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Chiropractor and Back Pain
Specialists
How to Pick a Chiropractor:
10 Questions to Ask Before Choosing A
Chiropractor or Other Back Pain Specialist
Hello. This Consumer Awareness Booklet is brought
to you by the offices of Dr. Barry L. Marks, Chiropractor. The purpose
of this guide is to help you choose the right Chiropractor and Back Pain
Specialists for you by arming you with 10 important questions you should
ask any chiropractic or back pain specialist office BEFORE agreeing to
care.
We are sharing insider secrets with you that some Doctors of
Chiropractic may not want you to know. So let’s begin…
Chiropractic has never been more popular: A recent CNBC poll asked
“Would you seek the care of a doctor of chiropractic for your low back
pain?” and 20% said no, 8% were undecided, and a whopping 72% of the
2,584 respondents said “Yes!” People who see chiropractors are seeking
relief from not only low back pain…but for carpal tunnel syndrome, neck
pain, headaches, as well as for work and auto related injuries…without
the use of dangerous drugs, sedatives, or surgery!
Across the country, the number of chiropractic visits per capita has
doubled in the past 20 years. Today, doctors of chiropractic must
complete a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program or equivalent at an
accredited college or university then complete 4 years of study at an
accredited professional college of chiropractic. After receiving the
D.C. (doctor of chiropractic) degree, they must pass national board
examinations to obtain a license. To maintain their license, the doctors
are required to complete a specified number of hours of continuing
education each year.
So if you are experiencing back pain, neck pain, headaches, carpal
tunnel syndrome, or have been involved in an auto or work related
injury…then a doctor of chiropractic may be the right choice for you!
But Before You Are Convinced That Any Chiropractor and Back Pain
Specialists Can Help You, You Must Be Aware That Not All Chiropractors
Are The Same, And Choosing The Wrong Chiropractor Could Be A Big
Mistake!
In a moment, you will discover 10 questions you must know before
choosing any Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists. But first, let’s
review what most Chiropractors do so you know why this form of care is
so popular and effective!
Doctors of chiropractic relieve pain, and restore proper motion and
function of the body by relieving pressure on muscles, joints and
nerves. They can relieve so much pain, and solve so many health problems
that will not likely get better using traditional methods from medical
doctors. If you have any chronic back or neck pain, for example…you
probably know that taking drugs only masks the symptoms temporarily and
does nothing to actually correct the cause of the pain. And, you
certainly know that surgery can be very dangerous, and often times
ineffective method to relieve your pain as well.
There are literally countless examples of patients who could not get
better with traditional methods…yet found quick and long lasting relief
from chiropractic adjustments that required no drugs, and no surgery!
So what should you ask a Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists BEFORE
agreeing to care? Let’s review these issues now:
Prior to care, a Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists should ask
detailed questions about your past and present health, do a complete
physical exam, and order x-rays or other tests when necessary.
He or she should analyze your posture and carefully examine your spinal
column while you stand, sit and walk, and then check the range of motion
of various joints. Then he or she will come up with a diagnosis and a
Recommended Action Plan. So for starters…
Do NOT agree to care from any Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists
that does not first provide you with a written explanation of:
1. What is causing or contributing to your problem,
2. An estimate of the costs involved, and
3. A Recommended Action Plan that details what specific care is
needed…and why.
Unfortunately, there are a large number of doctors, including
Chiropractors who treat every patient pretty much the same, regardless
of their condition.
As you would expect, there’s a lot the doctor must know before you can
decide what care is best for you, in your specific situation. He or she
will want to know if your problem is caused, or aggravated by anything
more serious, such as a broken bone, disc disease, osteoporosis,
osteoarthritis, a tumor or an infection? Or…is it a simple problem that
can be resolved within a reasonable period of time? A competent
Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists will be thorough in their
questions and examination.
Here’s what you should know, and the 10 questions you must ask before
choosing a Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists:
1. "What techniques do you practice?" – The correct answer is: It
depends on what is wrong with you. Some chiropractors are only
proficient in only one technique. The problem with this is that not
every condition that chiropractic care can help responds to just one
technique. You need to know that there are many wonderful chiropractic
techniques that can be used to successfully treat, and relieve your
condition. For example, I have training in 8 different techniques, and
use them all depending on the patient’s specific condition. I have many
natural ways to relieve my patients’ pain…and restore their optimal
range of motion, flexibility, and function!
2. “Do you take x-rays when necessary?” – Be sure to seek a Chiropractor
and Back Pain Specialists who takes x-rays to rule out fracture or a
gross pathology (English translation – some other serious problem) as
indicated by the consultation, health history and exam. Caring for a
patient without x-rays is like flying in the dark without radar.
Unfortunately, there are some life and death conditions that can first
express themselves with back, neck, or bone pain. X-rays also help me
determine the health of your joints and discs, an estimate of how long
it will take to get you better, as well as what specific chiropractic
techniques will likely do the most good for you. If the Chiropractor and
Back Pain Specialists you’re consulting doesn’t take x-rays before
recommending treatment, you should consider talking to another doctor.
3. “Will you give me your recommendations in writing?” – This is very
important. This allows you to go home and think about it before making a
decision. Plus, it gives you an explanation up front of what the care
will consist of, how long it will last, and how much it will cost.
4. “Can you furnish me with references?” - Ask for five references.
Three of these references should be current patients, and the other two
should be other health care professionals like an orthopedic doctor, and
a medical doctor. There are three reasons for getting patient and
professional references. First, any person in practice should have at
least three satisfied patients they can provide you with. Secondly, if a
chiropractic doctor cannot produce two other professionals that will
attest to his or her ability as a chiropractor, he or she may not be
respected by his or her peers. Last, outside professionals in the
community see all kinds of things, will usually be aware of what kind of
care is available, and what kind of quality is provided by different
folks.
Feel free to call the references you receive. Many people ask for
references, but never use them! Call all five people. You can never
learn too much about the person you are considering using for your
chiropractic needs. Take the few minutes to talk to these people. It
will be worth it!
5. “Do you have payment plans available?”- Successful Chiropractor and
Back Pain Specialists practices usually allow patients to make payments.
For example, I allow both my cash and insurance patients to spread out
their entire care, deductibles and co-pays into low monthly
installments. This allows them to get the care they want without
financial stress. Any successful practice will be able to work with you
on the payments, whether you’re covered by insurance or not.
6. “Will you guarantee my satisfaction?” – You should receive a 100%
guarantee of unconditional satisfaction. By law no Chiropractor and Back
Pain Specialists doctors can guarantee results. But, for example, an
office that offers the following guarantee: “You’ll be totally satisfied
with each office visit, or that visit is FREE!” shows you that they are
putting their money where their mouth is. In my office, every patient
knows that if they feel rushed or don’t get the attention they think
they deserve, or aren’t satisfied with how they are treated that
day…will get that visit FREE. And in the 9 years we’ve had this policy,
I’m proud to say we haven’t had one patient express dissatisfaction.
Make sure the doctor you choose is willing to stand behind their care.
7. “Do you have a no waiting policy?” – A recent patient survey revealed
that what irritates patients the most is when the doctor and the staff
do not respect their time and make them wait excessively in the waiting
room. Now most doctors claim their patients don’t have to wait
excessively. But, in our office, our policy is that no patient waits
longer than five minutes in our reception area for an appointment…or
that visit is FREE. If the Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists you’re
talking to isn’t willing to put such a waiting time guarantee in
writing, they may not be as respectful of your time as you deserve.
8. “Do you have a criteria for determining how many visits I need?” Some
Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists do not have an objective method
to determine how many visits are necessary to relieve your pain, and to
maintain your newly found state of excellent health. They make
subjective guesses about your initial treatment and progress. I do
progress exams along the way to make sure we are on track that include
computerized equipment that will tell both of us how you are doing. This
procedure tells us exactly when we are done with the initial pain relief
care, and how we are doing in maintaining the relief…so your pain
doesn’t come back. That way you don’t get even one more visit than you
actually need. Make sure to find out how the doctor you’re talking to
measures progress, and whether it’s routine or not.
9. “Will you show me ways of preventing what you are treating?” – I saw
a sign the other day in my dentist’s office that read, “Support your
dentist, eat more candy”. Although I know he’s joking, I spend a
considerable amount of time customizing simple and easy ways for you to
stay healthy…no matter what caused your problem to begin with. You’ll be
thrilled to find out how quick and easy it is to prevent your pain from
coming back without drugs or surgery. This prolongs the benefits of the
care you’ve received; and helps prevent you from re-injuring yourself.
Any competent Chiropractor and Back Pain Specialists would want you to
avoid future problems.
10. “Do you offer free consultations?” – There’s no way a Chiropractor
and Back Pain Specialists should expect a patient to choose him or her
without first visiting the office to see if the office, staff and doctor
is for them. This will also give you a chance to talk to any of our
patients while they are coming in and going out.
Initially, I provide a FREE, NO OBLIGATION, consultation to determine if
I can help you and answer any questions you may have about your
condition or my treatment. No one in my office is going to pressure you
into care or anything. This is simply a chance for you to meet us, and
see if our services can benefit you.
If after your free consultation, you decide you do not want to proceed
with an exam, you simply leave and that is that. If however, you do find
that you could use our help, we will discuss the details of how we
proceed from there.
Well, I hope this information will give you the confidence in taking the
first step to regaining your health by experiencing the benefits of
chiropractic care. By the way, I do:
Use multiple treatment techniques,
Employ diagnostic tests such as x-rays and computer analysis,
Furnish you my recommendations in writing,
Furnish you patient and professional references,
Offer payment plans,
Guarantee the satisfaction of every office visit or that visit is FREE,
Promise you will never wait more than 5 minutes for an appointment or
that visit is FREE,
Share with you my criteria I use for formulating my recommendations,
Provide you custom designed prevention techniques, and lastly,
Urge you to tour my office and take advantage of my free, absolutely
no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation.
If you are ready to make an appointment for your free consultation call
my office at (714) 938-0575 or email us at
info@drmarks.com and request
a Free Consult from the Cure For Lower Back Pain site, now, while this
is fresh on your mind…and you know EXACTLY what questions to ask BEFORE
using my office for your pain relief!
I hope this information has been helpful. I want you to know that
whether you choose to come in to see us or not, I hope you’ve benefited
from the knowledge you’ve been given. No matter what you decide to do, I
wish you the best of health!
Warmest regards,
 Dr. Barry L. Marks graduated from Los
Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1986 and practices in Orange,
California.
Dr. Barry L. Marks graduated from Los
Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1986 and practices in Orange,
California.
·Former Associate Clinical Professor at his alma mater, Los Angeles
College of Chiropractic
·Founder of the “Amazing InsightSystem”, the only system that
pin-points, proves & repairs painful conditions with computer accuracy
for maximum recovery even when other methods have failed
·Highly regarded specialist with unique and effective treatment programs
for disc disease and sciatica, whiplash and brain trauma and carpal
tunnel syndrome.
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