With many chiropractors to choose from, how do you find the one that's right for you?
Finding and working with the right chiropractor can help you feel like a kid again - limitless, young, and able to do what you want to with energy and passion.
The following information should be used as a guide. Asking the right questions up front will maximize the likelihood of finding a good match and pay dividends in your health. Nothing is worse than making quick decisions only later to find out that your not happy and having to start over. Your homework up front is the key.
1) How many years has the doctor been in practice?
Make sure you seek out the help of an experienced chiropractor with a record of accomplishment. It may be obvious, but if you don't ask you will not know. A chiropractor who has treated patients with similar problems hundreds or thousands of times is going to offer better service, and advice, which translates to a better experience. This is an example of where "going green" doesn't pay.
2) If I have questions! Will the doctor speak to me on the phone prior to setting an appointment?
This author believes the answer should be a resounding YES! When I practiced in Atlanta several years ago, I put my staff on a project to find out how they were treated when they called local offices and pretended to be new patients. I wanted them to understand that our systems were in place for a reason: to meet and hopefully exceed patient expectations from the beginning. Interestingly, we found that the staff at most offices said the doctor would NOT speak on the phone. Instead, a new patient would have to schedule an appointment to ask questions. What kind of experience do offices provide potential new patients by being unwilling to communicate in the first place?
If an office policy includes parameters to offer "exceptional service', it shouldn't be conditional based on convenience or their rewarded financially. The policy should be in place because that's the way the company does business. This includes making sure the doctor is available to speak with patients on the phone and by email.
3) What type of services are offered and how much time is the doctor with a patient?
If we consider the patient's condition a constant factor, the time spent during a routine office visit can vary widely in different offices based on a number of factors. Generally most people are actually with a chiropractor between 5 and 15 minutes. Some chiropractors treat only the spine while others including our office, offer additional services beyond chiropractic care. Treatment for knees, feet, shoulder, and muscle disorders takes longer because it's more comprehensive.
If you have a specific condition such as migraine or headache pain, treating your condition may require specific techniques such as Cranial Meningeal Release Therapy. Most chiropractors do not use this method because it is an osteopathic treatment and requires additional training. If you are suffering from a disc condition such as herniated, prolapsed, bulging, or degenerative disc disease, non surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy should be considered and may help you avoid surgery. Does the office you're considering provide these services? Cold laser therapy is also a very effective treatment method that accelerates the healing process and reduces inflammation, pain, and muscle spasm. It's wonderful for shin splints, tendonitis, and joint pain in the spine and extremities.
Check to see if the doctor uses only one specific treatment method for most or all patients. This can be a red flag. Chiropractors who use multiple techniques with supportive treatment including physical therapy, exercises, muscle and joint rehab, and nutrition is evidence of progressive thinking.
4) What is the philosophy of the doctor and staff?
As author, Stephen Covey says, to "begin with the end in mind". Find an office whose intention is to build long-term relationships with people in their community. Based on your terms, you should be able to lean on your new chiropractic team with confidence when you need them. Answers to the first 3 questions should yield perspective about philosophy as well as treatment and time spent with patients, doctor-patient phone calls, and the overall experience you can expect from being a patient in the office.
Specifically ask questions about the philosophy on the type of treatments that are offered. This author has found that to create faster longer lasting results, a blended approach works best. In our office we offer 3 unique disciplines: Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. Within each discipline, a diversified menu of services is available and can be customized for patients to accomplish their goals and objectives based on their unique needs.
5) Is there anything unique about the doctor and his practice?
This is an opportunity for you to find out what makes one office or doctor different from another. If you are fortunate enough to speak with the doctor, they should be able to express something meaningful. If you speak to a staff person, find out how long they have worked for the doctor. What do they like about the office? What do they think about the doctor and how is his bedside manner?
Get past "he's a great guy" type answers and get to information that you will find meaningful. You may be surprised at what you hear.
6) What techniques and methods are used by the doctor?
In chiropractic practice, the methods used to deliver care are called techniques. They are systems of evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. Many practices use only one or two methods and are very successful helping people. Depending on your particular problems, you might be OK or need a chiropractor who can offer more diverse services. Successfully treating complex biomechanical and muscle disorders as well as sports injuries in the shoulders, knees, and feet for example requires advanced specialized training.
The design and combination of methods used for each person's treatment should reflect their uniqueness as an individual based on their condition(s), age, and participation in sports and activities.
In our office the following methods are used routinely: Spinal Decompression Therapy, Cold Laser Therapy, Extremity Adjusting, Diversified, SOT, Gonstead, Flexion Distraction, Muscle Activation, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Myofascial Release, 6 types of Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Activator, Drop Table, Pettibone, and Full Spine.
7) I want more information. Do you have a website with references online?
Go to the company website and read their references. You can find out a ton of information about a doctor and their office based on what others have experienced. An office that can offer this type of information is usually more progressive, and is likely a patient centered practice that offers more value.
Try to find common threads that are frequently expressed that give you confidence and peace of mind. Use our website as a guide and tool to search for the type of information that interests you. On our website for example, we have both video and written references from patients, and a separate section for professional references. People searching for a chiropractor, as well as our patients have commented how much they appreciate the letters and stories others have written. We are thankful for what people have shared because their experience helps educate others.
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