you save yourself (and the easier you make your chiropractor's job). If you don't already have stress-relief habits in place, such as meditation, aromatherapy, exercise, or spending time alone with nature, consider adding some of these to your lifestyle.

3. Foster communication.

Relationships thrive on good communication, and a professional patient-doctor relationship is no different. It's crucial to speak clearly and honestly at all times to the professional who is in charge of helping you stay healthy. Some best practices for fostering excellent communication include:

• Letting your chiropractor know right away when you need help. Delaying diagnostics and treatment will usually only worsen your pain. Unless it's something small (like a minor, brief headache) you should contact your chiropractor and make an appointment as soon as possible.
• Being honest about your activities. If you're embarrassed that you didn't follow your chiropractor's lifestyle and activity recommendations since your last appointment, lying about it will simply confuse the chiropractor and is likely to result in additional and more restrictive recommendations for the future. Telling the truth is in your best interest because it helps the chiropractor to correctly diagnose and effectively treat the issue.
• Asking your chiropractor as many questions as necessary to understand your treatment and treatment options. Your chiropractic provider doesn't want to keep you in the dark, but wants to enable you to take control of your health. The more informed you are about your situation, the more effectively you will be able to do this.

Your journey back to health may be a long one, or you may be a fully recovered patient who receives regular chiropractic check-ups. But in either case, working with a clinic, like Forest Park Chiropractic & Acupuncture, and following these three steps can make your life easier and less painful.