A chiropractor's guide to finding a good chiropractor

So I commonly get approached by other chiropractors in my practice to network, learn, or to get adjusted. I am always happy to meet, share, and adjust them, but I am picky as to who I would refer a patient to. My patients are like my family so I am protective of them and want them to someone who holds themselves to as high of a standard as I do. This got me to thinking about what I consider to be a good chiropractor, as one myself. Here are my thoughts.

Firstly, I want to preface with saying how much I love and respect my profession and my colleagues. Every chiropractor I have come across genuinely has a heart to serve and wants to help the people they encounter. We have gone through rigorous training through our doctorate degree and 4 part board exams to attain licensure, and have 24 continuing education seminar hours we need to take annually for maintenance of our licensure. That's the bare minimum! There are other various certifications and higher degrees that we can take that demonstrate higher mastery in certain disciplines like x ray, techniques, and sciences. But credentials and service alone does not a good chiropractor make, in my opinion. I think it is what makes chiropractic an independent health discipline, definitely. But within the chiropractic profession there are still distinctions that are what separates the average from the creme de la creme. Again, this is all my own opinion, so take it with a grain of salt!

In thinking about this, I entertained some archetypes of chiropractors. Indulge me as I have a little fun playing with my own profession!

• The Hippiepractor - the chiropractor who is all about energy, go solely off of feeling in their hands, often surrounded with crystals, healing sounds, aromatherapy, and practice barefoot

• The Medi-practor - the chiropractor who seeks to diagnose and treat, uses all the lab testing (blood, urine, stool, saliva) and emphasizes supplements and nutrition to improve the numbers, often wears lab coat and favorite place is their personal office

• The Mechanipractor - the chiropractor who focuses solely on motion, manipulates any and all areas that they feel is fixated, big on exercise and physical therapy, they themselves are 0.5% body fat and wear fitted activewear to work

• The Technipractor - the chiropractor who overanalyzes everything from x ray to history to habits, asks a million questions, talks to themselves, takes double the time to figure out how and what to adjust, office is either super organized or super unorganized

• The Joe Everypractor - the chiropractor who is a patient pleaser, tries all the things to get a positive reaction from patient, just wants patient to feel good, has all the modalities (e-stim, ultrasound, massage, etc)

Honestly, I can see each one of these made up archetypes getting people better. That being said again within each archetype, there are better and less-good representatives. So diving a level deeper, what would set them apart to someone I would refer to vs. someone I wouldn't? It all comes down to congruency and grit.

I have come across many chiropractors through the years, and I think in order to be a good chiropractor they have to have congruency and practice what they preach. That means following their own recommendations, adjusting with as much care as they would want to be adjusted, do the homework that they ask you to do, and use the products and supplements they want you to use. I also think that congruency in what they say and what they do matters a lot too. I will sometimes hear a chiropractor say one thing and then do another. I will hear "adjust for nervous system and improve adaptation," and "be specific and objective," and then see them barely assess and perform broad general adjustments. If the philosophy and science doesn't match the application, I can't in good conscious refer a precious patient.

Although I am super partial and biased towards Gonstead practitioners, there are plenty of chiropractors who don't do Gonstead that I highly respect and would refer to. Conversely, there are a few chiropractors who practice Gonstead that I wouldn't refer to. I've thought about this a lot, and I think the biggest thing is the focus and drive to be better at what you do. So many doctors become complacent with time, and that is one of my biggest pet peeves. I can't stand doctors (or people) who either think they have mastered a technique/know it all, or who are content to stay at the level that they are because it's "good enough." I think the former's arrogance and ego blocks them from quality patient care, and the latter is a waste of potential talent. I would not refer to these chiropractors, regardless of technique or years in practice.

My mentors are people who continually get better with time. I am amazed at seminars when the doctors I learn with are the doctors I learn from. Those are the ones who inspire me, who I want to pick the brains of, who I want to emulate, and who I would enthusiastically refer to. They have a thirst for excellence- in their application of technique, in their analysis, in their communication, in their empathy- all to help the patient in front of them heal and function at their highest level. I just happen to think that the Gonstead technique attracts a lot of chiropractors who display congruency and grit by nature of it's difficulty and how involved both the analysis and the corrective adjustment are to apply. There are just so many things to consider, including the individuality of the person being adjusted, that those who truly practice the Gonstead technique are able to get results that are kinda miraculous.

In the end, there are people who do a technique poorly, and those who don't employ a single technique but take great consideration when caring for a patient. Just like any other profession out there, there are good ones, average ones, and... other ones. So if you are looking for a great chiropractor, regardless of technique, any archetype that resonates with you would be a good fit. As long as they are knowledgeable, practice what they preach, are congruent in their application, and continually hone their skills. Congruency and Grit. Working to help you. What more could you want in a chiropractor?