There are a plethora of fantastic chiropractors out there. There are also some not-so-good ones. The same goes for physical therapists, doctors, etc. However, medical professionals should be held to a higher standard than those in other professions. Your physical health is perhaps the most important thing. As the proverb goes, “A healthy man has a thousand wishes, a sick man has but one.”
That being said, here are the things to watch out for when receiving treatments from a chiropractor, or any other healthcare professional.
They Don’t Take a Thorough Medical History
As a medical provider, taking a thorough medical history is an important first step when working with a client. Before the first session, the provider should review your medical information to gain an understanding of your overall health picture. This provides a snapshot of where the person’s health lies. If the provider doesn’t have some of your information or you get the sense that they have not prepared for your appointment, that usually means they didn’t view your medical history in detail, if at all.
The first session should consist of a thorough evaluation of the body’s systems. This includes the musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiopulmonary systems as needed. This is important because some treatments are contraindicated for people with certain existing health conditions. For example, if you have an underlying vascular condition or osteoporosis, manipulations (aka adjustments) should not be performed.
Taking an in-depth look at your body’s systems also helps guide the treatment session. If, for example, you show weakness with extending your knee, then the treatment plan should involve some sort of leg strengthening exercises.
They Don’t Seek Consent and Outline the Risks and Benefits of a Treatment
A medical provider should always seek consent before treatments. Importantly, this should be done in a non-threatening, or non-salesy way. A medical professional is in a position of authority over their patient or client. Because of this, people receiving treatments can feel pressured to agree to certain interventions, even if they are not fully on board. If you feel uneasy about a proposed intervention, make your feelings known and either gather more information about the treatment or inform the practitioner that you are not interested.
The provider should always outline the risks and benefits of a treatment. Before you let someone crack your neck with a high-velocity manipulation, they should outline the risks and benefits of this intervention. In this example, you may gain some range of motion and experience a short-term relief in symptoms. But every year, someone who goes to the chiropractor ends up going to the hospital because of a vertebral artery dissection (VAD). This is an artery in the neck that is in a compromised position during certain neck movements. Importantly, recent studies show that many people experiencing VAD go to a medical professional because of head or neck pain, which are symptoms associated with VAD. Point being, that many of these vascular injuries are not actually caused by the provider, but the provider is the first person seeing them while they are in the midst of an arterial bleed. This highlights the importance of a thorough screen before letting someone put their hands on you.
They Rely on Passive Treatment
Picture this: you have back pain, so you go see a chiropractor. At your first appointment, they do some manipulations, add in some red light therapy, and apply a hot pack to your lower back. Afterwards, your back feels great. You can’t believe how good your back feels. When you get up from the treatment table and your feet hit the floor, you move around the room with a springiness that you forgot existed. On the way out the door, the provider says to come back in two days, because you are going to need another adjustment.
How do they know that you are going to feel stiff in two days?
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Because they told you that you will
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They didn’t give you any exercises or stretches to keep your back feeling good on your own
You see the chiropractor for 1 hour and rely on passive treatments. The other 23 hours per day, you change nothing. Not your diet, activity level, sleep, or stress levels. In this situation, there is an inherent reliance created on the medical provider to “fix” you and “put your spine back into place.” This language is damaging and should not be used by medical professionals. The spine is incredibly strong and robust; it does not “go out of place” in the average adult with back pain.
Passive treatments have a time and a place. When someone is in severe pain, and the person is just beginning to start with a new provider, some hands-on work can provide some pain relief and build a therapeutic alliance. After the first couple of appointments, however, the treatment should shift to more active interventions; exercises, stretches, and education on changing lifestyle habits are great examples of this.
The goal of healthcare should be not to use it and promote autonomy. If your provider is not giving you the tools you need to succeed outside of the treatment room or gym, you should consider shopping around.
People should be allowed to spend their money on whatever they want. If you enjoy seeing someone because you like a treatment they perform, by all means, go for it. It becomes an issue when false promises are made, or you are being sold a package of visits while they plant an idea in your head that they are the only one that can fix you. In fact the only one that can make long-term changes in your health is you, and that should be an empowering fact.
Conclusion
Now that you know of different things to look out for when choosing a medical professional to work with, you are more equipped to be an advocate for your own health and make sure you are being treated effectively.
To recap:
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Make sure your provider has access to or is willing to listen to you explain your medical history so they can pick treatments that are safe and effective
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Make sure the provider seeks consent and outlines the risks and benefits associated with your different treatment options
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Make sure the provider doesn’t solely rely on passive treatments. They should be promoting autonomy in managing your condition so that you can be as independent as possible, as soon as possible in managing your condition
Until next time!