They Conduct a Thorough Exam & Health History
A thorough health history of the patient is the very first thing we do. Next comes a head to toe exam, complete with an analysis of posture and range of motion, and then neurological tests, orthopedic tests, blood pressure, and SO much more (if clinically necessary). Diagnostic imagining is not always essential, but is ordered, if necessary.
All too often we have patients that come in our office who have been to other chiropractors who spent 3 minutes with them…you can imagine how they didn’t have the best treatment or results at those offices.
The body is so, so complex. How can we possibly reach an adequate conclusion after just talking to you for three minutes? Your back pain could be something totally and completely different from the back pain of someone before you with the same superficial (and verbally reported) symptoms. So much more time and investigation is necessary in order to understand what’s really going on.
They Continue To Learn
All physicians are required to take Continuing Education classes in order to maintain their state licensure, which makes sense since medicine and our knowledge and understanding of the body is continuously evolving. You can think of this as our state mandated homework.
With that said, wouldn’t you rather go to a doctor that goes above and beyond? That gets excited to learn and expand their skill set and knowledge? Someone that is open minded and open to new ideas and ways of doing things? Healthcare is forever changing and evolving, so you want to see a doctor that is evolving alongside it, not practicing what they learned back in the stone age.
In summary, if this is our state mandated homework, don’t go to the kid who Googled all his answers.
They Take into Account What You Do at Home
In our office, we address work ergonomics, sleeping posture, water intake, and SO much more, just on the first visit! These things are important for conducting an adequate patient intake and history, because it all factors into the way your body is being used on a daily basis. By not asking you, we’re opening up the door for you not to tell us. Through no fault of your own (before I became a chiropractor, you best believe I wasn’t discussing my sleeping positions), how can you know what you don’t know? As the professional, it’s OUR job to determine what is important for us to do our jobs, and ask plenty of thorough questions so that we have a complete picture of what’s going on.
We don’t stop at just asking questions in order to help us reach a diagnosis, we also give you homework (sorry, not sorry). This consists of anything from stretches to breathing exercises and exercise tips (both what to do and NOT to do) depending on what’s appropriate for your situation.
A doctor who ignores what you do outside their four walls, is a doctor whose four walls you should never return to, just saying.
They Make You Feel Like You're Their Only Patient
In our clinic, each treatment is 20-30 minutes in a one-on-one setting, thus giving us enough time and privacy to address the patient’s concerns and treat them. This also gives us enough time to LISTEN to them-and I mean really listen. Doctors often need to read between the lines. I repeat; how can you know what you don’t know?
As doctors we need to make a lot of inferences and engage in critical thinking, listening to our patients and their concerns is SO important to this process! How can we understand what’s going on if we don’t take the time to listen because we’re in a rush to get someone out the door as quickly as possible?
Their Staff is Friendly and Makes You Feel Comfortable
This one may not be something having directly to do with the chiropractor themselves, however a kind and friendly staff is essential.The experience on the phone and scheduling treatment should be efficient and positive, not another stressor in your life.
Additionally, a good chiropractor knows that their staff is often the first contact and impression that a patient will have with their offices, and therefore is a direct reflection of them. A patient may very well have already formed an opinion of the clinic before ever meeting with them, so it’s important that it be a good one.
A good chiropractor will thoughtfully hire quality candidates that make your experience pleasant from start to finish.
At our clinic, we pride ourselves on our standard of care. In other words, we practice what we preach. We never want to make you feel like a McDonald’s hamburger! We want to make you feel like a carefully marinated steak. I’ll stop there…you get the picture.
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