We’ve all been there before: trying to choose from a list of potential companies or professionals with very little substance to go on. Most of the time we rely on online reviews, web page glances, and if we’re lucky, we might meet someone who has already been in that business and can tell you what to expect.
Going to a chiropractor is an important decision, all the more so because many people don’t know much about chiropractic to begin with. What little they know may very well be wrong. Some look upon chiropractors rather poorly and are skeptical of the profession. Some are open to seeing a chiropractor, but have no friends or family to guide them to the right person, and no experience with chiropractic that would make an internet search easy. It helps when you know the “language” of something because your Google search will be much more fruitful when you use the correct terminology. Using broad terms will often result in nothing more than a list of heavily advertised chiropractors stuffing their websites with keywords just to attract visitors through Google.
Choosing a chiropractor is, in many ways, a very personal decision. With so many types of DCs, that means you can probably find one that suits your needs. This article will describe how to do a good search that will show you all the local chiropractors and allow you to distinguish between them so you can make the best decision.
1. Do you go to a chiropractor simply for pain relief or for your general health?
You can loosely separate chiropractors into two groups: holistic chiropractors and mechanistic chiropractors. All chiropractors are aware of this distinction and, in fact, the profession has been in a general state of low-level internal conflict over this fault line since its inception. Some chiropractors know this as a “straight vs. mixer” war. The inner conflict, which actually has many positive benefits, has been present since the profession’s inception in 1895. This duality is a strength of the profession: without the holistic nature of chiropractic we would be physical therapists adjusting the spine, and without the mechanistic nature of chiropractic we would lose sight of the very real health benefits that chiropractic care provides to millions of Americans each year, and the very real detrimental effects of spinal joint malfunction (subluxation).
2. Do you want long-term care or would you prefer to have your complaint handled and then your case closed?
Many chiropractors, with varying degrees of scientific evidence to back this up, promote chiropractic as a viable alternative to traditional medical care. They see chiropractic as a way to encourage the health of their nervous system through chiropractic spinal adjustments, which then allow the body to function at a higher level. Chiropractors and patients across the country will attest to better health with fewer illnesses and injuries after incorporating chiropractic into their lives. Regular adjustments help adults and children deal with everything from allergies to headaches, and people who want to avoid prescription drugs often choose chiropractic. Strong scientific evidence to validate this is difficult to come by due to inherent problems in designing a study capable of testing “chiropractic lifestyle” and its effect on general health, but case series exist and we’ve probably all met someone who will wear up and down that chiropractic keeps them out of the doctor’s office.
On the flip side of this coin are chiropractors who will work to promote proper joint function in the injured area and then rehabilitate the joint and supporting soft tissue, after which they will release you from care. There is a value in this, just as there is a value in wellness or maintenance care. Releasing a patient after her pain is gone will save you money. It will also please the patient’s health insurer; Not that your insurer’s happiness should be a factor in making health decisions, but unfortunately they do have power over your health in some very important ways, so there’s value in not ending up in the crosshairs of anyone at headquarters. corporate of your insurer. Instead of promoting ongoing care, a mechanical chiropractor will work to correct only the immediate problem. Many times back pain can come from a weak ankle or knee, so your chiropractor may focus on a place that doesn’t hurt, so don’t assume the location of your pain is the cause of your pain.
A fundamental difference between holistic and mechanistic chiropractors is that the holistic chiropractor will treat the patient beyond the scientific limitations that a more mechanistic chiropractor would self-impose. This really joins #1 and #2 together. For example, a mechanistic chiropractor may treat low back pain by working to rehabilitate a sacroiliac joint and then release the client when the sacroiliac joint returns to normal, pain-free function. A holistic chiropractor will treat the client until the subluxations (spinal misalignments causing nerve irritation) are fully resolved and then expand their care to include general correction of the subluxation throughout the spine to promote overall wellness. Both approaches have real value. While it is important to impose limits on treatment based on the limits of what peer-reviewed research can substantiate, holistic chiropractors recognize that progress in science occurs by pushing the limits of understanding and treating problems. patients in ways that current best evidence may not fully support. The periphery of science is where progress is normally made, though it is also where quackery finds refuge.
3. Is it injured or dysfunctional? In other words, did his pain come on suddenly because of an injury, or did it start more slowly because of something he did repeatedly?
Sudden pain usually means an injury has occurred. Sometimes it’s a car accident, a fall, or a sports injury. These types of injuries may be what a certain type of chiropractor focuses on or even what they have certification and further training on. In cases of these types of injuries, you want a chiropractor who can confidently treat sprains and strains, who can tell the different types of injuries apart, and who recognizes when an injury is too serious for them, and who is also diligent enough to to watch for certain warning signs and refer you to other providers when necessary. Many, but not all, holistic chiropractors are prone to viewing the spine only in terms of subluxations and therefore may miss the subtle signs of a more serious injury that requires the expertise of a specially trained chiropractor, orthopedist or a neurologist. Although not a firm rule, a more mechanical chiropractor may be a safer bet when dealing with a painful injury.
4. What professional associations serve the chiropractic profession and how can they help you find the right CD?
There are two large national organizations that represent chiropractors: the ACA and the ICA. The ACA is the American Chiropractic Association and the ICA is the International Chiropractic Association. The ACA is more mechanistic and the ICA is more holistic. State associations are more varied, so it’s hard to discern much about a chiropractor by looking at their membership in the state association, unless you look at the political or philosophical leanings of that organization – a lot of work to find a chiropractor. To keep things simple, know that many ICA chiropractors actually oppose the ACA, and vice versa, so you may get more from your membership (or non-membership) in national organizations than from other things you can find on the website. or online. listings for a chiropractor. However, it is important not to read too much into this information and of course to consider that all people are multidimensional and may not fit the dichotomy I am describing. Still, as part of a larger set of information to make a judgement, this may be useful to consider.
5. Should you consider their websites, reviews and testimonials? And how important are personal references?
You may soon discover that many chiropractors use one of a few companies to create their websites. This means that if you visit ten different chiropractor websites, you may see the same website over and over again with just a different DC name.
This means that the content is not original and you may not be able to learn much about the chiropractor on their website. This reduces the value of the website. Chiropractors would be better off getting rid of 3D spinners and putting real content on their sites instead. These sites are packed with content, but little to no information on the site is unique to that chiropractor. Even articles with bylines that include that chiropractor’s name are probably not articles written by that actual chiropractor. Suspect intellectual laziness and dishonesty when any professional puts her name and credentials on an article that he or she did not write. Although it is a common practice, that does not mean that it is the correct way to promote yourself.
Online reviews, such as Yelp! and Yahoo!, they’re great. However, companies often game the system by making fake reviews. Are all the reviews from the same approximate time? For example, are ten reviews all from March 2012? If so, that’s suspicious. If the reviews seem legitimate, they can give you an idea of the type of DC, but if they’re suspicious, you need to remember the old saying “buyer beware”. Very often, one bad review (which is legitimate) will be followed by numerous illegitimate good reviews to drown out the bad one. Getting past illegitimate reviews, you may be able to glean a lot of good information from reading reviews, so feel free to use a search engine to search for “jones family chiropractic reviews” and see what comes up.
Testimonials should be considered marketing, but of course they are probably real stories from real patients. The chiropractor is choosing which message he wants to hear. If you pick 5 patients who talk about the chiropractor curing their back pain, then this chiropractor wants you to see them as a back pain specialist. If they talk about children and allergies, that’s what they want you to know they specialize in. In this way, the testimonials can be used to take a look at the chiropractor.
Personal references are the best source of information as they are usually unfiltered and direct. Ask a friend or family member and you’ll get an unbiased opinion. The best chiropractors (and the best lawyers, real estate agents, and even bakers) get most of their new clients because they treat their existing clients very well. People are quick to complain about poor service, so when someone has something nice to say about how they were treated, you should recognize it as worthy of your attention. Think of it this way: that experienced person with a chiropractor so you don’t have to. A personal reference from someone you trust is easily the most valuable piece of information you’ll find.
That is all! I hope these five tips help you narrow down your search for the perfect chiropractor. This isn’t an exhaustive list of all considerations, but it’s a great way to structure your search and find the distribution center that fits your needs and provides what you’re looking for. Take care and be well.