There are a lot of different styles of chiropractors in Danville and a lot of different business practices of chiropractors. There are chiropractors that go visit by visit, and there are chiropractors that sell big care plans. There are holistic practitioners, and there are chiropractors that focus on pain relief. In this blog post, I want to talk a little about care plans, and why I don’t use them.
A lot of chiropractors use “care plans” for their practice model. Typical care plans look like this:
“I’m going to see you 5X a week for 2 weeks, then 3X a week for 2 months, followed by 1X a week for the next 6 months.”
They tell you this because they are trying to make structural changes in your spine, and they feel that consistency is at the heart of making those changes.
I just don’t buy it. I see too many patients that come from chiropractors that have been treating them for years on a weekly basis, and they still have tight muscles, joint degeneration, and other musculo-skeletal problems.
You see, I don’t think that consistent chiropractic care is going to be fantastic insurance against injuries or degeneration. I think it’s WONDERFUL for helping people with acute injuries feel better. Often times we can seem like miracle workers, helping injuries that have been present for years be resolved in a matter of a couple visits.
However, I feel like signing everyone up for a plan leads towards over-treatment. I often can improve conditions like plantar’s fasciitis, neck and back pain, headaches, or wrist pain in two weeks. If I sold a 1 year program, I feel like it leads my patient to just end up with buyer’s remorse, and puts me in a position that I have to convince the patient that it’s still beneficial for them to return.
I would rather see 100 people 4 or five times than see 4 or 5 people 100 times. Help more people, and let other people not be dependent on going to the doctor once a week to feel a little better.