5 Tips To Choose The Right Chiropractor For You
Choosing a chiropractor can seem like a puzzling decision to make for many reasons. You may not have a lot of experience with chiropractic care. You may also be faced with several options and find yourself facing decision anxiety. And to make it worse, you also may be in pain and need to make a decision quickly. All of these factors can make your decision on which chiropractor is right for you feel a little overwhelming.
Fortunately, this guide will give you five specific tips that will help you choose a great chiropractor. In this article, we’ll cover:
- Experience
- Client Reviews
- Credentials & Specialization
- Consider Insurance Options
- Customer Service
Read on to find tips you can use to choose a chiropractor today.
Experience Makes a Difference
When it comes to your health and wellness, experience matters.
While other medical professionals may rely on specific tests or medications to treat what ails you, chiropractors have a different way of doing things. Chiropractors look for underlying and root causes to whatever problem or symptom is causing you pain and discomfort. The longer a chiropractor has been in serving clients, the more likely they will be able to tell immediately what is wrong and how to fix it.
Furthermore, chiropractors often make referrals to other medical professionals like primary care physicians after finding related issues through an exam or x-rays. Ensuring your chiropractor is experienced can give you peace of mind about your treatment.
What Do The Clients Say?
A great way to decide if a chiropractor is right for you is to look at reviews, testimonials and social media comments. As you are no doubt aware, people on the internet can be brutally honest. In this instance, that works to your favor.
When looking over reviews, key in on the client experience, the treatment process, the results and the professionalism of the chiropractor.
In many cases, chiropractors will offer testimonials so you can see and hear exactly how the treatment worked, the timeline of treatment and, of course, the results of that treatment. Testimonials are especially helpful because they go deeper than the reviews and you might even be able to relate with similar symptoms or challenges. You can find testimonials on websites, social media or even YouTube.
Chiropractic Credentials
Chiropractors have extensive education, testing, licensing and continuing education requirements. What sets chiropractors apart, then, can be their specialization and experience.
For example, Dr. Llaird Likens has been practicing over 21 years and has over 800 postgraduate hours of continued education. He has credentials and certifications in areas including acupuncture, applied kinesiology, clinical nutrition, personal, work and auto injuries. Dr. Likens uses manual spinal manipulation as well as trigger point therapy and instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy, using them based on patient need.
Most chiropractors will happily present their education and certifications when asked, though you might be able to find the information easily on their website. Ensuring the chiropractor you choose has the proper credentials and specialization that you require is a great step to take before making an appointment.
Chiropractor Insurance Options
Chiropractic self-pay has grown steadily as insurance has gotten more complicated and patients have realized the benefit chiropractic care can have on their overall health. However, there are many instances when insurance is the best option to pay for chiropractic care.
For example, if you’ve been in an auto-accident, you might have insurance that can cover your chiropractic care. Likewise, if you’ve been in a work-related accident, you can often receive chiropractic care through your benefits. In fact, Dr. Likens has extensive experience rendering impairment ratings which represent the degree to which an employee has been permanently impaired by an injury in the workplace.
The Veterans Administration (VA) also provides insurance for chiropractic care, acupuncture and massage.
Be sure to check with any potential chiropractor before making your appointment to see if they participate with your insurance provider. Dr. Likens accepts many insurance options and is proudly a VA Community Care provider.
Customer Service Matters
When you’re already in pain, you certainly don’t want to have to deal with poor customer service. Before you book your appointment, you might consider researching both the chiropractor and their staff to see if they are friendly, courteous and professional.
One way to do this is to see what the experience is during an initial phone call or interview. Reading reviews may also provide insight into the customer service process. You may also be able to tell how a particular practice deals with clients if they have a web or social media presence.
For example, read over this review on Google from Devonne for the Navarre Chiropractic Center:
“This is by far the absolute best chiropractor office!! The entire staff is wonderful! They are so friendly and accommodating. You will not find any other chiropractor in this area that compares to them! The doctors are excellent, professional and caring. I feel like I’ve known them for years! Thank you all for your kindness and care for us!”
Choosing the right chiropractor can make or break your healing process. With the right doctor, you’ll feel at ease and find relief quickly. Be sure to look into the experience, credentials, reviews, insurance options and customer service of any potential chiropractor you’re thinking of booking an appointment with.
Dr. Llaird Likens has been serving Northwest Florida including Gulf Breeze, Navarre, Midway, Mary Esther for 21 years and has helped hundreds of victims of car accidents. He offers affordable self-pay options. If you’re in pain or looking to improve your health, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to answer your questions!