Here's How To Choose The Right Chiropractor

You may think that all chiropractors are essentially the same but that's not true. In fact, your results can differ dramatically depending on which chiropractor you go to. In the article below, you'll meet Nancy who has had arm pain and tension in her neck and shoulders for several years. Nancy saw a chiropractor for 4 months and didn't have any lasting results. She went to different massage therapists and physical therapists and thought she was just going to have to accept that she'd be in pain for the rest of her life.

That was before Nancy's massage therapist recommended she come to see us because not all chiropractors are the same. After just a month of treatments, Nancy is pain-free and we're now focusing on her tension. Why did Nancy have such dramatically different results with us compared to her previous chiropractor? It comes down to choosing the right chiropractor and asking the right questions so you know you'll get the results you're after.

Not all chiropractors are the same and the results you get will differ. So how do you choose the right chiropractor for you?

How To Choose The Right Chiropractor

Most people don't know how to choose the right chiropractor and as a result, they just wind up seeing their nearest chiropractor and they don't get the results they want. When you're searching for a chiropractor, there are some specific things you should look for to find the right chiropractor for you.

1. Ask For Recommendations

Recommendations are a great place to start when it comes to choosing the right chiropractor. Nancy actually found us through a recommendation from her massage therapist. You can ask your primary care physician for chiropractor recommendations but don't stop there. If you have a massage therapist or physical therapist, ask them for their recommendations. 

If you have friends or family members who have seen a chiropractor for pain, ask them for their recommendations too. If you're part of any sports teams or groups like a running club, ask your fellow members if they have any chiropractor recommendations they could share with you. Recommendations are a great place to start before broadening your search, especially if they come from someone who has experienced great results working with that chiropractor.

2. Read Reviews

It's important to read through a chiropractor's reviews but make sure you look beyond the star rating. As you read through the reviews, look for any comments about how patients are treated, what their visit was like, how they felt about the way they were treated, and if they'd recommend the chiropractor to others.

When you click on the number alongside a chiropractor's Google reviews star rating, you'll see "People often mention" at the top. You can click on any of these terms to see reviews that contain them which is very helpful for getting specific information. For example, on our Google reviews, you can click "numbness" or "knee pain" to skip to the reviews about those topics.

Google reviews are always helpful but there are other places you can look to find reviews of the different chiropractors you're researching. You may find reviews on their Facebook page, on Yelp, or on Healthgrades. Be sure to actually read the reviews instead of just relying on the star rating because those reviews can tell you a lot about what your experience will be like beyond just good or bad.

3. Look At Their Educational Content

At Kalkstein Chiropractic, we have an educational approach to treatment. We don't think it's good enough to just treat our patients and send them on their way. Instead, we educate them on why they're in pain, how we're fixing it, and things they can do at home to take control of their health. When you're researching a chiropractor, look for their educational content to see if education is a priority to them.

The easiest place to start is on a chiropractor's website. Do they have a blog? Does that blog have helpful, educational blog posts that you can actually learn from? Are treatments and conditions explained or are you just expected to know what they're talking about?

Social media is another place where you can find educational content. Look for social media icons on the chiropractor's website and look to see if they're creating or publishing educational content on those platforms. We regularly create blog posts, produce videos for our YouTube channel, and share this information across social media. If a chiropractor has a blog or YouTube channel with helpful content, there's a good chance they value education and will spend time explaining things to you.

If a chiropractor you're researching has a YouTube channel, watch a few videos where they're talking to the camera or working with a patient. These videos will give you a good feel for what this chiropractor is like in person and will help you decide if you like their approach, demeanor, and communication style. 

4. Ask About Their Experience With Your Specific Issue

When you visit a new chiropractor for a consultation, ask them about their experience with your specific issue. For example, if you're experiencing lower back pain, ask them how often they treat this issue. Ask them to tell you about a few patients who had lower back pain, what treatments they had, and what their results were like.

Different chiropractors specialize in different things so asking questions about the specific issue you're facing will give you a good indication of whether this chiropractor is a good fit for you or not. If you have intense lower back pain and they rarely treat lower back pain, you may want to find another chiropractor.

5. Ask Which Techniques They Use

Every chiropractor is different and the techniques they use are different as well. Nancy says she saw a chiropractor who treated her using stim and adjustments but no dry needling or rehab. That chiropractor wasn't able to get results that lasted because the techniques they were using didn't address the underlying issue.

When Nancy came in and told us she wasn't getting better, we ordered an MRI to gather more information. With this MRI, we were able to see exactly why other treatments weren't working and where the true problem was. Nancy's MRI showed us that she had a bulging disc and that was the root of her pain. This data gave us the ability to create an even more tailored treatment plan.

In addition to ultrasound stimulation and adjustments, we're treating Nancy with dry needling and she has had excellent results. In less than a month she was free of the pain that had plagued her for years. We were able to move on to treating her tension and once we relieve that, she'll start rehab and build up her strength in the affected muscles.

There is a wide range of chiropractic treatments available from dry needling to ultrasound stimulation to spinal decompression to class 4 laser therapy. We have more options than ever to help patients feel better faster but not all chiropractors work with all of these techniques. The more techniques a chiropractor has at their disposal, the more ways they can tailor a treatment plan to your specific problems. A chiropractor that uses a wide range of techniques also shows a willingness to continue to learn and evolve and improve along with medical advancements.

Remember, a lot of people have visited a chiropractor in the past and they didn't get the long-term results they were after. We see this all of the time in our office and a lot of people come to us as a last resort when they feel like they've tried everything, including other chiropractors. 

Just because one chiropractor wasn't able to get you out of pain and provide you with long-term results doesn't mean it's not possible. It's probably that you just haven't found the right chiropractor for you yet.

If you're in the Baltimore area, we'd love to meet you to see if we're the right chiropractor for you. Click here or call (410) 296-7700 to schedule your consultation and we'll explain how we can help you feel better faster, even if nothing else has worked before.