With chiropractic care you never know what you are going to get. Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews can help (though sometimes misleading), or maybe a family member or friend referred you to a specific chiropractic clinic or practitioner.
There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong chiropractor. It’s more of a personal preference of personality, viewpoint, services provided, etc. However, there are many things that get overlooked when deciding on a facility. Three things we feel people should think of include: the amount of services provided within the cost of care, certifications, and the style of chiropractic provided.
Chiropractic Services Included in Cost?
This is the first question everyone asks, right? No. Everyone asks what is the cost. Not what service(s) are provided for the cost. Prices can range from $15 a visit to $150 per visit. It largely depends on the style of chiropractic and the certifications, demonstrating advanced training and skill, the chiropractor possesses.
Most places charge $40 for a baseline adjustment; this is fairly standard across the board. Any advanced services, such as dry needling, A.R.T., McKenzie, etc., will cost additional. This isn’t a bad thing. If your pain is from tight and restricted muscles, then a chiropractic adjustment isn’t going to be the game changer. If you’re looking for a cheaper, yet longer treatment plan approach that’s your right. If you’re looking to fix the issue faster and are willing to pay a little more per visit, then that is also your right.
Importance of Certifications
Currently, asking a clinic or looking on their website (ours) for their advanced certifications is one of the most important questions a person should ask. One day certifications will be considered a dime a dozen, but right now it should be on a person’s mind to ask.
Certifications directly demonstrate advanced skills and indirectly the style of chiropractic they provide.
A good rule to follow is: if there is nothing listed on the website, then they don’t offer more than the minimal standard. In my opinion, chiropractors and other healthcare providers should be required to list their certifications and techniques in order to claim or market that they “treats sport-related injuries, geriatric population, etc”. Having the chiropractor or clinic state their certifications helps you identify if they have a better chance at helping you other than just them saying they can.
Style of Chiropractic
This ties directly into certifications. Certifications such as A.R.T. (active release techniques) do not limit a chiropractor to seeing only sport-related issues, but it does help guide a person when shopping for a chiropractor to identify how the chiropractor may go about treating an injury.
There is a large persity in chiropractic with philosophy and how treatment plans are structured. Some practices focus on wellness plans, others on pain management, and some unfortunately are just money driven scams. Ask your doctor why he/she is doing something and how that is going to achieve your goal. A tid bit of advice, if your doctor gives a generic statement you're probably getting a generic care plan. Reduction in pain does not need to take 5+ months. Depending on what is going on it may only need 5 visits, not 5 months.
Where to Look for Information
There are a lot of caveats within chiropractic. Some are for the better, while others are not. Ultimately it is your responsibility to figure out if a practice is going to align with your view points. Look at the website, social media posts, call, and ask questions. For the most part, there is not a wrong or right approach; only what aligns with you and what you are looking for.