The physical therapy thread made me wonder if you guys had advice on choosing a chiro. It is very confusing - they all have different techniques - active release, axis orthogonal, etc. and of course each website swears theirs is the best. I don’t understand how to choose a practitioner in a medical profession with so much variation in style of treatment. So, any advice for a confused patient? I am looking for somebody in college, so asking neighbors and local friends for a recommendation won’t work.
I visited a few quacks before settling on mine. I looked in the yellow pages (this was at least 15 years ago) and made an appointment. After a few visits it became clear that the chiropractor was incompetent. Then a friend recommended another chiropractor. I immediately liked the way he ran his office, and the treatment gave me good results.
I evaluate doctors and other services by their office personnel, proximity to my home, hours of operation, and ease of getting an appointment. I know this isn’t what you are looking for, but for me, it seems to be a good standard for finding competent services.
I really don’t know the name of the technique he used. All I know is that it worked. I no longer need a chiropractor, so it’s been years since I’ve visited.
If I had to find a new chiropractor, I would ask for recommendations from friends and/or call a few and interview over the phone.
I’m sure you’ll receive lots of good advice here.
There are so many good chiropractors out there, but unfortunately they are surrounded by an equal number of bad ones! You can make phone calls and see how the front office staff react to you as a potential new patient. If the front staff are focused on the insurance, that’s a potential concern for you. (Of course, they will need to know what insurance you will be using, but some are more personable than others in the process.)
A lot of chiropractors will focus on the money…your insurance and what it will pay for. If you walk in for initial treatment, and the chiropractor tells you that you will need 10 treatments to get better, you can assume they are focusing on getting money via your insurance benefits.
A good chiropractor will want your body to tell how many treatments it needs. They can suggest 2 treatments a week for the first couple of weeks, then we’ll see how well your adjustments are holding. Or something like that. Of course, it depends on what the physical issue is as to how much help they can be, how long treatments will last, etc.
The best thing I can say as a recommendation for my chiropractor is that she doesn’t have dollar signs in her eyes when she treats me. She truly seems to care about our health and about us as individuals, always wanting the best for us.
Look online for physician review sites, and also I have asked my Facebook friends if they have connections in a particular city. You never know who has a relative or friend in a city that could be of help with recommendations.
watch this Scientific American Frontiers (hosted by alan alda)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQb8FK2PM6Y