Chiropractor Healthcare Solutions

What Is the Difference Between Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physiotherapists?

You are certainly not alone if you have ever wondered what the difference between a chiropractor, osteopath and physiotherapist is. In many ways, the three professions work towards the same goals, albeit with slightly different techniques & philosophies.

All three professions are primary care practitioners meaning you do not need a referral from your GP.

As the global brand you can trust, ACE Sports Clinics offer client’s access to a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist in Malvern.  Having helped clients from all over the world find solutions for pain, sports injuries & improved performance through our unique collaborative approach.

Read on to learn which may be best suited to your needs, and remember, a surefire answer comes with a quick phone call to the team at ACE Sports Clinic.

The differences between Chiropractors, Osteopaths & Physiotherapists

A Chiropractor is a specialist in the spine’s mechanical problems, offering solutions that can include manipulation, mobilisation, massage, and various other therapeutic exercises.

Chiropractors can take and read x-rays to help determine what may be causing your particular issue.  A Chiropractor’s philosophy begins with the nervous system & spine.

Osteopaths use a therapeutic approach that is similar to that of a chiropractor; however, Osteos use a range of gentle hands-on manual techniques including muscle energy techniques.

Osteopaths take a holistic approach to the body to treat spinal and peripheral joints, muscles and ligament sprains.  Osteopaths utilize fine palpation skills to detect tissue texture changes that may indicate altered function.

Physiotherapy is a broad field that covers a range of conditions of the musculoskeletal system. Traditionally, physiotherapists use exercise-based approaches, advice & have a rehabilitation & movement focus as opposed to being as hands-on as a Chiro or Osteo may be.

The difference between a Chiropractor & an Osteopath

Both of these professions focus on solving problems all over the body from spinal alignment and posture to headaches and joint pain.  They are similar, even though their approach can sometimes be very different.

A Chiropractor is often interested in how your body works but considers it all through a nerve, spinal and muscular system lens.  They focus on pain relief and injury recovery, using spine and joint adjustments along with massage and rehabilitative exercises to heal and improve a patient’s quality of life.

One crucial element to note is that chiropractors do not prescribe drugs, choosing instead to focus on drug-free alternative treatments.  Some Chiropractors have additional training in Acupuncture.

An Osteopath will often take a more holistic approach, examining a person’s entire body to find the underlying cause of a particular issue.  The focus is often a way to combat pain or injury, using massage, muscle energy, physical therapy and body manipulation.

Osteopathy considers the deformation of the skeleton and interference with nerves.  Some Osteopaths have additional training in Dry Needling.

Both Chiropractors and Osteopaths treat patients by maximizing the bodies range of motion in an effort to restore better overall function.

Understanding Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession that looks to identify and maximise a person’s ability to move and function.  Physiotherapy can help you improve your health and overall quality of life.

A Physio has professional knowledge and skills to determine which social and environmental factors may be limiting the patient’s movement and function. They work to identify what is limiting movement and performance, then implement a way to address it.

Physiotherapy is person-centred and constantly evolving as new knowledge and understanding reveal themselves through evaluation and research.  Physiotherapy is an autonomous profession, meaning referrals can come from a range of sources.

Physiotherapy has a primary goal to maximise an individual’s movement capability, maintain and improve movement and function with treatment and provide rehabilitation and advice.  In many cases, this can enhance the patient’s performance with quality, innovative services that are effective and efficient.  Physiotherapy is also heavily linked to clinical and academic studies, regularly adapting to developments in practice, education or research.  Some Physiotherapists also have additional training in Dry Needling.

How do you know which option is best for you?

As you can see by the explanations above, there is quite a bit of overlap in the conditions and injuries that a Chiro, Physio & Osteo can help.  Depending on your treatment preference all three professions may be suitable for some injuries, with clear options for others, e.g., a slipped disc or spinal facet joint injury may require a Chiropractor or Osteopath while a post ACL reconstructive injury may require a Physiotherapist for rehabilitation.

So how do you know which can help you?

Initially, we recommend a consultation with one of the diagnosing and primary practitioners at ACE Sports Clinic (Physiotherapist, Osteopath or Chiropractor) to evaluate your issue, then determine which channel may be best to suit your needs.

This is one of the primary advantages of offering all three options to our clients.  We work as a collaborative team to ensure you get the best results.  Many of our clients see multiple practitioners at Ace Sports Clinics because over the years we have seen how exponentially better results are when Practitioners work as a team and communicate together in your best interests.

Prevention without injury

In many cases, you may wish to see one of our Osteopaths, Physiotherapists or Chiropractors for a regular session to keep your body running smoothly instead of dealing with a specific issue. Similar to a regular car service.

Therapeutic treatment, soft tissue massage & mobilisation, with exercises can be beneficial even when not injured.  Our experience suggests that people who take a more proactive approach to treatment have fewer issues in the long term.

Relieving some tightness, increasing flexibility and checking to see that all your joints are aligned and operating well is all part of a regular preventative checkup.

If you work at a desk all day or have a very physically demanding job, soft tissue massage and stretching can be used in addition to Chiro, Osteo or Physio, to loosen and relax tight, sore muscles. Massage therapy stimulates blood flow to reduce tissue swelling, helping you to feel great after a hard day.

Our Myotherapists & Remedial Massage therapists help with stress and tension and a range of other benefits.  It is a chance to let the body relax and focus on healing and maintaining a balanced system that complements the work of Chiropractors, Osteopaths & Physiotherapists Malvern.

Book a consultation with ACE Sports Clinic for treatment today

The team here at ACE Sports Clinic are here to help.  We also offer more than just the services mentioned above like Physiotherapy. Malvern patients have access to our team of highly trained health professionals who take a holistic approach to their health.

It is our goal to help your body work better overall, as opposed to simply fixing an injury.

Our range of therapies can help you live an active, healthy and happy life.  Ask about the following options

• Physiotherapy
• Osteopathy
• Chiropractic Care
• Podiatry
• Dry Needling
• Exercise Physiology & Strength & Conditioning
• Myotherapy & Remedial Massage Therapy
• Clinical Pilates

If you live in or near Malvern, book a consultation with our friendly, experienced staff today. There is no need to suffer through constant pain or use medication as part of your daily routine. Join the large list of patients we have helped to find relief. We care about helping you feel your best, so let’s get started!… Read the rest

A Chiropractor’s Tips for Living a Healthy Life

When you get care from a chiropractor, you expect to hear advice such as strengthen your back muscles or buy a pillow for your neck. You don’t really expect them to give you tips on living a healthy lifestyle overall. And yet, this is the advice that many people hear from their spinal doctor. The chiropractor wants you to be healthy as a whole, but what does live a healthy lifestyle even mean? How do we begin the journey toward a more balanced, healthier condition? Take a look at these tips for improving your overall life that would be 100 percent chiropractor approved.

Focus on Eating Well

Filling your body with the proper nutrients is absolutely crucial for long-term health. If you’re constantly filling your body with junk, eventually you’ll feel a little like junk. Eating lean meats, fruits, and veggies gives your body a fighting chance at staying well. You’ll get the vitamins and minerals that you need, you’ll be able to control your weight, and your rate of illness will lower like never before. All of these help serve the chiropractor’s main purpose, which is to help you stay as healthy and whole as possible.

Get a Little Exercise Every Day

Exercise is such a great way to enhance your life, and if you do it right, it’s also a lot of fun. Exercise can help you fight off disease, improve your general mobility, and even help to diminish pain … all of which are ultimate goals of getting chiropractic care as well! When you put these two powerhouses together, you’ll find that staying well is as simple as regular trips to the chiropractor and the gym.

Don’t Forget Your Regular Trip to the Chiropractor

Of course chiropractors also want you to come in for regular visits. Why? For starters, chiropractors help to get and keep your spine properly aligned. This helps to eliminate pain, increase flexibility, improve focus, and brings a ton of other benefits to your body and mind. With regular trips, they may be able to keep your spine in proper working condition, which then prevents many of these ailments from returning in the future. Eat well, exercise, and see your chiropractor, and you’ve got a recipe for ultimate wellness no matter your age or time of year.

If you would like to add chiropractic care to your life, visit with chiropractors at The Joint. Chiropractors here are friendly and professional, and they’ll always put your health first. To make it easier than ever to get care, they offer walk-in visits and affordable pricing. Get tips for a healthier spine as well as tips for a healthy life starting with a quick trip to The Joint right away.… Read the rest

What Happens at the Chiropractor?

While visiting a chiropractor is similar to visiting other healthcare providers, it does have some unique elements. You will likely find the office setting and intake procedures quite familiar, but many notice the distinctive appearance of the chiropractic treatment table. These tables are often quite elaborate to allow specific positioning and movement during spinal adjustments and thus assist the chiropractic treatment.

A typical visit to a chiropractor includes an initial intake, physical exam, treatment, and follow-up plan.

What happens during the intake?

An initial chiropractic consultation is very similar to that of a standard medical intake. You will likely complete a health questionnaire and answer questions about your health history. Typically the chiropractor asks you to indicate where you are experiencing discomfort by marking the areas on a drawing of the human body.

What happens during the physical exam?

The chiropractor will start with a routine physical exam, then follow it with an exam that focuses on the spine, with particular attention given to the areas of complaint. The chiropractor will most likely examine your whole spine. For example, if you had a low back complaint, the chiropractor would also likely perform a neck exam because the adaptations resulting from injury or subluxation in one area can result in secondary irritations somewhere else in the spine.

The physical exam typically includes a variety of assessments, such as range of motion tests, palpation, reflex testing, muscle strength comparisons, and neurological and orthopedic tests focused on the main complaint.

What goes into a treatment plan?

Following the assessments, the chiropractor will develop a treatment plan that takes into account:

• The extent of your injury or irritation
• Your general health
• The condition of your spine as affected by age and previous injury
• What your goals are – this is most important item

Your goals of treatment should result from the discussion you have with your chiropractor. Many people seek simple relief of pain or discomfort, while others want to begin a regimen of ongoing care meant to improve their general health.

In initial consultations, your chiropractor will tell you the status of your condition and recommend an approach to care. Ask questions. As in any professional-patient relationship, trust and mutual understanding are vitally important.

What is a typical treatment?

“Adjustments” are usually the central part of chiropractic treatment. The chiropractic adjustment is a therapeutic manipulation that uses controlled force, leverage, direction, amplitude, and velocity directed at specific joints. In other words, an adjustment involves a lot more than simply opening up a joint. Click the videos listed in the column on the left to see examples.

Your chiropractor will most often make these adjustments to the spine, but he or she might adjust other joints, such as the ankle, knee, wrist, elbow, or shoulder in order to restore structural alignment or to improve joint function. Again, proper structure is necessary for proper function, and proper extremity function is an important part of healthy daily living.

When being treated for a complaint such as back or neck pain, you will most likely receive a series of adjustments, separated by either a day or a few days, to incrementally reduce the irritation and improve normal function. This might continue for several weeks, usually diminishing in frequency.

If you can’t tolerate the manual adjustments, you may instead receive mild or non-force techniques.

Adjustments are often accompanied by non-manual therapies such as application of heat or ice, electrical stimulation, orthotic supports for your shoes, rehabilitative exercise, counseling about diet, weight loss, and other lifestyle factors, and nutritional supplements.… Read the rest

Tips on how to improve your chiropractic health

1. IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE

   Our waking hours are largely spent sitting, standing or walking.

2. things such as standing up straight and not slouching. For more tips on how to best align your posture visit your chiropractor.

3. EXERCISE REGULARLY

   Staying active is incredibly important for your spine, posture and overall health. However, our lives are becoming increasingly sedentary, which can contribute to back, shoulder, neck and arm pain.  Integrate exercise into your day by getting up from your desk every half an hour, walking to work, taking up a sport or using your lunchbreak to do some exercise.

4. TAKE BREAKS FROM YOUR PHONES AND SCREENS

   Working at a computer for long periods of time or testing on your mobile device can often create a lot of strain your neck, creating neck pain developing. Text neck is the new catch phrase used to describe  injuries and pain caused from looking down at wireless devices for too long. Symptoms associated with the dreaded text neck are chronic headaches, upper back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain and increased curvature of the spine. In fact some studies have suggested that text neck may lead to early onset arthritis and decreased lung capacity. If you think you have text neck or a headache, neck pain or back pain from staring at your computer screen for too long, don’t wait. Ask your chiropractor for advice or assessment of your posture and ergonomics at your workplace.

5. SUPPORT YOUR BACK WHEN YOU CARRY THINGS

   Picking up and moving heavy items without supporting our backs can lead to serious back injuries. However, bracing our core muscles and bending our knees (rather than our backs), can make moving items much safer. This also relates to smaller items we carry around every day, such as handbags and gym bags. Although bags are fashionable, an unsupportive bag filled with heavy items can lead to spinal strain and pain. Your chiropractor would be able to give you tips on carrying heavy items and advice on posture-supportive bags.

6. SLEEP IN THE BEST POSITION FOR YOUR SPINE

   Posture isn’t only important during the day – we spend approximately one third of our lives sleeping, so the position in which we sleep is important too. Poor spinal health can lead to lower back or neck pain, which can in turn impact our sleep, denying us of the physical and mental rejuvenation sleep brings.

   Chiropractors generally recommend sleeping on your back or side, rather than on your stomach, on a supportive mattress. Additionally, celebrity chiropractor, Tim Robards, recommends sleeping with a pillow between your knees, to ensure you have spinal and pelvic alignment whilst you rest.

7. QUIT SMOKING

   Studies show that smokers experience back pain more frequently than non-smokers¹.  This is because smoking reduces the amount of oxygen the body receives, which it needs in order to maintain healthy ligaments and muscles. This includes important muscles which support the spine, thereby impacting spinal health.

   In addition to this, as smoking reduces lung function and capacity, it makes exercising regularly harder. Unfortunately, less exercise can lead to weaker muscles, weaker body structures and spinal pain.

8. TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT SPINAL HEALTH NOW

   The habits we establish as children can stay with us throughout our lives. In the case of our spines, the way we use and treat them when we are young can have a lasting impact on our backs and necks. With this in mind, it’s important to teach your children good posture and how to look after their backs from a young age, so that they can avoid back pain later on in life.

9. LEAD A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

   Taking steps to improve your spinal health may not make a huge difference if they are not integrated into a healthy lifestyle. Nutrition, wellness, mental health, exercise, and spinal health are all interrelated and connected, so it’s important to focus on your overall health in order to improve your spinal health.

10. IMPROVE YOUR CORE STRENGTH

    Developing strong core muscles are important for supporting your back as you walk and sit, as they facilitate good posture and reduce back pain. Your chiropractor can give you exercises to improve the strength of your core, to give you a happy back.

11. LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SPINE FROM YOUR CHIROPRACTOR

    Sometimes it’s hard to know where we need to make changes and improvements in our lives. This is something that your chiropractor may be able to help you with. An assessment of your health, including your spine and lifestyle, may assist you as to how you can improve your posture, have a happier spine and live a healthier life.

Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Chiropractic

The number of chiropractic patients rises as more and more people recognize the significance of good spinal health.

If you are a current patient of an Atlanta chiropractor, you already know the positive effects the therapy has on your life, but what do you know about the chiropractic field?

Below are some chiropractic fun facts you wouldn’t expect!

Facts About Chiropractic

• “Chiropractic” comes from two Grecian words. “Cheir”, meaning hand, and “praktos”, meaning done, translates to “Done by Hand”. That’s kind of perfect!
• In 1895, Daniel David Palmer, the father of Chiropractic, gave the first adjustment to Harvey Lillard. These chiropractic adjustments helped Lillard regain his hearing after an accident he had 17 years earlier.
• To become a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), you need to complete a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, lab and clinical internships during a 4-year doctoral program. If you were to combine all those hours, it would be 175 days non-stop!
• An estimate of 35 million American adults and children are treated by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) each year.
• There are around 95,000 active doctors of chiropractic worldwide, along with 10,000 students in the United States alone, currently enrolled in chiropractic education programs.
• 32 National Football League teams take advantage of chiropractic. Each of the 32 teams have a chiropractor on staff to increase performance, maintain the players’ well being and treat musculoskeletal strain and injury
• Surprisingly, chiropractic care can be very beneficial to infants. Birth can be tough on a newborn! Infant adjustments are perfectly safe and modified for the baby’s needs.
• Across the globe, over one million adjustments occur each day!
• In over 40 countries including the U.S., chiropractic is recognized and regulated by law. There are licensed D.C.s in all 50 states!
• Injured at work? Did you know you are 28 times less likely to undergo spinal surgery if the first medical professional you contact is a D.C. rather than a surgeon?
• One of the most common symptoms treated by chiropractic care, lower back pain, could cost up to 20% percent less if it is first treated by a DC instead of a MD.

Should YOU Hire An Associate Chiropractor?

Are you considering bringing on a Chiropractic Associate to your practice?

Have you really thought through all the reasons to make sure it’s a smart financial decision for your practice and smart time investment for yourself?

If you’re considering hiring an associate… watch this video:

It’s very common for dogs who have been in practice for 5, 10, 20 years, and they love what they do but they also work too damn hard and long for their money. They also know that their office isn’t being fully utilized in terms of hours per day or days of the week.

They also may recognize that there are more ways to serve their community but they’re nervous about hiring a chiropractic associate. They don’t teach us how to recruit a great Associate at University…

I’ve heard hundreds of horror stories from chiropractic coaching clients, friends, and conferences about the Associates from hell. The stories that end with docs never making any money off their Associate, they cost the doc MORE of the precious time they were hired to save… and in my case, they turn around and set up shop halfway down the street with half of your client base. No good!

The reason that Associate/Partner relationships don’t work is that the senior doc goes into it with some bad intention. If you find somebody to be your workaholic slave then this is not a good reason to hire an Associate.

If you want somebody to just make money for you without anything in return, not a good reason.

Now if you’re someone who wants a better work-life balance to spend more time with your family or on your hobbies then this is a good reason to hire an Associate.

If you’d like to offer more service to your community then this is a good reason.

If you’d like to create some leverage in your work so that you can find a way to get paid for what you know and not just what you do by teaching, mentoring and guiding an associate to serve your practice members then that is a good reason.

There’s nothing wrong with creating some income from an Associate, but you will have to consider what you want to give in exchange…

Are you willing to mentor, guide and train?

Then they can become better versions of themselves and extensions of themselves.

If you’re hoping to create a succession plan so that you can pass on the torch for all the knowledge and experience you have then this is also a good reason to bring on an Associate.

The intent is everything when you are considering hiring an Associate. If your intent is to create more work-life balance, leverage, freedom, or impact in your community these are all amazing reasons to bring on an Associate.

As long as you make sure you are comfortable knowing in advance that it is an investment in time, energy, and money to train them to be great associates. The key to this working out is to know exactly how comfortable you are LOSING money until you break even and start to enjoy the fruits of this labor.

Once you’ve decided you’re hiring an associate for good, sustainable reasons, then the first step is to do the financial projections to see what an associate will cost your practice.
We’ve made the Associate Doc Decision Maker available to you for FREE as an introduction into our Associate Doc Recruiting Program. Just click here to start your free trial and unlock the financial calculation spreadsheet.… Read the rest

Chiropractic Care for Back Pain

Top 10 Benefits Of Getting A Chiropractic Adjustment

Visiting a chiropractor, like us here at Pierce Chiropractic, may be able to help you overcome some or all of your symptoms. A chiropractic adjustment refers to a chiropractor physically adjusting the vertebrae in your back. This type of procedure can have a myriad of positive benefits without the stress or invasiveness of surgery or other more intense techniques.

Is a chiropractic adjustment right for you? To help you answer that, we are going to take you through some of the top benefits of getting a chiropractic adjustment.

1. blood pressure

A study published in the Human Journal of Hypertension showed that a chiropractic adjustment could give people suffering from high blood pressure the same effect as taking certain high blood pressure medications.

This study also showed that the effects of the adjustment would persist for 6 months after the adjustment.

High blood pressure medications can have negative side effects including:

• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Anxiety
• Weight loss

If an adjustment can give similar, if not the same, effect as these types of medications, it might be something to consider.

Adjustments have been shown to help patients suffering from low blood pressure as well.

2. a chiropractic adjustment can help with neck and lower back pain

This benefit is probably the most well known when it comes to going to the chiropractor. 80% of all Americans experience some sort of lower back pain in their lifetime.

Medications and surgeries are options for this type of pain, but those can be dangerous, expensive, and ineffective.

An adjustment from chiropractor services can significantly reduce your back and neck pain via a non-invasive technique. Chiropractic treatment is also cheaper than other methods of back pain management.

You’ll be able to save yourself from both mild and chronic pain while also reducing your medical costs.

3. scoliosis

Scoliosis is a condition where there is an abnormal curvature of the spine. This can cause pain, abnormal posture, a reduction in your range of motion, and even trouble breathing.

Most scoliosis patients have few options for treatment. But a chiropractic adjustment has been shown to help treat scoliosis patients.

Chiropractic treatment combined with physical therapy could help treat and prevent the progression of scoliosis. The effectiveness of this treatment option varies from patient to patient, but it is a viable option.

READ: Here is Exactly How The Chiropractic Adjustment Affects Your Body

4. sciatica

Sciatica refers to pain that radiates from your lower back down your legs because of a damaged or pressured sciatic nerve.

This type of chronic pain can lead to over-medicating and chronic pain. Chiropractic treatment can help relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve that is causing your sciatica. Studies show that patients receiving adjustments reduced the number of pain days they had. They also experienced a reduction in the severity of their pain.

5. reduce inflammation

Inflammation is one of the top causes of pain, joint issues, and tension. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of diseases like heart disease, chronic pain, and cancer.

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to reduce inflammation, which can lead to a number of positive benefits, including:

Chronic lower back pain relief

Reduced muscle tension

Relief of joint pain

Reduced inflammation can also help reduce your risk of developing diseases that are linked to high inflammation.

6. headache relief

Both tension and migraine headaches can be caused by back pain and spinal issues. Back misalignment can cause muscle tension and pain which can result in both tension headaches as well as migraine headaches.

Besides back pain, headache is the top ailment that chiropractors treat. There are over 200 studies examining the benefits and effectiveness of chiropractic adjustments for headache relief.

7. improvement in symptoms of neurological conditions

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to help increase blood flow to the brain. They can help increase the flow of cerebral spinal fluid as well. This can significantly help people suffering from neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

While this subject is still being researched, the potential therapeutic applications provide exciting possibilities of treatment for these patients.

8. children’s health benefits

Kids chiropractic care can significantly improve certain conditions that affect children. The big three conditions that can be helped with an adjustment in children are colic, acid reflux, and ear infections.

colic

Colic causes near constant crying and fussiness in young children and babies as a result of abdominal discomfort and gas. Colic can be extremely difficult to treat, which can result in an uncomfortable baby and exhausted parents.

Adjustments have been shown to help improve infantile colic symptoms.

acid reflux and ear infections

It’s thought that the nerves in the brain and back along with the nerves in the gut and head are particularly sensitive. When these are affected, it can result in conditions like acid reflux and ear infections.

A chiropractic adjustment can help to improve what’s known as the gut-brain connection, which is why chiropractic adjustments might help these types of conditions.

This improvement can also boost the immune system, which can help prevent infection.

9. improved athletic performance

Reduction of inflammation, pain, and other similar conditions can help get the body in top shape. This is especially true for athletes who depend on their body to do their job.

Many sports teams and professional athletes hire chiropractors. Adjustments can reduce pain and tension caused by sports and activity. Alignments can also reduce inflammation and boost the immune system to help boost an athletes performance.

10. vertigo

Dizziness and vertigo can make it impossible to do everyday tasks or even get up out of bed without feeling disoriented and nauseous. This is a common condition after experiencing a head or neck injury.

A chiropractic adjustment can help target joints and vertebrae that aren’t moving correctly. This could help reduce vertigo episodes. An adjustment can also help fix your body’s natural balance, which can also cause vertigo if it’s misaligned.

wrapping up

Getting a chiropractic treatment can be a great way to improve multiple areas of your health with one non-invasive treatment. Surgeries and medications can be dangerous and expensive. With an adjustment, you could safely and easily target your problems.… Read the rest

What Are The Benefits of Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractors don’t just perform spinal adjustments or treat patients for acute pain. Chiropractic care is for patients of all ages, and it helps with a wide range of health issues. Millennium Chiropractic Sports Medicine and Rehab — located in Fayetteville, AR — provides chiropractic care for all of Northwest Arkansas.

Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions affecting the bones, joints, ligaments, and nerves in the body. What does this mean for chiropractic patients?

For some, it means relief from back pain and neck pain. For others, it means an improved range of motion and mobility after an accident or an injury. Chiropractic care is used for acute injuries and symptoms, ongoing maintenance care, and it helps promote better overall health and improved quality of life.

Non-invasive and drug-free

One of the things that draw patients to chiropractic is that it offers an alternative to drugs or invasive procedures. Your chiropractor may refer you to a different specialist if he thinks chiropractic care isn’t your best option.

Feel better

Chiropractic care improves your mental health, neurological health, muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion. It promotes recovery, improves immune response, provides you with more energy, and improves your mood. A chiropractor primes your body to function at its best.

Move better

Whether it’s a chronic problem like back pain or arthritis, an old sports injury, or new discomfort from a recent accident, pain can keep you from moving freely and comfortably.

Move more

Less pain, a better range of motion, and feeling better in general means that there’s less holding you back from living a healthy, active lifestyle.

Live better

Chiropractic care doesn’t start when you enter the chiropractor’s office and end when you leave. The chiropractors at Millennium Chiropractic in Fayetteville do not prepare their patients for a lifetime of treatment. Instead, they meet with you to determine your needs, learn your health history, and establish a chiropractic plan that is right for you.

They equip you to make healthy lifestyle changes that promote better overall health and wellness. A chiropractic lifestyle is about being proactive with your health, and making positive choices to prevent health problems before they happen. Chiropractors provide patient education about things like diet, nutrition, and exercise.

Contact Millennium Chiropractic

If you’re looking for chiropractic care in Northwest Arkansas, contact Millennium Chiropractic in Fayetteville, AR. The chiropractors at Millennium have been providing exceptional chiropractic care in Northwest Arkansas since 1997, and are known for their work with the Arkansas Razorbacks, Rodeo of the Ozarks, and the Professional Bull Riders Association.… Read the rest

Best Practice Management Features for Chiropractors

Sound practice management is half the battle when it comes to running a successful chiropractic clinic. Chiropractors have to move efficiently through their day, and they need intuitive practice management software to ensure administrative tasks do not slow them down. With the help of a mobile, cloud-based EHR with a full suite of practice management features and third-party integrations, the administrative side of your chiropractic clinic can operate more effectively than ever.

When Dr. Jonathan Adams was starting his chiropractic practice, The UnBroken Body, he found that a powerful practice management solution was necessary to ensure he had the time he needed to tackle his administrative workload.

“I actually chose DrChrono, because I found myself not having enough time to do all of the other little tidbits like making the phone calls, answering the emails, writing the papers, and all of the things you have to do when you’re an independent doctor,” said Dr. Adams.

However, knowing which features to prioritize in medical software can be difficult. Balancing a wide breadth of features with an easy-to-use interface is an important equation for each practice to solve in their chiropractic EHR software search. This article examines the most beneficial features in practice management for chiropractors.

Clean Appointment Scheduling & Profiles

As a chiropractor, keeping a constant flow of patients coming in and out is essential. You want to be sure that you have enough patient volume throughout the day. With online appointment scheduling tools, your clinic will make it much easier for patients to schedule their appointments and avoid double bookings or an overly clogged calendar.

Online scheduling through your EHR and practice management software also cuts down on the workload for your administrative staff. If you are the sole provider and staff in your practice, it will make managing your calendar easier as well. Many patients want to be able to schedule their chiropractic appointments without sitting through a phone queue, and those clogged phone lines can bring a lot of unnecessary stress to your staff.

To avoid this, sign onto a software with an easy-to-use appointment scheduler that can integrate into your website. If your practice conducts telemedicine appointments, be sure that the system you use allows patients to schedule those online as well.

Clinics can further optimize the appointment scheduling process with appointment profile templates. If your electronic medical record software has this feature, you can pre-determine how long an appointment should be based on the type of encounter. Whether it be new patient consultations, injury assessments or standard adjustments, you can customize appointment length and the necessary intake forms for each visit.

Chiropractors can also preload the most common medical billing codes and notes associated with that type of encounter into the profile. This will both save time on charting and cut down on errors in data entry.

Automated Appointment Reminders

No-shows are a consistent problem for many clinics. They result in wasted time and lost revenue for your practice. To reduce your no-show rate, look for practice management software that allows you to send automated reminders to patients for their scheduled appointments.

On top of slashing your no-show rate, having appointment reminders sent directly from your practice management system will save you or your office staff a significant amount of time trying to contact patients for appointments. Ultimately, removing unnecessary administrative burdens is what you need from your EMR and practice management software.

Online Check-In

The next time-saving feature to look for is online patient check-in. This will cut down on wait times in your office, and it will help your clinic be completely paperless. Since many chiropractic clinics have either small, part-time staff or are completely operated by the chiropractor alone, data entry tasks required by check-in can really cut into the already limited time available to them.

With a web-based check-in process, your patients can fill out any paperwork needed for their appointment before they even walk in your door. This information is then automatically input into your electronic health record for that patient upon approval.

If your EHR platform works on iPad, your patients can further expedite the check-in process by simply taking a picture of their insurance information on the tablet and adding it to the chart. The check-in feature will quickly move patients through lengthy paperwork tasks so that they can spend more time getting the chiropractic care they need.

Patient Portal

An easy-to-use patient portal is a thread that ties many of these features together. Patients should be able to access this portal through an application on their phone or tablet or via a website. In the patient portal, they will be able to schedule appointments, view wait times, conduct their check-in process, and more.

This feature is a great medium through which you can communicate with patients. HIPAA compliant messaging in the patient portal makes it easier to quickly explain things to patients, share exercise videos with them, and even receive videos from patients for movement assessments. It is also a patient’s main hub for finding their personal health care information.

Third-Party App Integrations

Finally, if you want a truly customizable practice management tool, look for a vendor with a secure, open API featuring third-party app integrations. As the description suggests, this feature is open-ended and can really be what you make of it.

If you need certain features that aren’t native to your chosen software, you could integrate an app that covers those features. For example, Dr. Adams wanted certain features in appointment scheduling that were not quite there in DrChrono.

“I integrated Holly by Nimble into my EMR because it was so useful for not just scheduling appointments but managing appointment reminders on top of that. It’s an AI-powered software that just does all that work for me, and it really rounded out DrChrono for me,” he said.… Read the rest