Tell me, if you are considering seeing a chiropractor for the first time or if you are looking for a new chiropractor are you clear on exactly what to look for in a chiropractor that will match your needs?
That’s what I thought.
By the end of this post, you will have a deep understanding of what to look for and how to find a chiropractor best suited to help you.
Because chiropractic is such a misunderstood profession, we will be spending a lot of time together.
As a practicing chiropractor with more than 35 years of experience I’ve been around the block a few times. I’ve practiced chiropractic in a number of different ways in an effort to find the most effective approach. At this point in my career I have made it my mission to help people like you experience the benefits of chiropractic care.
Do you want to know more about how you might benefit from chiropractic and how you can find a chiropractor to support you?
Have a look over here for a post I did: The Number One Reason Most Chiropractic Doesn’t Work
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about finding the best chiropractor for your needs. You’ll be a master of it in no time!
Psst…Here are a couple of Guides I created that you can download:
The Ultimate Stress Reduction Guide
The Roadmap to Overcoming Chronic Pain and Fatigue
Chiropractic Element #1: Get Clear on What You Want
Before we delve into how to find the best chiropractor, we need to get clear on what you want out of your chiropractic care.
What many people get wrong about chiropractic is thinking about it from the limited view and focus of our healthcare system.
If you have watched TV commercials (and I know you have) then you’ve been inundated with medication solutions to about every ailment from headaches to acid reflux to the flu.
There are a couple of common denominators in every one of those commercials:
- The entire focus is on controlling or limiting the symptoms of whatever they are talking about.
- There is always a list of possible side effects, many of which are more serious than the condition for which you would take the medication.
What you DO NOT hear is about an actual solution to your problem.
Everything is about symptom control and managing the condition. It is never about correcting the problem.
Every one of those medications is intended to be taken on an ongoing basis for an indefinite period of time.
That might be fine if there is NO solution to the problem. But, often there is a solution. And, if you could actually correct the problem causing your headaches or digestion or anxiety, wouldn’t you want that?
So what you need to understand to be successful in finding a great chiropractor is to get really clear on what you want.
For example, a current client of mine sustained numerous injuries in a car crash. He has seen a pain management doctor, a neurologist, and a podiatrist in addition to me. Every other doctor offered medications, injections, or surgery.
Do you know what he has said to them? He told them that….
- He wasn’t interested in short term pain relief, he wanted help healing his injuries.
- When offered those other treatments he related that chiropractic was helping him with most of his problems.
Don’t be scared to get clear on what you want and not settle for anything less. Yes, there’s always a chance there isn’t the solution you are looking for. But, if you don’t look you won’t find it.
How to Get Clear
With chronic or recurrent problems it can be difficult to see a solution to your problem. I often see people in the midst of an acute episode. It is one of many they have had before. Often what brings them in is that the current episode is more painful or more limiting than prior episodes.
Here are a few things to consider to ensure success:
- Are you interested in correcting the underlying issue causing your problem?
- Or, do you simply want a quick short term pain relief fix knowing that the problem will recur and likely worsen over time?
- Are you willing to prioritize your health and well being in ways that will provide you with both short term relief and more long term correction?
NOTE: Moving forward this article will focus on helping you find a chiropractor to correct your problem and offer you long term relief. You easily find a chiropractor to function like an expensive Tylenol and give you short term relief.
Chiropractic Element #2: Red Flags
Finding a chiropractic match can be as straightforward or complicated as you make it.
I’m not saying it’s simple, but it really isn’t difficult. This is a crucial step that many people make simply because they aren’t clear on what they are looking for. It’s actually pretty common to end up in an office that doesn’t match your goals.
But what’s important when you’re just starting out is to understand which types of treatments have little to no value and what treatments are more likely to correct a problem. Too many people end up with a treatment that is not in line with their goals. And then they end up frustrated
Here are some of the “treatments” you will find in practices that focus on short term relief over correction:
- ULTRASOUND: many chiropractors and physical therapists will use ultrasound and the bottom line is it really has no value. It’s a way to add charges to a visit.
Here’s a study showing that Ultrasound is no more effective than placebo. In other words, it doesn’t work.
- ELECTRICAL STIMULATION: this where they put pads on you typically covered with a hot pack. It can be a relaxing experience but it is largely used to bring in revenue as it has very little healing value.
This study is one of many showing there is little evidence to support its effectiveness.
Most “therapies” like Ultrasound and Electrical Stimulation are there for a couple of reasons:
- They offered the perception of you getting more than you actually are.
- They unnecessarily raise the cost of the visit without increasing the benefit
- NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS: sometimes these can be very valuable but all in all you are paying a premium for something for which there is little established value.
What you are looking for is a course of care that has been constructed with each component offering significant value in helping you achieve your goals.
Chiropractic Element #3: Unique Care
This one is perhaps the most important element we will discuss and at the same time it can be a little difficult to determine upfront.
Let’s talk about that for a minute.
There are a lot of chiropractors that basically do the same thing to each person on each visit. And, even worse there are many chiropractors who do the same treatment on each and every person.
Here’s the problem. Chiropractic can be so powerful that even doing this will get some results. But, the vast majority of time this approach serves only to offer some short term pain relief and never corrects the real cause of the problem.
Have you ever heard of ‘The Joint’ chiropractic franchise? This is how they can offer their service the way they do. If you go to a Joint and sit and watch them work on 10 people you will almost always see the same adjustments. I know because I’ve done that.
Things to think about when it comes to evaluating the Uniqueness of Care:
- Ask Others: if you know people who have been to a chiropractor you are researching, ask them about the similarity of each visit.
- Ask Others: ask people how their chiropractor evaluates them each visit to determine what to do.
- Ask the Doctor’s Staff: call and ask about their care and what the goal of care is. Ask them how the doctor determines what to do?
Chiropractic Element #4: Duration of Care
This one is a little challenging because without an exam you cannot determine any estimate of the duration of care.
But, what you can do is ask people how long their care was? What I mean here is for how long they were seen for at least 1 time per week. You are looking for two things:
- The same answer for everyone. If more than two or three people answer with the same response you should question it.
- If the answer is a long period like 6 months or a year it should also raise suspicions. It’s not as though it might not take a long time but again there is no way on the front end they would know that.
If the typical duration of care is long, as in 6 months or more your suspicions should be raised. If the typical care is a few weeks it should also be a warning sign.
Chiropractic Element #5: Reputation
Chances are when you search for any service or business you look for how others have experienced this business.
- How many stars did others give that hotel?
- How did other people rate the quality of a restaurant’s service and food?
This isn’t necessarily accurate but it does give you a good sense of the quality of care and service. The more high quality reviews in which people took the time to describe what they like about the doctor and the office the better an indication you will get about the quality of the office.
One 5-star review doesn’t mean much and neither does one bad 1-star review. But, 30 or 40 or 50 or more 5-star reviews should get your attention.
Go online and search for a chiropractor. Life Chiropractic is in Grass Valley, CA. Doing a search for chiropractor Grass Valley will give you an opportunity to see how others have reviewed different doctors and practices.
Read the reviews and see if the experiences of others matches what you are looking for.
Chiropractic Element #6: Value of Chiropractic
Chiropractors have a reputation as “back doctors” and that is understandable. But, in reality it is far from the truth. And, the real value of chiropractic far exceeds its value in helping to relieve neck and back pain.
The human body does three amazing things in its capacity to heal and maintain health:
- It monitors itself – everything from temperature to hormones to digestion to neurotransmitters.
- It regulates itself – the body is continually adjusting everything it is monitoring in an effort to stay in balance.
- It heals itself – all healing comes from within the body. Sometimes heroic measures like surgery or medication are needed to give the body an opportunity to heal but the healing comes from the body.
ALL those functions – monitoring, regulating, healing – are controlled by one master system in the body, the nervous system.
This is the focus of chiropractic.
Chiropractic adjustments in a Corrective Chiropractic Model have three purposes:
- Restore balance to the structure of the body – pelvis and spine
- Restore the spinal vertebrae to alignment
- Restore motion to the joints of the pelvis and spine
These 3 purposes all have one primary intent and that simply is to remove irritation and interference from the nervous system so the body can do what it does so well … .heal and maintain health.
If you are experiencing problems it is a sign that something is interfering with the capacity of the body to monitor, regulate, and heal.
Your body functions better with no nervous system interference. Some of the many benefits of chiropractic care beyond pain relief include:
- Better immune function – get sick less often
- Better quality sleep
- Better digestion
- Improved asthma
- Improved mental clarity
- Lowered stress levels
Have you heard of Sympathetic Dominance or Autonomic Dysregulation before?
Don’t worry, there is no shaming here if you haven’t.
While back pain and headaches are usually well-known for people searching online for a ‘chiropractor near me’, Autonomic Dysregulation and Sympathetic Dominance aren’t discussed as often.
Both Autonomic Dysregulation and Sympathetic Dominance address the primary underlying imbalance that occurs in almost all people with a chronic illness or condition. It doesn’t have to be back pain or headaches or sciatica.
When research shows that 90% of all illness is stress-related and more than 90% of all doctor’s visits are for stress-related complaints, it is the autonomic nervous system that is involved.
The long term benefits of chiropractic care are found in its ability to bring and maintain greater balance to the autonomic nervous system.
Here’s another article: ESCAPE THE DESTRUCTIVE CYCLE OF CHRONIC STRESS! THE KEYS TO REDUCING PAIN AND INFLAMMATION, OVERCOMING ANXIETY, AND PERFORMING YOUR BEST
In other words, if your goal is to feel great and actually express great health you must have a balanced autonomic nervous system and there is no care more effective than chiropractic in helping to bring greater balance to the autonomic nervous system.
At Life Chiropractic in Grass Valley we accomplish greater autonomic balance by:
- Restoring balance to the pelvis and spine
- Correcting misalignments in the spine and pelvis
- Restoring proper motion to the joints of the pelvis and spine
- Activating the Vagus Nerve
The first 3 above are unique to corrective chiropractic which differs from traditional chiropractic with its emphasis on, no surprise, correction. If you are experiencing chronic or recurrent issues and are considering chiropractic, you will do well to find one specializing in correction.
Here are a few articles I’ve written about corrective chiropractic:
The 3 Keys to the Magic of Corrective Rebalancing
Key Takeaways
I hope this huge post about Chiropractic has made the puzzle pieces of corrective chiropractic, autonomic dysregulation, and imbalance come together in your mind.
I have all the faith that you will have enough knowledge now to find a chiropractor who will serve you.
Check out this article on Corrective Chiropractic.
If you are local to Grass Valley and Nevada County you can schedule your initial visit to Life Chiropractic here: Schedule Here