As a Chiropractic student, I have found one of the greatest challenges I face is overcoming a popular misconception of Chiropractic as bone-crunchers and back-crackers. I addressed some of these misconceptions in my 3-part series called “What is Chiropractic?” (part 1, part 2, part 3). I have also, because I’m a student, been asked on numerous occasions how to find a good Chiropractor. It’s a tricky question to answer, in part because everyone has different ideas about what they want a Chiropractor for.

If you’re looking for a Chiropractor, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What am I looking for?
  • Symptom relief?
  • Ongoing health care?
  • Wellness support?
• What specific goals am I hoping to achieve working with this Chiropractor?
  • Greater flexibility and ease of movement?
  • Increased feelings of centered tranquility?
  • Higher athletic performance?
• How important to me is a personal connection and relationship with my Chiropractor?

Here are some ideas for things to talk to your prospective Chiropractor about before beginning care:

• Make sure your they talk about the nerves or the nervous system. The bones are levers for keeping the nervous system functioning well - obstructions in bony movement imply disruptions, impingements, and interference to the nervous system, but aren’t the targets in and of themselves.
  • If what you need is just a stuck bone to be rehabilitated and mobilized, a Chiropractor is trained to help, but that’s not the real Art or heart of the work.
  • Listen for signs that the bony fixation is the most important thing to the doctor you’re talking to, they may have gotten distracted by the medical model of symptom relief and forgotten the big picture!
• Ask your potential Chiropractor what about the work really excites them. If they don’t speak with passion and enthusiasm about something that gets your attention and makes you excited too, then they’re probably not a good doctor for you.
• Ask if they do regular health talks or patient education programs. These programs should be free, occur regularly, and should be focused on explaining the how and why of Chiropractic to new patients. If they do offer health talks, try to attend one before beginning care. If they don’t, ask them what they do for patient education. If they look at you blankly, smile and find someone else!
• Trust your instincts! If you don’t feel like you want to spend more than 20 minutes with this person if you don’t have to, don’t work with them - you need to feel fully safe, supported, and secure with your Chiropractor in order to grow, heal, and progress.

While no set of recommendations like this could ever be complete or speak to everyone, I hope this article can give you someplace to start when looking for a Chiropractor.