How to Choose Your Chiropractor
A top chiropractor near you is a healthcare professional that practices a holistic approach, working with their hands to perform spinal adjustments and joint manipulation to alleviate back and neck pain. Rather than prescribe medication or perform surgery, chiropractors rely on the body’s natural healing abilities to improve a patient’s quality of life.
While they may prescribe hot or cold therapy treatments, chiropractors often combine their neuromuscular manipulation with an exercise regime and nutritional plan to increase overall body health and ensure the best results. Even though they are well known for working on the neck, back, and spine, chiropractors also prove effective when dealing with other ailments such as sciatica, arthritis, headaches, and pinched nerves.
Yet, when the time comes to seek a professional for these issues, how do you know which chiropractor is best for you?
Choosing a Chiropractor
As with any professional field, chiropractors come with different skills, preferred treatment methods, and personalities, which can influence a patient’s personal experience. Furthermore, chiropractors have varying degrees of experience and expertise, which means that some care providers may produce better results for your specific situation than others.
Here are some ways you can narrow down your options to find the best chiropractor for you:
Evaluate Their Credentials
When researching treatment providers, your priority should always be to ensure that any potential chiropractor option has proper and official licensure. This document verifies that the care provider has completed the appropriate chiropractic school education, taken their board examinations, and followed the necessary procedures to acquire a professional license.
This is vital because if an individual claims that they are an accredited professional but are not, they likely lack the experience necessary to ensure appropriate treatment options. As a result, you could risk more significant injury or even endure new health issues.
While chiropractors are not considered medical doctors (M.D.) and do not write prescriptions, they are physicians and, as such, must earn a Doctorate in Chiropractic Care, which is an education that is on an equivalent level. This extensive knowledge ensures they know the best ways to handle care within their field, so always confirm that any candidate is legally licensed to practice chiropractic services.
Even if they have proper licensure, research their background to discover whether or not they have had any legal proceedings or malpractice claims. Recurring complaints are warning signs, so you may wish to seek an option with a better track record.
Treatment Specializations
Even though licensed chiropractors train to handle the spectrum of ailments in their field, they likely have specializations– areas in which they have greater expertise. For example, if you are suffering from sciatica and several qualified professionals can offer treatment, one of them may have additional experience dealing with that particular ailment. When you look into specializations, Colorado physical therapy may also be a great option to pair with a chiropractor.
Insurance Considerations
Sometimes your options are limited by external considerations, such as insurance. While most insurance provides chiropractic care coverage, the number of sessions they cover can vary. Also, chiropractic care centers may take some forms of insurance but not others.
If insurance is a critical determinant for which care provider you can use, you will want to investigate whether your prospects accept your insurance. Once you narrow down the field to available options, you can explore further criteria to make your ultimate choice.
Analyze Customer Reviews
In the digital age, customer reviews carry a lot of weight for businesses and professionals. When you find a chiropractor of interest to you, do a little research to find out whether any of their previous patients have anything to say about their personal experiences.
Remember, people are far more likely to write up a negative review than a positive one because anger is a stronger emotion than satisfaction. Therefore, if you see more negative reviews than positive and no significant number for consideration, take those results with a grain of salt.
Customer reviews work best when you have a relatively large sample size, so you can read a decent selection to understand the service provider’s reputation. Look for those that have taken the time to write a noteworthy amount of information, positive or negative, and then use your best judgment to decide what your findings tell you about this particular candidate.
As you list top considerations, compare their reviews to get a solid baseline for personal reference.
Seek Referrals
As helpful as customer reviews can be, nothing is better than hearing word-of-mouth from someone you know personally who has used a chiropractor’s services. Likely, you have some idea of whether this acquaintance’s opinions have merit, and once you hear about their experience, you can ask questions.
One excellent method to find referrals is to ask your friends on social media. This is a quick way to determine who you know has participated in chiropractic treatment and who they recommend (or don’t) based on their experience.
Location Convenience
Another important consideration is the location of a chiropractor’s clinic, especially if you expect to have recurring treatments. Gas certainly isn’t cheap, and it may be challenging to find the time for a lengthy drive if you have a busy schedule. While quality care is essential, if there is a suitable option at a location near you, that may be a deciding factor regarding who you choose.
Consider Their Personality
If you are down to a few candidates and have trouble deciding, consider their different personalities. If there is no apparent reason to choose one chiropractor over another, choose the one who makes you feel more comfortable.
To help determine a chiropractor’s personality, schedule a telephone call or meeting, if possible, to have a preliminary discussion about your issues. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how the provider communicates and discern what vibe you get through speaking with them. Whichever establishes a better rapport with you may result in a better treatment experience.
The Bottom Line
While there are many quality chiropractors, finding the best choice requires little research. First and foremost, ensure that candidates have proper qualifications, then learn as much as possible about their practice from customer reviews and word-of-mouth referrals. If insurance and location are important considerations, use those criteria to narrow down your choices and evaluate them further.
