Chiropractors are very popular for pain relief treatments, with an estimated 6% to 12% of
the U.S. population seeking chiropractic care each year, according to a study. Given the
current U.S. population of around more than 306 million people, that could mean
anywhere from 18 million to 36 million people are seeking chiropractic help.

Because chiropractic profession comes with a large variety of practice philosophies and
techniques, selecting your chiropractor can be a great challenge.

When choosing a chiropractor, the best place to start is to ask your primary care
physician or spine specialist for his recommendations. Also get some
recommendations from your friends and family. If multiple resources recommend the
same chiropractor, chances are good that the chiropractor is reliable.

Before starting treatment with a chiropractor, it is usually best to conduct a telephone
interview or request an office consultation to find out more about how the chiropractor
practices. There are many different techniques for treating a person. Some chiropractors
adjust with their hands, while others use various instruments. Some of them adjust
deeply and strongly, while others have a lighter touch.

Below are a few questions that you can ask to the chiropractor

Which techniques do you use and why?
Do you use your hands or an instrument for the chiropractic manipulation?
do you employ deeper, joint-popping adjustment or a low-force, adjustment?
How much experience do you have treating similar types of problems that I have? The
more the relevant experience the better.
Depending on the nature and extent of the specific back problem, a few visits to the
chiropractor should help the patient feel noticeably better. Within one to four weeks of a
chiropractic program of treatment, the pain for non-complex conditions should typically
be reduced by 40 to 80%, and the frequency of visits to the doctor of chiropractic should
decrease as the patient's pain and function improve.

Below are a few Questions to ask about the specific chiropractic treatment :

What is the chiropractor's typical practice pattern or treatment program?
What services does the chiropractor offer? Massage, exercise instruction, rehabilitation
and strength training, and nutritional counseling are some of the additional services that
some Chiropractors offer.
What is the chiropractor's recommendation if the chiropractic program doesn't seem to
help? A good chiropractor will recommend that the patient consult another practitioner.
It is advisable for patients to avoid practitioners who tend to find the same thing wrong
with every patient and treat every patient identically. Be cautious if a chiropractor
recommends a lengthy (e.g. a 3, 6, or 12-month) chiropractic program after just one or
two consultations.

If you are not getting relief after the first 4 to 8 weeks, the chiropractor should consider
one of the following:

Change the treatment approach for an additional 2 to 4 week trial period
Co-manage the patient with other healthcare providers
Refer to another practitioner - either another chiropractor or another type of spine
specialist for further evaluation and treatment.

chiropractors undergo a four-year degree program, and most states now require an
undergraduate bachelor's degree in science prior to admission to a chiropractic
university.

The first two years of chiropractic education at chiropractic university, are focused on
coursework in the basic sciences, after which training focuses on diagnosis-related
courses.In addition to this chiropractic education, some chiropractors also pursue post-
graduate diplomat programs in various specialties, such as orthopedics, sports
medicine, rehabilitation, neurology, nutrition and other disciplines.

Access Health Care Chiropractors must be licensed to practice in their state, and need to have completed the
National Board examinations following their chiropractic education. There are 3 Parts of
the Exam. Part 3 is only necessary if the chiropractor plans to use physiological
therapeutics in practice.

Questions to ask your chiropractor regarding their education and training are below:

From which chiropractic school did you graduate?
Do you have a bachelor's degree?
Where did you complete undergraduate?
How many years have you been in practice?
Do you have a post-graduate specialty?

Selecting any health care professional for treatment is something that should be done
with care. Do not feel compelled to be treated by the first chiropractic doctor interviewed -
many people interview several chiropractors before finding one best suited to treat their
condition.