What to Look For When Choosing a
Chiropractor
Chiropractic is a profession with a wide
range of practice philosophies and techniques, which can make it difficult to
select the top chiropractor. Because the treatment process involved in
chiropractic is a physical process, you should seek a doctor you feel is
competent and trustworthy.
What to Look For Before Choosing Your
Chiropractor
There are a variety of techniques and joint
manipulation styles in chiropractic practice, with no two being exactly alike.
Potential Red Flags and Chiropractic
Techniques
While on your search for your ideal doctor,
it’s also important to look out for unsafe or risky techniques that you may
come across while seeking potential candidates.
Examples of techniques you should steer
clear from:
The chiropractor claims to be the only one
with a “special new technique” that no other chiropractor can use.
The chiropractor claims to be able to cure
multiple conditions such as asthma, heartburn, infections, diabetes, or some
other chronic condition. While using corrective chiropractic treatments to help
“better,” these conditions is normal and commonly practiced; however,
for a chiropractor to claim he can cure these conditions is not likely.
The chiropractor recommends a long-term treatment
plan, for example, 4 times per week for 6 to 12 months, then 3 times per week
for another 6 to 12 months, then 2 times a week for 6 more months and so on.
The chiropractor requires a significant
prepayment for unlimited treatment for 6 months to a year.
The chiropractor recommends the same type
of therapy for almost every patient, regardless of the patient’s condition.
The chiropractor continually recommends
ongoing, “never ending” care. There should ultimately be an end point to your
treatment when goals are achieved or a change in treatment if improvement
remains stationary.
Seeking Medical Treatment at the
Chiropractor’s Office
Now that you have criteria to evaluate
potential chiropractors and the best corrective chiropractic care, the best
thing to do is narrow down your choices
How to Choose a Chiropractor
Because chiropractors can vary so greatly
in their personalities, treatment options and techniques as well as
philosophies, it is important to know what to look for when choosing one. How
to choose a chiropractor has much more to do with simply receiving a flyer from
a community practitioner and going over there. There are several things to take
into consideration, after all, your experience and family’s wellness depends on
it.
Who do you know who uses a chiropractor or
has? Would they recommend that person? What is the chiropractor’s online
reputation?
Remember that people’s opinion is
subjective and their idea of a “good” chiropractor may not be the same as
yours. Ask why they feel they are good and see if that matches your ideas.
These are the answers that will get to the heart of the experience. Were they
treated well? Is the chiropractor knowledgeable? Does the chiropractor listen?
now what your needs are
You may only know that you have pain and
that you want it to stop. You may have had previous experience with a
chiropractor and know already what you like and don’t.
Learn their philosophy of care
As many chiropractors as there are, there
are almost as many philosophies. Read their Mission and/or Vision Statement.
Ask why they got into this business. Discover what makes them different. If
that matches your goals and makes sense to you, then schedule an initial visit
and meet the staff.
Visit and learn more
Plan on an initial consultation visit to
see what you think of the office and chiropractic experience they offer. Look
for credentials and testimonials. Ask about additional services they may offer
both in and outside the clinic.
How Can I Find a Qualified Chiropractor?
The best way to find a qualified
chiropractor is through another provider’s referral or through a personal
referral from a friend. The advice of someone with first hand experience is
always valuable when choosing a healthcare provider.
What are some of the differences among
chiropractors that I should be aware of?
It should be noted that the care
recommendations you receive from one office may be quite different from those
you receive from another office. In contrast to medicine, there is a much wider
range of acceptable approaches and types of treatments given across
chiropractic.
How much does it cost?
The cost of chiropractic care will vary in
part upon where you live and the type of coverage you carry. If you have health
insurance, check your insurance policies, since many insurers cover
chiropractic care. Auto accidents and on-the-job injuries are also usually
covered. Your policy may require you use chiropractors only within your
provider network, stipulate that care must be approved in advance, require a
copay, or have limits on the number of visits covered.
The cost of an initial visit normally
includes an examination and often a set of X-rays. The cost of a moderate
intake exam and X-rays might be about $160. The charges for more extensive
examinations and X-rays will of course be higher. Subsequent visits for care
might be in the approximate range of $50 to $90 per visit, again related to the
number of services needed for your care
Other questions you might ask when
selecting a chiropractor:
How they feel about working collaboratively
with your primary care doctor
How willing they are to refer you to
specialists
What services they provide in their office,
such as physiotherapy
Their preferred goals of care. Ask what is
typically done on a first visit (you should expect to be treated, not just
assessed). Continued care to sustain wellness is good practice, but this
decision will need to come through thoughtful discussions between you and your
chiropractor.
How to Pick the Right Chiropractor
How do you pick the right chiropractor
without spending weeks or months doing a search? It is important to find a
doctor who understands your needs and can help. Consider the following ideas to
make the search process for a chiropractor easier
Ask for Advice
The easiest way to find the right
chiropractor is to ask other people for advice. They may have experience with
good chiropractors and know someone that they can recommend. They may be
friends with a chiropractor or live next to one. Consider asking friends,
family and coworkers for suggestions to find a good chiropractor.
Ask Doctors for Recommendations
Ask your current doctor for chiropractic
recommendations. General practitioners are often familiar with other doctors in
the area and may know the best chiropractors in the city. Sometimes nurses,
receptionists and other people who work in a general doctor’s office can also
make recommendations. They may even be located near a good chiropractor.
Look Online
There are many review websites and other
sites that offer information about chiropractors in a specific area. Consider
using them to look for patient reviews and recommendations. Do some background
research on local chiropractors by checking their licenses and websites. Each
state has a Chiropractic Licensing Board that can provide more information
Listen to Your Intuition
Sometimes listening to your intuition can
help narrow down the search. Pay attention to how each interaction with an
office feels. As you ask questions and make phone calls, listen to your
intuition and let it guide some of the process. Trusting the gut can take
practice, but it is worth it.
Things To Consider When Choosing A
Chiropractor
Wellness or maintenance care.
Too many Chiropractors put their financial
wealth before their patients health.
Although regular chiropractic care is a great way to prevent future
problems and improve performance it is not mandatory to do so. Just like going to the dentist regularly is a
good idea to prevent cavities it is not mandatory to do so. Wellness or maintenance care is a good way
for a Chiropractor to make extra money, and a common reason many medical
doctors don’t refer to chiropractors. If you feel good and your chiropractor
insists that you still need to come in, get a second opinion before continuing
care.
Questionable diagnostics.
If your chiropractor tests your muscles and
because they are weak diagnoses an internal problem, he or she should refer you
to an internist. On the other hand, if
you have weak muscles because you are out of shape, a good Chiropractor will
refer you to a therapist, a gym, or design a strengthening program for you. If
your muscles are weak due to a serious disease, nerve problem, or serious
structural problem your DC should refer you for a second opinion with a
neurologist or orthopedist. Muscle
testing alone should not be the reason your chiropractor wants to continue to
treat you if there is no pain
Silly marketing gimmicks.
Health fairs, swap meets, and shopping
malls often have chiropractors giving free spinal examinations. There are a
variety of gimmicks designed to procure you as a patient. The most common one
is a postural analysis. If you have poor posture and no pain, a chiropractor
should not just want to manipulate you, but instead should design a workout or
exercise program for you, or refer you to a therapist or trainer as well.
Treating areas that don’t hurt.
When you receive treatment, three things
happen. You get better, you get worse, or you stay the same. If you feel good,
only two things can occur. You either
stay the same or you get worse. If you go to a chiropractor with lower back
pain, he or she should not manipulate your neck unless you also have a neck
problem. There is no evidence that
performing manipulation on a neck can help your lower back or vice versa. If
your chiropractor insists on manipulating areas that don’t hurt without
explaining the significance of doing so, get a second opinion before continuing
care.
Excessive supplementation.
Chiropractors take many nutrition classes
in school. Beware of any chiropractor who says his or her vitamins are the only
ones that work. Beware of any chiropractor who wants to sell you large amounts
of supplements without referring you to a retailer or health-food store for
comparable products at a considerably lower cost.