Have you been told to go see a chiropractor for your pain?
Have you been told to see the one that will "crack your spine back into place" ?
Or have you been sent to a chiropractor who will focus on rehabilitating and strengthening your back?
Oh, then you have Aunt Betty telling you about the “Muscle Lumberjack” , who is THE muscle guy and will really get into those knots causing your pain.
Listen, I know this is a confusing time for picking a Chiropractor. If I was trying to find a practitioner, I wouldn't know where to start or who to believe.
So here is a check list of 5 things to consider when choosing a Chiropractor, to help guide you in making an easier decision.
1. You Have Plenty of Time with the Doctor:
This can be discovered by the first consultation. Have they appointed enough time to do an appropriate initial encounter with you? The average time it takes for a doctor to interrupt their patient is 11 seconds when they are in the room with them. It takes longer than 11 seconds to get to know all of your story. Here at Kinetic Resilience we do a 60- 90 minute initial consultation and exam. This gives us plenty of time to get to know where you are coming from with this obstacle. Another consideration, is to make sure they (the doctor) is doing the initial consult themselves. It is crucial for the chiropractor to do the consultation or at the very least they should be doing most of it themselves. The doctor is going to be prescribing the care, so they need to know the whole story. If the chiropractor did did not have a big role in this, then it would be similar to changing the oil in your car because the check engine light is on. You are just taking a "shot in the dark". You need to make sure it is the oil and not the spark plugs. The doc is the one that can ask the appropriate questions to really find the issue and ask any follow up questions to get the whole picture. At Kinetic Resilience, the consultation is done completely by the chiropractor, so that they know exactly what questions to ask and what evaluations to take you through so we can get to the root of the issue.
2. They are Focused on YOUR Goals and Have a Personal Plan For You.
Your goals need to be addressed and a personal plan needs to be set for you. We see a lot programs and chiropractors taking a "cookie cutter approach". Think about a cookie cutter, it is the same shape and format for every piece of dough it cuts. These practitioners use the same methods and treatments for the same complaint, regardless of your specific goals. You need a practitioner that forms every cookie differently , AKA they are forming a plan and implementing exercises that are specific to you. If your goal is to deadlift then you need to be doing deadlifts in the office. If you want to run 5 miles without pain, then they need to gear your therapy to doing specific exercises that help running. YOUR plan should not look like everyone's plan.
3. The Active and Empowering Approach
The chiropractor should bias a more active approach in the office versus a passive approach. An active approach is more exercise based, you doing the work. A passive approach is the doctor doing the work, like cracking joints or massaging muscles. This is imperative for your longevity. You need to be able to conquer this issue on your own. When flare ups of the issue happen( yes you will most likely have flare ups) you need to have tools in your tool belt to combat the issue. You should not have to rely on the doctor to make you feel better.
They should guide you by your side in this journey. They should not put themselves in a role of authority above you. Oxford dictionary explains that, “Doctor” has an old French origin from Latin. Doctor, an agent noun of the verb docēre “to teach". Doctor means teacher, they should want to show you how to take care of yourself. They should support you on your journey and be side by side with you, not put in a role above you and ask you to always rely on them when you are in pain.
4. You Should Feel Challenged at the Visit
The exercises you are doing should be challenging you and KEEP challenging you as the sessions continue. A lot of times the exercises are challenging to clients at first but then the exercises start to be dull and boring. You need to be pushed and challenged, that is the only way the body will have a long term change and adapt. If it feels too easy to you then your body is not getting stronger and not getting any better than when you started. You should feel pretty tired and you should SWEAT during every session, kind of like doing a workout.
5. The Doc Needs to be a Practitioner of Health
Quite simply, does the Doc practice what they are preaching? Have you been to a doctors office and the doctor is telling you to eat your leafy green vegetables and cut the sugar out, while that doctor cannot walk across the room without breathing heavily. That doctor is a healthcare practitioner not a practitioner of healthcare. If they want you to do squats for your treatment, then they better have the nick name “tree trunks” in the gym, because their thighs are insanely muscular and thicc. Joking aside, they do not necessarily have to look like "Mr. Olympia", but they do need to seem like they are comfortable demonstrating the exercises and seem like they have done this once or twice before.
This check list is just a starting point and not an exhaustive list of things to consider. However, these are very important characteristics that your doctor should have. If the doctor is missing most of these qualities, then I would advise you to keep looking for care elsewhere. Here at Kinetic Resilience we practice these principals, and have national connections to practitioners that have these characteristics as well. We will help you learn how to conquer your pain by providing a personalized plan and guiding you by the side on your journey. Click the Link OR the button below to schedule a free consult with us.
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