How to pick a chiropractor?

julanig612 wrote: »

What makes a good chiropractor and what is expected from a visit to the chiropractor?
Do they go into much of your health details?
Adjustments are obviously important, what about massage or needling or other soft tissue work?
Do you get a care plan to do some homework on your own?
How much are you expecting to pay?
Is it a preference or personality thing that will cause you to keep going back?

How did you pick your chiropractor?

Are you a chiropractor?

I have never used a chiropractor but I would use word of mouth referrals from family, friends & coworkers.
I think a lot of people have the idea that chiropractors just want to get you in their office several times per week so they can keep a stream of income from each patient. I would seek out someone with a less aggressive plan of treatment, more of an occasional or "one time" basis.

cmriverside wrote: »

Diatonic12 wrote: »

julanig612 wrote: »

What makes a good chiropractor and what is expected from a visit to the chiropractor?
Do they go into much of your health details?
Adjustments are obviously important, what about massage or needling or other soft tissue work?
Do you get a care plan to do some homework on your own?
How much are you expecting to pay?
Is it a preference or personality thing that will cause you to keep going back?

How did you pick your chiropractor?

Are you a chiropractor?

If she is, she probably won't like what I say.

I had a chiropractor boyfriend and got all the adjustments and treatments for free and they did nothing that time and exercise wouldn't have done.

Also, the one time I did go to a chiro, he took Xrays at a personal cost to me of $200, plus the initial visit which was another $100 or so (not covered by insurance.) He gave me a $3,500 "plan" which involved a lot of visits in a short amount of time. I was not interested in that, so I did some exercising on my own and lost some weight and amazingly most of my pain went away on its own. As it usually does unless surgery is indicated.

They might be looking for positive feedback but I've learned with so many open ended questions or simply just "?" after the thread title, it's usually just a hook just to reel you in. It's taken the ol'kid a few times but my eyes are wide open now.

julanig612 wrote: »

What makes a good chiropractor and what is expected from a visit to the chiropractor?
Do they go into much of your health details?
Adjustments are obviously important, what about massage or needling or other soft tissue work?
Do you get a care plan to do some homework on your own?
How much are you expecting to pay?
Is it a preference or personality thing that will cause you to keep going back?

How did you pick your chiropractor?

Probably pretty individual. My chiropractor is a sports chiro and treats a lot of the collegiate and other athletes in the area. His treatments are aggressive and designed to get those athletes back to business in short order...he's not looking to have clients coming in repeatedly for weeks and months.

I don't think he would be the average persons cup of tea...my wife and are are two of a very limited number of clients who are just regular folks...I think most "regular" folks would find his treatments too aggressive.

He spends more time needling me and cupping than adjusting. Most of my issues are trigger point related and he needles those and also hooks up some kind of electric shock thing to the needles and sends electrical pulses through the needle into the muscle...you do a lot of convulsing, but it does the trick. He also does massage, but not the gentle, relaxing kind of massage you get at a spa...he uses a machine that is kind of like a jack hammer on your muscles. He also gives homework to keep you from having to come back.

cmriverside wrote: »

Diatonic12 wrote: »

julanig612 wrote: »

What makes a good chiropractor and what is expected from a visit to the chiropractor?
Do they go into much of your health details?
Adjustments are obviously important, what about massage or needling or other soft tissue work?
Do you get a care plan to do some homework on your own?
How much are you expecting to pay?
Is it a preference or personality thing that will cause you to keep going back?

How did you pick your chiropractor?

Are you a chiropractor?

If she is, she probably won't like what I say.

I had a chiropractor boyfriend and got all the adjustments and treatments for free and they did nothing that time and exercise wouldn't have done.

Also, the one time I did go to a chiro, he took Xrays at a personal cost to me of $200, plus the initial visit which was another $100 or so (not covered by insurance.) He gave me a $3,500 "plan" which involved a lot of visits in a short amount of time. I was not interested in that, so I did some exercising on my own and lost some weight and amazingly most of my pain went away on its own. As it usually does unless surgery is indicated.

I've found visiting a chiro tremendously helpful after car accidents.

It didn't really help with chronic, long term lower back pain. Not sure what finally made that go away but it was probably a combination of the gentle yoga I do a few times a week as warmups, regular exercise, and an expensive office chair.

The few chiropractors I've had experience with were so cult-like and scary. One of them locked us in a room to preach the evils of modern medicine. We "could leave at any time" they just didn't want "interruptions." It was like the Cult of the Leader from The Simpsons! I was very tempted to start humming the Batman theme.

I don't think there's anything I could get from one that my physiotherapist doesn't do better, with less preaching and door locking.

Like sijomial, I see an Osteopath (affiliated with the health service of a major university, and a faculty member there) for manipulation.

Some of my friends see and swear by chiropractors; the pattern I see with the ones considered good are as others suggest above: Not over-reaching the core effectiveness of the modalities or claiming cure-all properties, willingness (eagerness, even) to refer to an MD or a GP DO for things that are not core to musculoskeletal (or potentially related soft tissue) issues.

Horror contrast to the latter: A chiropractor who effectively put my mother-in-law in the hospital in dire condition for a longish stay, by either misdiagnosing or imagining he could treat a major blood clot in a limb (I'm not sure which of misdiagnosis/mistreatment it was).

I'm not anti-chiropractor. When relevant questions arise on MFP, I have, and would again, suggest seeing a chiropractor as one option for things more within a rational scope of practice, with other options, depending on the situation, being things like seeing an osteopath, physical therapist, well-credentialed & experienced licensed massage therapist, etc.

As with those sources, if I went to a chiropractor, I'd be looking for effective treatment (short course unless the problem were chronic), and recommendations (including printed instructions where relevant) for things like stretches or exercises that could be done at home to complement the treatment. The chiropractor should be doing enough of a medical history on first visit to identify any potential concerns that could affect treatment or explain symptoms (to avoid things like that blood clot fiasco!), and on subsequent visits should ask about changes in health/symptoms/meds since last visit.

I've had personal contact with a chiropractor trying to put people on contracts for "wholistic wellness programs" using pretty skeezy tactics (and ideas poorly founded in science, IMO) that included selling supplements and long-term ongoing treatment program contracts. Don't be that guy.

To be more specific, this is how I reported my encounter with him, on another thread:

I went to a meeting recently where the speaker was speaking as an expert about "digestive health".

It was a hearty broth of pure nonsense, but here's just one highlight: Everyone will benefit from giving up dairy, gluten and (especially) sugar. Sugar is poison, because it spikes your insulin. But honey is a superfood, especially local honey. Fruit is good for you, because fiber. Agave syrup is OK, because it's natural, but not a superfood, partly because no fiber. Stevia is bad like sugar, just like other things that taste sweet (even if they have no nutrients/calories) because your body has been programmed to . . . I dunno, do something bad . . . just because it has a sweet taste like sugar.

I'm sitting there thinking " . . . but . . . but . . . it's all just sucrose, glucose and fructose!" (except the Stevia of course)

I am not lying, exaggerating, or misrepresenting. (My career made me very good at taking accurate notes on things I violently disagree with, because it was an essential skill.)

His incoherent steaming pile of pseudoscientific crapitude was being delivered to a group of cancer survivors . . . and the whole talk was implicitly hawking a multi-visit (or online) multi-step remediation program.

"If you have questions, be sure to fill out the question sheet with your contact info, and leave it on the table, so we can get back to you." (In response to any question requesting actual actionable specifics.)

He was coy about cost, but said his office would give you the paperwork to submit to your insurance company for insurance coverage. (Odds most US insurance would cover, I think: Near zero.)

The thing I thought was truly sleazy and unethical is the bolded. The rest is just . . . silliness.

Just don't be that chiropractor. Please. One is enough. Too many, even.

:flowerforyou:

julanig612 wrote: »

Well spotted. I am a chiropractor. I just started in practice though and I am doing things very differently to my predecessor.

The question has no "hook" to reel you in. I genuinely want to know what is considered to be a good service as there are so many different views and protocols. Also, patients rarely provide helpful feedback, they either come back or don't.

Therefore I was hoping to get the point of view from the other side. I'm all ears 👂

Don't get into the 'dark' side of chiropractic selling all the potions and tinctures. Stay in your legitimate lane. I have used chiropractors for decades, good ones aren't hard to find if you know what to look for.

Curious as to what your predecessor was doing and how you're changing that.

cheryldumais wrote: »

Also as others have said when they tell me I need 25 treatments I know something's wrong.

It's *possible* to need 25 treatments for a chronic problem, but realistically, my chiropractor uses it as a threat.

"Look, you need to fix your posture. You can either book your next 25 treatments now for the next year, or you can raise your laptop 6 inches and get a USB keyboard to straighten out the way you sit at work. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE, but I won't be hurt if you prefer spending $20 on a keyboard instead of becoming my most frequently seen patient next year."

I totally believe in chiropractors. They keep everything aligned.
I see one regularly due to my labour job. He is old school, which I’m ok with
My son sees a different chiropractor as he has other issues, his chiropractor does the xrays which I think are
Equally important, as if he had never has the X-ray, we would have never known exactly why he gets the pain he does.
He as well will need regular maintenance.
I say hooray to chiropractors!!

@julanig612 are you in some other country other than the U.S.? Because it seems pretty prevalent in the U.S. that chiropractors are more of the "Alternative Medicine" variety. I have heard too many stories and think they generally don't have a great reputation here. But then, it may be the company I keep, too. I guess most of us either believe in them or don't. Obviously many people do find them helpful.

julanig612 wrote: »

I'm from South Africa.

I hope you find a way to make a good career for yourself, you sound like an honest caring professional. Good luck.

The only chiropractor I've seen was the only one in my small town. The first visit was with one of my sisters who praised the services. I got an adjustment, can't remember if it was full body or just my neck. Second visit was years later in a Hail Mary shot for my Bell's palsey; I knew Bell's cause nerve paralysis and chiros can help with that and wtf did I have to lose? The chiro gave me an adjustment, just head/neck and shoulders iirc. Bell's gone for 24 years. Only a small flare up after a dental visit from the novacaine.

There was no health plan. I went in, got asked why I was there, told them, and received treatment. I think it cost like $40-$50 back in late 1980s/1995.

I know many believe chiropractic is quackery and that's fine. It helped me and I'd suggest it depending on someone's problem. As long as the chiropactor isn't claiming they can cure diseases and that sort of bs, I'm good with it.