Innova Pain Clinic
Southern Utah Chiropractor
Back pain affects about 90% of the population. Some of us will be lucky and have only a mild case. Others will endure weeks or months of sleepless nights and quality ice-pack time. When it is your time to have a back ache, a chiropractic clinic is the first place to stop. We all know that. But the real question is “Who do I see?” There are about 45-50 southern Utah chiropractic offices. With that many doctors, it can be a challenge to select the right one for your case. Here are a few pointers on choosing your southern Utah chiropractor.
How long has he been in practice?
If the doctor you are considering is fresh out of school, there may be a slight disadvantage in the real-life experience category. Similarly, if the guy has been practicing the same way for 50 years, is he keeping up on the latest research or is he coasting his way into retirement?
Is the office easy to get to?
This is actually really important. If you are suffering from severe lower back pain, and you can barely drive yourself to the office, do you really want to climb stairs or stand waiting in an elevator? Is the parking convenient? You will probably be visiting your southern utah chiropractor several times over the next few weeks. I hope traffic and parking are favorable and easy to navigate.
What types of treatments are available?
Some doctors use very specific techniques and they might not be the best fit for your condition. Remember, we are talking about the best, most efficient choice. You are in pain, and need the safest, fastest road to full recovery. For example, if you are suffering from a L5 spondylolisthesis pain (which is the 24th bone in the spine), seeing a chiropractor who specializes in the upper cervical (the very first bone in the spine) may not be the most efficient choice. Sure, the chiropractor can help, but will he be the best choice? Likewise, if you have headache or migraines, seeing a chiropractor who focuses on extremities and sport injury may not be the best choice.
There are lots of different methods to provide manipulation as well. Does the chiropractor use Activator, Diversified, Gonstead, Pro-adjuster, Logan-basic, Thompson Terminal Point…… and the list goes on.
Does the chiropractor have x-ray or does he have to refer out for x-ray?
Getting prompt, accurate diagnosis is critical to a speedy recovery. You don’t want your chiropractor taking a week to ‘test out’ a theory only to find out he was taking the wrong path and working on the wrong diagnosis. X-rays are an important part of the diagnostic picture. In addition to a careful health history, complete examination and physical, x-rays can help rule-in or rule-out diseases. This puts your chiropractor on the right path, which saves you time and lots of money. If your chiropractor does not have on-site x-ray, does he have to send you out for them, or does he just skip them altogether?
What types of conditions does this chiropractor like to treat?
Just as some chiropractors have special adjusting techniques, there are some favorite conditions that each likes to treat. As as example, if we line up the St George chiropractors, we will find some that promote themselves as:
- Diet specialists and they provide HCG drops
- Cardiovascular and brain wave specialists
- Allergy Eliminators
- Spinal Decompressionists
- Whiplash specialists
- Chiropractic acupuncturists
- Maternal and Perinatal Health, focusing on the changes that occur to a woman’s body during pregnancy.
There is nothing wrong with niche marketing and specializing. There is great benefit for the consumer because niche practices maintain education and expertise in the field. (No one can know every thing about everything.) Medical doctors practice specialties all the time. Just be aware of this when you select your chiropractor. If you want your chiropractor to manage your weight-loss and nutrition goals, do you want to see the guy who has one patient a month in that camp or the guy that does it all day every day?
I would say that the majority of the St George and southern Utah chiropractors are generalists, not specialists.
What are others saying about him?
This is a really important aspect. Do a search on several consumer review websites and read the real reviews from people who have seen the doctor. A couple of good review sites are Google Places, and Yelp. The only downside is a new doctor to the area may not have had much time to build up a loyal patient base and might have fewer reviews that someone who has been in town for 15 years. By the same token, if you are considering a chiropractor that has been in town for 15 years and he does not have a single positive review on either review site, that raises a question.
Do a symptom search on Google or Yahoo to locate a chiropractor who specializes in your complaint.
Google does a good job indexing chiropractor websites. If you are suffering from sciatica, search for “sciatica St George.” If you are a runner and are experiencing Runners Knee pain, then search Google for “runners knee St George.” If the doctor has some experience or expertise in the symptom or condition, he will show up in the top 5 or 6. This technique can save you time as you sift through the various southern Utah chiropractors.
Read their blogs on their webpages.
This is valuable in learning about what interests your new chiropractor. If his website blogs are full of posts about vegan diets and gall bladder disease, that should clue you into his mindset. If you are like-minded, then you stand a better chance of recovery. If the chiropractor’s blog is quoting research articles and newly published reports, then that tells you that he is interested in the latest scientific research, is objective and results oriented.
Is the chiropractor on your insurance plan?
This is last on the list because I feel that it is the least important. It hardly matters these days. Many insurance companies have high deductible plans or huge copayments and the patient ends up paying out of pocket for the care anyway. But there are some people who are lucky enough to have nice insurance which can help cover some of the expenses.
If I had to pay full-price for an out of network chiropractor that I really liked, I’d do it. I’d rather have that positive experience than pay a lesser amount to a chiropractor who was not a good fit.
Sum it up.
Again, this post is about sorting through the many chiropractors in the area to find one which will be the best fit for you. One of my biggest concerns about my profession is that a person with limited or no chiropractic experience goes to the wrong type of chiropractor and has a less-than favorable encounter then judges the rest of the profession by that singular example.
Dr. Andrew White | St George Chiropractor
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici and freedigitalphotos.net