Spine Rehab Near Me: What to Avoid When Choosing a Chiropractor
There are approximately 36,000 chiropractors working in the US today. Their treatments range from gentle muscle massage to ultrasound and instrument-assisted mobilization devices.
If you’re suffering from back or spinal pain, was searching “spine rehab near me” your first step? After all, with 36,000 chiropractors to choose from, it should be easy to find one nearby.
While you may have a local chiropractor, there’s no guarantee they’re the best choice. Chiropractors all have different qualifications and service options. Without the proper research, it’s easy to make the wrong choice.
Even with the best chiropractor, some patients skip vital steps in their treatment. This can undermine the chiropractor’s work.
To help you avoid these pitfalls, we’ve created this brief guide on chiropractic care. Read on for seven things to avoid when choosing and visiting your chiropractor.
1. Putting Off the Appointment
One of the worst mistakes is procrastinating a chiropractor visit.
Many people are nervous about medical treatment and put it off for far too long. They may think the pain will resolve itself on its own. Or they may be so busy that they don’t make seeking pain treatment a priority.
The pain won’t miraculously treat itself. Pain is the body’s signal to you that something is wrong and needs treatment. Pain, particularly spine or back pain, will only worsen over time.
And it’s not just the pain that gets worse. That indicates the injury or damage itself is getting more serious. A more complex, long-standing problem takes far more time to treat than a fresh one.
For your body’s sake, visit a chiropractor as soon as you injure yourself or as soon as any pain arises. Then you can treat the damage in the best way possible, which is quicker and cheaper for you!
2. Ending Treatment Too Soon
How many times should you visit a chiropractor? Until your pain subsides?
No.
Just because the initial pain isn’t flaring up doesn’t mean the body is healed. It just means the treatment is working. So let it keep working.
Avoid ending your chiropractor visits too early. Otherwise, the problem may flare up again in the future. And that time, it might be worse.
Instead, follow your initial course of treatment so the issue gets resolved once and for all.
Your chiropractor will advise you on how long treatment will take. Most of the time, this will include several sessions after your pain has started to go away. But 77% of chiropractic patients say it’s “very effective” for back treatment – so stick with it!
3. Skipping a Full-Body Evaluation
Most clients looking for a chiropractor do so because they’re experiencing pain. Whether this is neck, hip, or back pain – you’ll know where it is.
Even though you know where your pain is, your chiropractor may still recommend a full-body evaluation. But you can feel where your pain is, so why agree to a full-body evaluation?
Because muscles, ligaments, joints, tendons, and nerves are all connected. Pain in your neck can be caused by misalignment of the spine, for example, rather than an issue in the neck. While you may want the chiropractor to jump straight to treating your neck, this would be a waste of time if the root cause is elsewhere.
For efficient and effective treatment, don’t skip an initial full-body evaluation.
4. Choosing the Cheapest Option
Chiropractic treatment is highly skilled work that requires years of study. Therefore, physicians can charge highly for their services.
To avoid this, some clients default to the cheapest practice they can find. But you get what you pay for, even in medical treatments. A cheap chiropractor is cheap for a reason – they don’t deliver the best care.
To get what your body needs, be willing to pay for an experienced chiropractor.
5. Upfront Payments
Chiropractors should take payment at each session. That ensures that if you have to stop for some reason, such as if you move away, you don’t lose any money.
Because this is common practice, asking for upfront course payment is a red flag. They likely aren’t trustworthy. Avoid practices that ask for upfront payment in case they’re a bad business.
6. Not Checking Insurance
Before you commit to a practice or a course of treatment, check your insurance. Make sure you understand your coverage and whether chiropractic care is included.
Just as important is checking that the chiropractor accepts insurance payments. Check the insurance policies on both ends to make sure you’re never surprised by a medical bill.
7. Not Researching the Chiropractor
Before you commit to a chiropractor, there are two areas you should research: reviews and qualifications.
Reviews are one of the fastest ways to get to know a business. Rather than vague positive or negative reviews, look for ones with detailed specifics. For example, find reviews or testimonials that mention:
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Payments
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Customer service
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Long-term effects of treatment
If the majority of reviews rate these areas positively, you’re much more likely to have a good experience.
The second thing to avoid is overlooking qualifications. You don’t have to be a chiropractic expert to figure out if your physician is qualified. In fact, most chiropractors proudly display their qualifications.
If you ask about their qualifications and they can’t provide any, there are two reasons you need to avoid them.
Firstly, you can’t ensure you’ll receive adequate care. Do not trust an unqualified chiropractor with your back pain treatment and recovery.
Further, your insurance likely won’t cover their services. Even if chiropractor treatment is covered by your healthcare plan, that won’t include someone unqualified. Then you’ll end up paying for these sub-par services out of your own pocket.
Find ‘Spine Rehab Near Me’
Now that you know what to look for, you can search “spine rehab near me” with confidence. Better yet, save yourself the time and schedule a consultation with us right now.
Whatever help you need – anything from back injury to accident rehab treatment – Blue Diamond Clinic is the solution. We use a powerful combination of techniques to reset, relax, and realign your body.
Start by scheduling an all-important free consultation. From there, we’ll recommend a course of care customized to your body’s needs. Get in touch with us today to get started!