How do you choose a chiropractor?

Question

What qualifications should I look for?

Answer 1

I would check with your doctor or get a reference from a reliable source.  I don't know much about them, but my sister in Seattle uses Dr Walia at  www.drjaswalia.com  You can check references online or email with questions too.  

Answer 2

The best way to find a chiropractor is by word of mouth from satisfied patients.   In every profession they are “bad apples” and you just need to keep looking until you find the right fit.  Like if you ever had a bad haircut…you find a new person to cut your hair

According the statement above you should not see a chiropractor unless you are in pain.  This also should go for your dentist then but they require you to see them a minimum of two times per year if you are in pain or not  (sounds like they just want money)  On top of that they want to see you for the rest of your life.  So you should only see your dentist if you are in pain and not for the rest of your life, this does not make any sense.  Physical therapy is a great profession and needs to be there but chiropractic doesn’t, then why in almost every state every year are the physical therapists trying to allow adjusting into their scoop of practice.  It doesn’t make sense that they are fighting for something every year that does not even work.  When was the last time you when to the medical doctor and they told you, take this 3x per day for 10 days and if it does not work come back in and we will try something else.  That sounds like a guarantee to me?

Answer 3

Get a reference from people you know or health care practioner.  

Answer 4

bob is right. don't listen to frank, he isn't correct at all.

Chiropractic in the 80s used to treat only pain releif because that is wha they were taught. since about 87 they have now including maintaince care. Which varies on what the patient wants.

Secondly when choosing a chiropractor use these to weed out frauds:

chiropractic is NOT a CURE, it is treatment just like drugs. chiropractors who want you to sign a long term contract are frauds, if the doctor does not take a full medical history do not trust (explain below in a second). if they do not take xrays look at them closely (you need to get xrays done by them).

I used to shadow a chiropractor back in college along with DOs and MDs. On 50/50 of MDs/DOs will recommend them and the other half will be against them (those MDs who are against it should not be trusted, because they believe they are gods, used to work with a few like these). So your MD maybe against it because of how he was taught (in some medical schools they say chiropractics is wrong, if that were true then why are they teaching structure maintance to medical students now and why are MDs working as professors in DC schools?).  

Now for the medical history as in anything major hand problems including whether you are a drinker or smoker (DCs can tell when they start adjustments). A proper DC will do movement and rotation tests. With the xrays they should look at your neck structure, your spine and your pelvis. They should show you them and explain what is wrong with yours and tell you your options on getting treatment or not. (some people out there have perfect struture (very few do)).

Now reason why MDs who are against chiropractics should be looked at closely and ignored is because these doctors are the same ones who ignored MEDICAL SCIENCE for ulcers. TWO MDS/PhDS, discover the cause of ulcers were a microbial organism (majority of them (85% of them)). They treated them with antibiotics and it worked. When these two doctors presented this to fellow MDs they were shut out as being ridiculous claims. So one of the MDs who discovered gave himself the microbial organism cured himself to prove he was right. Years later both doctors were given the Nobel Prize in medicine/physiology. And today those doctors who were their biggest critics still say they were wrong about ulcers today (yet when they were audited they were treating their patients with the drugs to cure ulcers (hmm!))

Answer 5

Pro's and Con's of Chiropractors

Pro's

They can relieve stress on spinal nerves caused by things like muscle tension or a slight misalignment of the discs and can be helpful in musculo-skeletal aches and pains, through manipulation and massage, and relief on back pain from the misalignment temporarily.

They can help with many different aches & pains all over the body.

Could be last resort when no one else can help..

Most charge much less then a real doctor.

Con's

Not FDA approved

Does not have a medical degree.

Can not prescribe prescriptions.

Nothing they do is going to be a permanent fix.

They are pretty much shut out by the medical world and have not contributed anything in the medical field

Can end up costing you a lot more then a real doctor over the long run.

A lot of them promise they can change the natural shape or curvature of a spine, when its simply not true. Only an orthopedist can evaluate the situation and determine if a scoliosis is actually present, and if a brace would be of help. To change a spine takes surgery and braces.

Chiropractors work on your back to eliminate your "subluxations", which they can't prove exist, and in some studies where they show a back x-ray to multiple chiropractors, they all diagnose subluxations, but of course no two ever seem to diagnose them in the same place on the x-ray. Fixing subluxations is supposed to "help the body keep itself healthy". It's also preventative, once a month, to rub a rabbits foot for good luck.

My Conclusion

Always check with your primary care physician before getting any medical help. Try stretching first. There are several back exercise you can easily find on the net, which have really helped me. A Physical therapist or an orthopedist are both better alternatives. Be very cautious when going to the chiropractor and never let them take X-Ray's and never get preventative care. They are only good for relief of aches and pains for a short period of time and it's not guaranteed. You do not need to see him regularly, only when you have pain. Always be firm and never let them push you around and take more money from you. If you let them walk over you, it could end up costing you a pretty penny.

Although it has existed for nearly 100 years, the chiropractic health-care system has failed to meet the most fundamental standards applied to medical practices: to clearly define itself and to establish a science-based scope of practice. More disturbing is the fact that chiropractic has made no contribution to the worldwide body of knowledge shared by the health sciences and continues to isolate itself from the mainstream of the health-care community. If you have a problem in need of health care, seek a qualified professional, usually starting with your MD. Above all, keep a skeptical attitude toward all claims that seem too good to be true. They usually are!

Answer 6

There's only one choice really. I refer my patients to only the very best chiropractors who are trained in Gonstead.

http://www.gonsteadseminar.com/referral....

Answer 7

you don't !!! chiropractors are only a temporary  fix.  Find a good massage therapist like me, and they will be able to heal the soft tissue damage causing the miss alignment of the bones  

Answer 8

All chiropractors should be suitably qualified in order to register just about everywhere in the english speaking world.

I would choose one that doesn't only adjust but also incorporates mobilisation and soft tissue techniques as well.

You are much more likely to find one that does more than adjust if they do longer appointments.

I've seen patients whose chiropractors had them return twice a week for a few minutes worth of adjustments and charge them about US$50 each visit.

Other patients reported far more positively about chiro's who spent about 30 minutes with them each treatment (much less frequently than 2 x per week) and did much more than adjust. They didn't charge a lot more for each appointment.

My Advice is go for one with the longer appointments. You will likely get a more concise treatment then from someone who has you in and out in 5 minutes or has a line of patients all being worked on at the same time.

Best bet is to ask some of your friends if they recommend anyone.

Good answer TJ21. I'm not sure i agree they must have XRAY's. Non US trained Osteopaths don't do them routinely. Good palpation skills can tell you where misalignments / subluxations are. In the UK schools they are moving away from using XRAYS as a diagnosis as XRAY reporting / interpreatation is considered a skill in its own right.

Frank, you really need to research properly. Chiropractors produce masses of research which is ignored by the allopathic world.