Just like any other profession chiropractic is one of those that you can’t just walk into or out without observing some moral etiquette. I will tell you for free that your body has an innate ability to heal on its own. The only thing a chiropractor does is facilitate the healing process by providing a conducive environment for the body to heal. Similarly, you must know that for this process to be effective; you have a part to play. This is with regards to how you observe your DC’s instructions. Failure to follow the instructions will only work to impair the treatment process. But, there are general chiropractic etiquette that both the chiropractor and the patient must adhere to. Today we shall look at some of these etiquette. Possibly, with your knowledge of these, you will benefit fully from your visits to the chiropractor.
Etiquette To Be Observed During Treatment
1. Avoid panic
When you are set on the chiropractic table, you must remain as relaxed as possible. Avoid a panic attack. The process, for your information in most cases, is usually painless. Like nearly every other procedure in life, an adjustment will be more effective if both the patient and the DC remain in a calm state during the treatment process. If the doctor of chiropractic panics, they could end up making silly mistakes that could jeopardize the operation. The patient, on the other hand, could make the treatment difficult to administer if they remain unsettled on the table.
2. Patients should receive treatment wholesomely
As a patient, you must be willing to receive payment if you have any chance of really recovering from whichever ailment that took you to the chiropractor. As I always put it, you should adopt an attitude of embracing all that chiropractic treatment has to offer. In my years of experience, I have come to appreciate the power of acceptance. Nothing works miracles than the belief in your body’s ability to heal itself. With the right mind-set, you will be able to benefit from your chiropractor’s skills to the fullest.
Thinking about other irrelevant matters might hinder your ability to fully take advantage of chiropractic treatment. So, I would suggest that you remained steadfast and focused as you undergo treatment and only think about what you can gain from the treatment.
3. Act as a patient and let the chiropractor be the doctor
I know most of us have this tendency to act like we know it all. When it comes to health-related matters, I always encourage patients to stick to being patients and let the DC do his work. You can think you know what you are suffering from and thus start giving your doctor instructions. You will be surprised to realize how wrong your self-diagnosis is.
Your doctor of chiropractic has all the skills to carry out the necessary diagnostics. These diagnostics will guide the treatment process. Therefore observe this chiropractic etiquette and don’t try to help unless you have been asked to.
This reminds me; once again you should know that while the DC will set you up in the right orientation on the table, trying to set yourself up is a bad idea. Posture is very crucial when undergoing any chiropractic adjustments. To give your doctor of chiropractic an easy time simply maintain the posture they put you in.
4. Avoid Too Much Worrying
As mentioned before there is a common notion that chiropractic adjustments are painful. This has led to doctors of chiropractic coming up with a list of chiropractic etiquette to be observed by their patients while undergoing treatment. Among these chiropractic etiquette, the patient is required to avoid too much worrying. This is because chiropractic adjustments do not hurt. Some people find the process relaxing, and it is the hope of every doctor that each of their patients finds it to be.
Chiropractic Etiquette for Doctors Of Chiropractic
While most of the chiropractic etiquette provided above should be observed by patients, doctors of chiropractic also have their set of chiropractic etiquette to follow. Here is a few of those;
i) Chiropractic Etiquette When Communicating To Patients
As a chiropractor, you must realize that not all patients can adequately express their concerns. This is why you need to approach every patient differently. From the initial conversation, you will be able to tell whether the patient is withholding some information or not. If the patient is withholding information, assure them about the privacy of their medical information and try to get them to open up. Do this without sounding authoritative or commanding.
ii) Chiropractic Etiquette during Treatment
Things to be aware of include;
- Does the treatment require the patient removing some of their clothes? If this is the case, you must disclose this information to the patient before you set them on the treatment table.
- Is the patient comfortable with the particular technique you will be using? If you are going to use a particular treatment, ensure the patient approves of it. If after giving the patient the information regarding that particular the patient rejects it, try offering an alternative technique that will achieve the same results.
- Is the patient aware of the possible side effects? Now, this is a very misconceived concept in the field of chiropractic treatment. One that has been a major source of controversies over the years. But the major concern many patients raise more often is that their doctors of chiropractic do not inform them about the possible side effects of a specific treatment technique. This is wrong. As a doctor of chiropractic, you must keep your client about the possible side effects if any of the treatment technique you are using.
General Chiropractic Etiquette
1. Maintaining a Healthy Competition
All chiropractors are members of the larger chiropractic family. As such, it would be a bad idea to try and talk ill about the other chiropractors in the region. The quality of your chiropractic practice should be the source of your clients. If you are poor in practice, there is no way you will attract clients even if you defame your competitors. So, let us all maintain quality in practice and treat each other as a family.
2. Chiropractic Etiquette in Price Quotation
It is true that chiropractic treatments are cheaper compared to many other conventional treatments. Nevertheless, doctors of chiropractic must always disclose the charges before they start treating their patients. As a chiropractic community, we want to avoid the common scenario seen in hospitals. We do not want our patients to remain behind after treatment because they cannot raise the charges afterwards.
Chiropractors all over the world have a set of regulations and rules of conduct. These rules govern the operations of doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractic associations also try to consolidate some of these rules to come up a wholesome set of chiropractic etiquette which should observe universally. This is going to be a long process which will include consulting all the stakeholders in the field of chiropractic. To make it easy for chiropractors as well as patients, I have consolidated the above chiropractic etiquette to act as a guide to open minded chiropractors out there. Hopefully, both patients and doctors of chiropractic will find this information useful. If this is the case, don’t hesitate to share these chiropractic etiquette with those around you.
