How to Choose a Chiropractor
Like choosing any medical professional for your healthcare, finding a Doctor of Chiropractic that you
are comfortable with to address your concerns is key to your overall health and wellness.
How do you begin this decision-making process? Great sources include friends and family members
who have had positive experiences with their chiropractor, and direct referrals from other healthcare
practitioners.
More and more physicians are working in tandem with chiropractors for an integrated medical
approach. Last year, John Hopkins Medical School added integrative medicine, combining traditional
Western medicine and holistic medical treatments, to its curriculum and offerings at its clinic and
hospital.
Internet research is another helpful resource to find a good chiropractor. The Iowa Chiropractic
Society’s new Web site (www.IWantHealthySpine.com) has a “find a chiropractor” tool that allows
you to find chiropractors in your area with a simple zip code search.
Web sites also are good tools to determine that your chiropractor graduated from a school accredited
by the Council on Chiropractic Education (www.cce-usa.org) and is board-certified and licensed to
practice in Iowa (www.LicensedInIowa.gov).
After you select your chiropractor, he or she will perform diagnostic procedures, such as a physical
exam, to evaluate your condition. And in the case of a recent traumatic injury and a few other
circumstances, x-rays are used to determine diagnosis and treatment plan. However, a reputable
chiropractor will x-ray only patients who require it.
A reduction of normal joint motion is a common reason for many musculoskeletal problems.
Chiropractors take a conservative and holistic approach to healthcare, utilizing non-drug and
nonsurgical procedures to address your problems. Most chiropractors address these problems with
spinal manipulation, a wonderful noninvasive procedure when performed by a skilled doctor of
chiropractic.
A good chiropractor will evaluate your condition and inform you on your progress at each visit, and
will work hard to get you out of the office and functioning independently as quickly as possible.
If your practitioner suggests something like a three-year treatment plan, after your first visit, or a
special technique that no other chiropractor can use, take it as a warning sign and seek out another
chiropractor. As with any healthcare decision, remember if it sounds too good to be true—it probably
is.
Iowa is blessed to have hundreds of highly qualified, well-trained chiropractors who can get you
feeling better soon and help you prevent future problems by teaching you healthy living habits.