Back problems, neck, joint or any form of physical pain may tend to be chronic or recurring. Visiting a chiropractor is the best or natural option that will prove to be beneficial to relieving your constant pain. Prior to any visit to a local pharmacy for that temporary over the counter pain medication, you should consider visiting a chiropractor who may help you recover or heal you from such pain. Chiropractors have emerged all over the world and are proving to be useful to chronic pain sufferers, especially those with back, neck and joint issues. Many happy patients have consulted them about back, joint problems, spinal dysfunction among others and found relief.

Chiropractors present non-invasive, non-intimidating and above all, an effective way of addressing all forms of joint problems and chronic pain. Patients around the world have accepted the role of chiropractors in the society and have utilized these treatment techniques to heal specific conditions while others use it for health maintenance purposes. This is usually done by scheduling regular visits depending on the level of the condition over a specific period. This treatment plan is usually termed as maintenance care where the chiropractor aims to prevent recurring of the problem or maintain the patient at the optimal level.  The main question therefore arises, how often should you then take visits to a chiropractor?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU SEE A CHIROPRACTOR FOR MAINTENANCE

Chiropractic care differs from one person to another depending on the severity of the pain or problem. Consulting a chiropractor and then undergoing evaluation will help determine how often you need to be treated to cure the condition you are in or stop the pain or at the very least make it manageable. This will also enable you appreciate benefits of maintenance care as to how it prevents the problem from aggravating or development of new joint, neck or back pain.  Athletes will see a chiropractor regularly to help keep them in the peak of fitness.Initially they will do an assessment of your condition, this is what a typical assessment will look like.

If you are experiencing a severe pain, injury or the underlying problem is identified to be chronic, you will be advised to visit the chiropractor twice or thrice per week. Depending on the development, you can have a new schedule or wean from there. For minor problems, a visit per week will be enough to help you regain your full strength and make movement easier. Since the plan is not a one size fits approach for everybody, it could be once per week, bi-weekly or based on a monthly plan.  That is something you will discuss with your chiropractor after the initial consultation.

Your unique presentation and health goals may also determine how often you need to visit the chiropractor. For you to be fit and achieve optimal health condition, you need to exercise regularly, eat nutritious and well-balanced meals and follow the plan laid by the chiropractor strictly. However, it is up to the chiropractor to assess how your body is responding and take necessary precautions.  Many chiropractors take a holistic approach to health and will discuss other issues with you along with how your pain is affecting you.

The treatment program will also determine the frequency or need to see your chiropractor. Some use physical therapy or advanced 3D spinal decompression to help improve the condition. If you start feeling great midway it is advisable to complete the process because incomplete treatments have been known to worsen the condition. You should look for a chiropractor who uses advanced technology in the treatment process, educated and informative. Going through customer reviews or asking friends, you can learn few things which will help you have a clear understanding of who you are going to deal with. You should not be afraid to ask for documents which will help you determine the validity of the chiropractor.

LENGTH OF TIME INVOLVED.

The treatment process may take a year or more depending on the level of damage, pain combined with how well your body responds to the chiropractic treatment. In the event you do not see improvements within the first few weeks, maybe the treatment is not working for you and you may want to consider other options. You can decide to change the chiropractor who uses different techniques and approach or have an evaluation done by a medical doctor.

BOTTOM LINE
It is up to you to take the first initiative towards relieving your pain and obtaining an optimum health condition. Identify a chiropractor who you can trust and partner with to help you you should also be open to the chiropractor, you should not withhold any information that you see can be helpful.

At the end of the day, you and your chiropractor will decide how often you need treatment or adjustments. When you know how your body is responding to the treatment, you can decide what works best for you.

Chiropractic is a surgery-free treatment for mechanical disorders in the spinal cord. It is a science and a very delicate art. A small lapse in concentration or a mistimed move can leave you crippled for life. While choosing your chiropractor, ensure that he is a trained professional and has a history of performing successful and effective chiropractic practices. Thousands of people in the US complain of aggravated back pain and continued discomfort throughout their lives.

If you or any member of your family and friends happens to have suffered due to a bad chiropractor, it time you took action and report the chiropractor’s work to the concerned authorities for legal actions. You would not want anyone else to suffer due to the same chiropractor. Would you?

How to report a bad chiropractor

Here is how you can report a bad chiropractor and inform concerned authorities to take suitable action:

1. Select The Right Authority

Once you have identified a bad chiropractor and you wish to report him, it is essential to know the right authorities to bring your complaint to. Grumbling on social media or trying to punish the offender yourself can do you more harm than good.  Reporting them to the right authorities can result in their license being suspended or them not being able to practice again, which means they can’t hurt someone else.

If you are in the US, then The Board of Chiropractic-Examiners web portal is the right authority to post your complaint to. Similarly, if you stay in the UK, you need to visit the gcc-uk.org web portal to file your complaint. You need to look out for the designated authorities who can assist you in filing your complaint.

2. Obtain A Complain Form

The first step to report a bad chiropractor is to obtain the complaint form from the website of Board of Chiropractic-Examiners. The link to the website is https://www.chiro.ca.gov/forms_pubs/index.shtml. The board is entrusted the task of ensuring that the licensees abide by the Chiropractic Initiative-Act.

3. Verification Of Complaint By Authorities

After receiving your written complaint, the authorities will verify and systematically investigate facts. Complaints on sexual misconduct, insurance fraud and negligence, are mostly referred immediately for investigation.

The board also prioritizes criminal offences, chiropractors performing unlicensed practices and false/misleading advertising campaigns. However, the board does not have authority to investigate billing and pay disputes.

4. Ensure Your Report Is In Writing

Make sure you produce your complaint in writing and provide as many details, documentary evidence and footages as possible. Your evidences can contain but not limited to patient records, invoices, photographs, contracts, and correspondence.

It is not mandatory to refer to the law that the practitioner has violated but make sure the documents provide a concrete charge sheet against the chiropractor and gives enough ground to the authorities to investigate the allegations. An incomplete or proof-less complaint might take longer investigation time.

5. Receipt Of Complaint

After receiving your complaint, the board will courier a copy of the complaint acknowledging the receipt of your complaint. The complaint report is then internally reviewed by the board officials. In majority of the cases, if you choose to remain anonymous and not reveal your identity, then the board cannot take effective investigation measures and the cases remain pending for longer durations.

Therefore, it is essential that when you report a bad chiropractor, ensure that you include your identity and help the board in effectively fighting bad chiropractic professionals.

6. Investigation Findings And Corresponding Action

When the chiropractor is found to be guilty of your charges and all evidences imply his guilt, then the board takes suitable actions based on the law. Based on the degree of offence, the practitioner’s license can be revoked, he can be imprisoned as well as fined with heavy sanctions, etc.

Minor violations can result in temporary cancelation of license or strict warnings to abide by healthy chiropractic practices.

Chiropractors often save us from complex surgeries and unbearable pain. However, there are a bunch of practitioners who are either not skilled or trained enough to carry out such delicate procedures or are not licensed to provide chiropractic therapy.

In such cases, it is the duty of individuals like you and me to report such cases duly and get rid of these fake practitioners. Your body is a place of worship and it is essential that you guard it against unlicensed and incompetent intruders like a bad chiropractor.

It is also an extended duty on your part to ensure that before carrying out such procedures, you verify the credential and license of the chiropractor. You can also visit or call people who have tried his services and get some feedback on his expertise. It might sound a bit like going too far overboard, but you would not want to live the later parts of your life on a wheelchair. Would you?