Chiropractor near me: how to find a good one

What a chiropractor does

Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession. Treatment usually centers on hands-on spinal manipulation (an "adjustment"), and may include soft tissue work, exercise and nutrition advice. In 2022, 11% of U.S. adults saw a chiropractor, most of them for pain.

To practice, a chiropractor must earn a D.C. degree (a program of about 4 years, after at least 3 years of college), pass national board exams and hold a state license. Scope of practice varies by state.

How to find a good chiropractor

1. Ask your doctor or physical therapist for names, and check your insurer's directory to stay in network.
2. Verify the license on your state's chiropractic board site, including any discipline.
3. Call first. Ask the cash price, whether they take your plan, and what a typical course of care looks like for your problem.
4. Judge the first visit. It should include a real history and exam.

What to expect at the first visit

MedlinePlus describes a first visit of 30 to 60 minutes. The chiropractor asks about your goals, health history, medicines, sleep, exercise and stress, then checks how your spine moves and may check blood pressure or order X-rays. Tell them about any numbness, tingling or weakness.

Care usually means several sessions over a few weeks, often 2 or 3 short sessions a week at first, then weekly as you improve. Progress should be measured against the goals set at the first visit. Mild soreness or stiffness for a day or so is common; the adjustment itself shouldn't hurt.

Red flags and who should avoid adjustments

• No history or exam before the first adjustment.
• A long treatment plan or prepaid package with no goals or progress checks.
• Pressure to keep coming once you've met your goals.
• Advice to stop medical care or prescribed medicines.

MedlinePlus says manipulation should be avoided in areas with fractures, bone tumors, severe arthritis, bone or joint infection, severe osteoporosis, or a severely pinched nerve with arm or leg weakness or numbness. Neck manipulation can, rarely, injure an artery in the neck and lead to a stroke, so share your full history.

See a clinician promptly, not a chiropractor or massage therapist first, for back or neck pain with numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, loss of bladder or bowel control, fever, unexplained weight loss, a history of cancer, or pain after a fall or accident.

How Gabriel helps

Gabriel finds and books root-cause and holistic practitioners, including naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, functional medicine doctors and massage therapists, and files superbills for out-of-network reimbursement. Learn more about chiropractic care, what a chiropractor costs, or whether a chiropractor or massage fits your problem.