I'm considering visiting a Chiropractor to treat my back and neck pain. What factors should I consider?

I'm considering visiting a Chiropractor to treat my back and neck pain. What factors should I consider?

Answer - There are a lot of things to consider:

-A new Chiropractic patient should look at the on-line patient reviews for the doctor they'll be seeing. Yes, sometimes the reviews can be slanted or just an outright assault from only one upset individual.  However, a good doctor takes care to rectify perceived injustices and through good communication can resolve patient disagreements before they come down to an all-out assault on-line.  Reviews also show you what areas the doctor has the most success in treating.  If 95% of the reviews on-line are from athletes then you can get a good idea that the doctor is a specialist in sports injuries. Reviews are helpful. Look to Yelp, Judy's book, and other on-line listings besides just Google as this will give you a better overall view of things.  

-A big factor to consider is the distance you'll be travelling to the office for each visit. Sometimes patients come to see me who live 10 miles away.  That's a 20 mile commute round-trip!  And even though I consider it worth it...it does make it a situation where it's difficult for the patient to make all appointments and stick to a regular treatment plan and thus get the best results.  For this reason, I usually only market for new patients within a 5-mile radius of my clinic. If you can find a good doctor near your home or work...then pick them.

-One should also ensure that one is seeing a doctor with some experience.  Chiropractors are extensively trained in anatomy and have hundreds of hours of practical, hands-on work in school but in order to get good results in a short order of time a Chiropractor with a lot of experience is ideal. I see over 400 patients a month and after 16 years...that's a lot of experience and know-how that is otherwise difficult to attain.

-Don't look for the answers that you want to hear.  Look for the answers that sound realistic and honest. If you have had chronic migraines for 20 years and are being told that you can be cured of this in only a few visits...that should send up a red flag.  An example of a more honest type of answer is, "I've had amazing results in just a few visits...but we won't know until we see how you react to 4-5 visits over a few week's time."

-One should avoid Chiropractors who demand a large down payment or long treatment plan commitment. Yes, sometimes it is obvious that a patient will need to come in at least five or ten times before they have real improvement of their debilitating Scoliosis which they've had for eight years. However, there's no reason, other than pure financial gain to ask for payments/contracts and long-term commitments up front. I've found that engaging in this practice isn't beneficial for the doctor either as it leaves him/her open to being out-of-balance financially with the patient later on who (for one reason or another) is unable to complete their treatment plan.  This opens the door for requests for refunds on balances and patients who may feel they weren't given all that they paid for and that leads to conflict.

-A swanky and beautiful office located in the hub of the city is very nice but the overhead and burdensome expenses of running such an establishment can force a doctor to work in the direction of making a sale rather than focusing on the needs of the patient first. Don't always focus on the beauty of the office - focus on the care and interest the doctor has in making you feel better.  I strategically located an office space that was lower in rent so that I could afford more service facilities and staff.  It may not be the hottest trending location for a Chiropractic office but it is centrally located to various nearby cities and I have more space to augment the patient experience. Note: I have known many Chiropractors that have beautiful offices and still remain only interested in patient care. My point is not to let the ritzy veneer of an office throw you off the path to finding the right doctor for you.  An office should be neat, tidy, clean and the staff/doctors should be professional, direct and interested in you.

-Your prospective doctor should provide a risk free way for you to try him/her out without breaking the bank.  Here at my office we have a low-introductory first-time fee for new patients ($39 for examination and adjustment) and we also have a satisfaction guarantee.  If the patient is not happy with their first visit...they don't have to pay.  I don't know that there's a way to make things any easier to decide on than that.  

-Finally, you can judge whether the office is right for you by how they treat you.  If they make you wait a long time in the waiting room or if they only can get you in 3 days from now - even though you are hurtin' for certain then you should seek out a different office that considers your time and interest is valuable. I have been to doctor's offices where I've had to wait 15-20 minutes to get in because they were backed up..and that's understandable but if it occurs on a continual basis that just shows a lack of concern in how you feel about them.  And we've been backed up before too...but it's pretty obvious to most of our patients that we are unhappy about having made them wait.  

If you are in the Bellevue, Redmond, Seattle, Kirkland area and are in need of a good Chiropractor I would love the opportunity for you to try us out.  Our office phone number is 425-802-5432 and our website is www.chiropractorbellevue.org.