How to Choose a Chiropractor

Choosing a chiropractor is almost as important as choosing a primary care physician. While there is a definite science to chiropractic care, there is also an art in the practice. For the most part, chiropractic care is based on the philosophy that the entire body can only function at it's optimal level if the spine is correctly aligned. Of course other areas of the body are worked on as well, but the spine is imperative. Different chiropractors have different methods of accomplishing similar tasks. If you choose a chiropractor that has a method you don't like, you could be scared away from spinal care for the rest of your life.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone

Instructions

1. Get recommendations. Unless you have a chronic condition, a good chiropractor will fix your aches and pains in about 6 weeks. Ask your friends, neighbors, and coworkers if they see a chiropractor and if they would recommend him to anyone else. Ask them how long their treatment plans take. If they are still visiting the chiropractor for simple upper back pain after 3 months of treatment, choose another doctor.

2. Call potential chiropractors to get a feel for her personality and to ask some preliminary questions. When you call chiropractic offices, many times the chiropractor will speak directly to you. This is the time to ask if she accepts emergency calls and how quickly you can get an appointment for a non-emergent issue.

3. Ask what methods and machines they use to align the spine. Some chiropractors have a table that you lie down on and they push on your back. Other doctors place their arms around your body and squeeze to get your spine to align. There are also different types of diagnostic machinery they could use. Some chiropractors have digital temperature guns while others have hand held temperature gauges.

4. Ask specifically how they adjust the neck. This answer could make or break your chiropractic experience. For some people, the neck is an area of vulnerability. They would rather have surgery than have their neck twisted and cracked by another person. Some chiropractors do just that, twist the neck forcefully. Other chiropractors use a precision machine that resembles a gun. The gun applies tiny explosive pressure to the individual vertebrae in the neck that needs adjusting.

5. Visit the clinic you have chosen to look at the equipment and meet the chiropractor in person. Once you have heard everything your chiropractor has to offer over the phone, visit for yourself. Schedule an initial consultation and interview. During this first visit you will see the equipment used before your care begins.

Tips & Warnings

• Typically chiropractic care is more successful if you ice the affected area 3 times per day. This will greatly help your recovery.

• If you have an emergency, going through these steps is simply not an option. You don't, however, have to stay with the same chiropractor throughout your treatment if you don't like his methods.