If you've recently relocated, you've probably realized how painful it can be to move big, heavy boxes. Straining your muscles can do serious damage to your back. Since many relocations happen over a long period (first packing, then loading a truck, then unloading), you may have been doing damage to your body for weeks or months before you finally move into a new house.
What's worse: if you're living in a new city, you probably don't have a chiropractor yet. Now that you’ve settled down, it's important to find the right doctor in your neighborhood for your needs. A good chiropractor in your local area can help you recover from your injuries by realigning your spine and suggesting safe, natural ways to heal.
The good news is that finding the best chiropractor or holistic health care provider in your near area doesn't have to be stressful, whether you moved cross-country or a few miles away in Orange County. In this post, we'll discuss some of the best ways to find a good chiropractor near your new location.
One of the best ways to find a good chiropractor is to get word-of-mouth referrals from people who are familiar with the area. Ask coworkers at your new job, family relatives in the area, or even nearby neighbors.
If you've moved to a city close to your original home, you may be able to get a referral from your existing chiropractic physician. Talk to your doctor to find out if he or she can recommend a new chiropractor close to your location. If you already have a primary healthcare provider in your new city, talk to him or her for recommendations. All of these people are a good source of referrals. When asking people you know for referrals, our Newport Beach office often advises asking some important questions, like:
Asking these questions can help you get a feel for the way a particular chiropractor handles patients and stays organized in his or her practice.
If you have insurance, your plan more than likely covers some form of chiropractic care. If that's the case, your insurance company should be able to recommend providers in your area. It's always a good idea to find out what your insurance company plan covers. Common questions to ask include:
Even if your insurance company has no specific policy requiring a doctor to make a referral, they may very well likely have chiropractic offices that they will recommend in your area. It's always a good idea to touch base with your insurance company just to find out if you can reduce your chiropractic bill.
If you're not able to get a referral from friends, your doctor, or your insurance company, you can always make a list of possible chiropractic offices in your neighborhood and start contacting offices directly. Interviewing potentially qualified chiropractors can help you pinpoint the right professional who closely matches your individual needs.
Calling offices also gives you a glimpse of the people you'll be dealing with at the clinic. You will be able to quickly pinpoint staff members that are knowledgeable, friendly, and responsive. These qualities are very important when you're looking for the best chiropractor in your area.
Make a list of possible doctors and questions to ask. Below are some interview chiropractic questions that will be the most revealing and helpful.
There are many advanced treatments and techniques that chiropractors can specialize in. These techniques include manipulation under anesthesia (MUA), diagnostic imaging, chiropractic nutrition, and so on. Knowing which chiropractors specialize in which techniques can help you find the doctor of chiropractic who is right for you.
Many chiropractors combine or have additional services such as massage, rehabilitation, strength training, decompression therapy, physiotherapy, and other services. For people who have complex injuries, chiropractors who combine specialties can help speed up the healing process.
Again, this goes back to the fact that many chiropractors accept insurance, and many insurance companies will work with chiropractors. Matching up the insurance provider to the chiropractor is a good way to save money and make chiropractic care more affordable. Many chiropractors do not accept Medicaid or Medicare, so for patients who rely on Medicaid or Medicare, finding a chiropractor who will work with these large providers may be complicated.
Some popular chiropractors fill up and stop accepting patients until they have openings so it’s best to call and ask.
Many chiropractors will offer specials, especially for new patients beginning chiropractic treatment. This can help patients who want to know if chiropractic treatment is right for them.
Different chiropractors will accept different methods of payment. When checking chiropractors in your local area, be sure that the one you choose will accept payment that you can make.
Some chiropractors will have diagnostic and imaging equipment for accurate diagnostics.
Some chiropractic clinics work directly with medical care providers in the area. Here at Zaker Chiropractic, we partner with various medical professionals from the South Bay and Orange County area.
Once you've talked to a chiropractor near your location and you believe that you have a chiropractor who will meet your needs, you should still check your education and credentials. Find out things such as, where did the chiropractor go to school? Is that institution accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education? You can find out by checking the school on the CCE's website. This is a good way to determine whether or not the chiropractor that you would like to work with has gotten a good education from a reputable school.
You can also find out more about a chiropractor's reputation by checking online sites like Healthgrades. Healthgrades helps patients find chiropractors in their area and also helps patients find out whether or not those chiropractors are well received by patients. Healthgrades tracks doctor ratings and sorts doctors by area.
You can also check reviews through Google My Business, where people can post their impressions of professionals that they have worked with. When looking for a doctor of chiropractic in your area, Google chiropractic physician targeted cities: Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, and so on.
Although you have to take everything you see on the Internet with a grain of salt, it's still a good way to get an overall feel for how a chiropractor handles business. On websites like Google and Healthgrades, you can look for patterns in what patients have said about their former chiropractors. You'll be able to see which chiropractors made patients the happiest, and which chiropractors have made fewer positive impressions within their community.
Finally, check the American Chiropractic Association's website to locate an ACA chiropractor.
Finding the best chiropractor nearest you doesn’t have to be stressful. If you're new to the OC areas of Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa or the surrounding South Bay area call us! Don't let your back pain become a problem! At Zaker Chiropractic, we accept new patients and can help people with chronic conditions and injuries. We're happy to help you make an appointment and get started with chiropractic care in your area.
