March 2024

Chiropractor Birmingham AL

Birmingham chiropractor

Birmingham Chiropractor

Finding a chiropractor in Birmingham can be overwhelming, but your search doesn’t have to be. If you are looking for a chiropractor in Birmingham, you have options.

Check with your insurance povider

If you plan on using your health insurance, first be sure your insurance covers chiropractic care. You should also note the amount of visits they allow per year. Plus, be aware of any other limitations. This includes double checking co-pays and if they allow in or out of network chiropractors. A good chiropractor office will ask for your coverage before you walk into the office. But when it comes to medical costs, you want to ensure you do your homework first.

If you decide on a chiropractor who is out of network, you’ll have to decide whether it’s worth paying more for out of network, self-pay, or choosing another. The chiropractor's office will be able to provide you with the cost.

If you’re paying out of pocket, you should research local rates. Include the surrounding areas within the distance you’re willing to commute. This gives you a rough idea of what you’ll pay, which can be helpful if you’re on a budget.

Decide if you have a preference between a male or female chiropractor

Sometimes people have a presence. You should be 100 percent at ease with the chiropractor's presence.

Using a referral may help

A referral from your primary care doctor or specialist should point you toward a reputable Birmingham chiropractor. A doctor should only offer recommendations that they would use for themselves and family members. This can help you narrow down your search. If you have special criteria, such as location or their technique, let your doctor know that too.

Have you done some legwork, but you’re unsure about the names you’ve collected? You can share the information with your doctor. Ask if they would recommend any of the names.

Family and friends can also assist you in finding a chiropractor. Personal experiences make the best referrals. Be sure to ask within your circle too.

Once you’ve finished asking around, compare how many people have recommended the same Birmingham chiropractor. Chances are that is a great place to focus.

Ensure a chiropractor can treat you

Your chiropractor can treat mechanical issues musculoskeletal system. However, your Birmingham chiropractor can’t treat all associated pain with these areas. Severe arthritis, osteoporosis, broken or fractured bones, infected bones, and bone tumor related pain are a few conditions your chiropractor may not treat.

Other conditions some chiropractors can treat are high blood pressure, asthma and post stroke related pain. While these shouldn’t replace traditional medicine, your chiropractor and doctor could use them as therapeutic remedies with medication and other treatments.

Research chiropractor techniques

According to the American Chiropractic Association, they don’t support or endorse any one of the techniques. Chiropractors tend to have a skillset that covers multiple techniques. You should also ask whether the chiropractor uses hand manipulation, instruments or a combination depending on the patient’s need and preference.

If you favor a special technique, you should choose a chiropractor that has experience with it. You can also consider diversifying from what you’ve used in the past, and try a new technique to treat your condition.

Some common chiropractic techniques are:

  • Gonstead
  • Diversified
  • Applied Kinesiology
  • Logan Basic
  • Activator
  • Thompson
  • Flexion distraction

Keep in mind you might not be aware of what you prefer or dislike until after you’ve had your first few treatments. You should be comfortable expressing yourself. Your Birmingham chiropractor should listen to your wishes.

Does the chiropractor office offer additional services?

Some offices might offer additional services, such as massage or injury rehabilitation. View additional services as a bonus if the office offers them.

If your chiropractor suggests these services as part of your treatment plan, you will want to make sure your insurance covers them. Your insurance might place different limitations on those services, such as number of allowable visits.

Did the chiropractor attend an accredited institution?

Each state requires chiropractors to hold a doctorate in chiropractic medicine. If you’re unfamiliar with their college, you can search the school’s name on the Council of Chiropractic Education to ensure it’s an accredited institution.

Research the chiropractor online

Websites exist for patients to review their doctors, which includes chiropractors. Unlike testimonials that focus on the positive only, you can expect to see good, in between, and negative reviews from actual patients.

Take the time to read them, and don’t use star ratings to guide your decision. Some reviewers, for example, might dock stars for issues that don’t matter or relate to you. Be sure to note the date on negative reviews as well as any follow up comments from the practice.

How long has the chiropractor been in practice?

Skill and technique do improve with time, so you might prefer an experienced Birmingham chiropractor. A few years or longer, in addition to their education, is a decent amount of time for a chiropractor to hone their skills.

However, one with less hands-on experience might offer you the same results. Unless you have a specific preference, the length a chiropractor has been in practice might not matter to you.

Ask for a consult and meet Your chiropractor

Whether you have one chiropractor or a few in mind, you should meet face-to-face before you agree to services. Consider this first meeting like a job interview, but you’re the boss. Be prepared with a list of questions as well as addressing any concerns that arise during your visit.

Make visible inspections upon your visit. Is the office and waiting room clean? Are the staff pleasant and prompt? How long did you have to wait before the chiropractor saw you? Take your answers to these questions as part of the bigger picture.

What does a sample treatment plan look like?

Before you settle on a chiropractor, you should have a basic idea of what to expect during your course of treatment. This includes talking about your expectations as well as your chiropractor’s opinion on your treatment.

Ask about the length of treatment before you should see results. Time invested does vary and depends on the area you require treatment and the severity of your condition. Also, be sure to inquire about what happens if you don’t see improvements.

Personality

You should get along well with your Birmingham chiropractor and feel comfortable around them. This includes speaking to them about your care as well as when they touch you. If you don’t feel at-ease, you should consider finding a new chiropractor.

Concerns you should not ignore

The vast majority of chiropractors will put your health and goals first, but you should be cautious of chiropractors pushing unconventional options. Those may include:

  • Non-specialized care, meaning every patient receives the same treatment regardless of his or her pain or needs.
  • Unnecessary X-rays, which are billed to insurance companies. Deceptive chiropractors may push multiple, unnecessary X-rays to drive up the amount they are able to bill an insurance company.
  • You’re expected to heavily invest in a long-term plan prior to examination.
  • In your care plan, your chiropractor doesn’t address goals; there is no mention of pain plateaus or course of action should one occur.
  • The chiropractor makes dubious claims about curing chronic illnesses.
  • The chiropractor claims to be an expert in a technique that nobody has heard about.

As with any doctor, picking a chiropractor is a personal decision. Take your time to find the right one. If something feels off, you can likely change chiropractors.

Birmingham chiropractor

Birmingham ( BUR-ming-ham) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2022 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 196,910, down 2% from the 2020 census, making it Alabama's third-most populous city after Huntsville and Montgomery. The broader Birmingham metropolitan area had a 2020 population of 1,115,289, and is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama as well as the 50th-most populous in the United States. Birmingham serves as an important regional hub and is associated with the Deep South, Piedmont, and Appalachian regions of the nation. Birmingham was founded in 1871, during the post–Civil War Reconstruction period, through the merger of three pre-existing farm towns, notably, Elyton. It grew from there, annexing many more of its smaller neighbors, into an industrial and railroad transportation center with a focus on mining, the iron and steel industry, and railroading. Birmingham was named after Birmingham, England, one of the UK's major industrial cities. Most of the original settlers who founded Birmingham were of English ancestry. The city may have been planned as a place where cheap, non-unionized, and often African-American labor from rural Alabama could be employed in the city's steel mills and blast furnaces, giving it a competitive advantage over industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast.From its founding through the end of the 1960s, Birmingham was a primary industrial center of the South. The pace of Birmingham's growth during the period from 1881 through 1920 earned its nicknames The Magic City and The Pittsburgh of the South. Much like Pittsburgh, Birmingham's major industries were iron and steel production, plus a major component of the railroading industry, where rails and railroad cars were both manufactured in Birmingham. In the field of railroading, the two primary hubs of railroading in the Deep South were nearby Atlanta and Birmingham, beginning in the 1860s and continuing through to the present day. The economy diversified during the later half of the twentieth century. Though the manufacturing industry maintains a strong presence in Birmingham, other businesses and industries such as banking, telecommunications, transportation, electrical power transmission, medical care, college education, and insurance have risen in stature. Mining in the Birmingham area is no longer a major industry with the exception of coal mining. Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business centers in the Southeastern United States and is also one of the largest banking centers in the United States. In addition, the Birmingham area serves as headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies: Regions Financial and Vulcan Materials Company, along with multiple other Fortune 1000 companies. In higher education, Birmingham has been the location of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine (formerly the Medical College of Alabama) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry since 1947. In 1969 the University of Alabama at Birmingham was established, one of three main campuses of the University of Alabama System. Birmingham is also home to three private institutions: Samford University, Birmingham-Southern College, and Miles College. Between these colleges and universities, the Birmingham area has major colleges of medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, law, engineering, and nursing. Birmingham is also the headquarters of the Southeastern Conference, one of the major U.S. collegiate athletic conferences.

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