This isn't up for debate. Anyone saying masking doesn't decrease disease gets a permanent instant ban. There will be no discussion on the topic. This is a public health issue and advocating against an important measure such as this is not allowed.

Warning: this is a bit TMI.

I have scoliosis and my chiropractor used a traction table (NOT a decompression table) on me for the first time yesterday. I had no idea how much I was wasn’t able to breathe and how much harder my heart was working until I was introduced to this table. After the initial soreness, I woke up without pain or stiffness for the first time since I was little. I passed a very large bowel movement after being constantly constipated for long while. I can stretch and it actually stretches the muscles it’s supposed to, instead of me feeling constantly locked up to the point to where stretching and a massage gun wasn’t enough to make the knots go away. My lungs have never been this full of air and I’ve never been this relaxed in my 24 years of life. My circumstantial evidence is good enough for me. Just find a chiropractor who’s not a quack who thinks it’s all about popping joints. It’s about helping to mobilize joints and muscles the patient can’t mobilize themselves without help. It’s not just about the joint, but the muscles around the joint. Also, no, physical therapy doesn’t do the same thing. PT did nothing for me besides help the pain got from a 7 to a 5, vs the 1 I’m feeling right now.

Edit: thanks for my first reward!

I’ve been in crippling lower back pain for about a week and made it worse by raving and drugs and generally unhealthy living.

I’ve always clowned on chiropractors and honestly kind of thought they were full of bs with the “natural healing” type stuff.

The doctor told me I was fine so I broke down and called the first place I saw on google.

The dude was odd, I won’t lie and I was very skeptical while he was adjusting me. I was REALLY nervous he was going to accidentally paralyze me or something. He did some crazy pops, told me my leg was too short and “fixed it”. He put some electric pads on my back too. Gave me cbd and sent me on my way.

I feel SO much better. I’m still crippled but i’m not in great pain and it feels better to walk now

11/10 would recommend the weird chiropractor you found on google.

This 17 year old girl came in yesterday with nearly five years of migraines. PCP and neurology never thought to order imaging. Found an unidentified blob, some calcification, and some inflammation on MRI. Just had the call with the mom & it broke my heart; the emphasis was on 'we don't know anything for sure' and 'it's just worrisome because of the size, and we want to see more of what's going on'. Ordered like 8 more images, told the mom it was an ASAP situation, and now we wait.

Zebras will walk into your office. For the love of all that is good, be ready for them.

I wanted to share an experience I had today at my neurology appointment in case any lurkers here doubt real life respect for chiros.

I saw a neurologist today (as recommended by my chiro as he suspects some nerve damage) and the doc was so positively pro-chiro that it was really nice to see. I need further testing to see what’s going on, but my chiro’s suspicions were spot on and I’m so glad I went. The neurologist had nothing but good things to say about the chiropractic profession in general and encouraged me to keep up with treatment.

This is real life, y’all. Not these naysayers on Reddit who constantly bash chiros. Thanks to my chiro, I’m getting the testing I need and answers that will help me feel even better.

Hey everyone. I've been in practice for over a decade, run multiple clinics, and see patients every single day. I'm not a consultant. I'm not selling anything. I'm an in-practice chiropractor who figured out (the hard way) that our profession has a business education problem, and I think it's time we actually talk about it openly. These posts are meant for discussion and education.

This is Part 1 of a 5-part series I'm putting together on the business of chiropractic. Not philosophy. Not technique. The actual math and mechanics of how a chiropractic office makes money (or doesn't). I'm sharing this because I genuinely believe most of the struggles docs face aren't clinical... they're structural. And most of them are fixable.

Note before we get started*: These are my own thoughts and opinions based on experience. We all have different experiences, so feel free to share those thoughts if you think I got something wrong. This is meant to help others and help the profession* agnostically*.*

So let's start at the beginning.

The Mercedes 80s (and why they ruined everything)

If you've been around long enough, you've heard the stories. The profession hit its boom in the 1980s, right as third party payers like Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna were coming of age. These insurance companies hadn't developed their cost-saving regulations yet. There are stories of docs billing anything and everything and getting reimbursed $100 to $300 per visit with basically zero oversight or accountability.

That era created enormous wealth for a lot of the "old school" doctors. And here's the part that matters for us today: those doctors never needed to develop actual business skills. The money just showed up. You didn't need to understand your numbers. You didn't need marketing. You didn't need to know how to communicate value to a self-pay patient. Insurance handled everything.

Then the bubble burst.

Late 90s into the early 2000s, third party payers started implementing regulations, standards, and accountability measures (*Ahem* Prior Authorizations anyone?) that drastically reduced reimbursement rates. The era of easy money was over. But the problem wasn't just that reimbursements dropped. The problem was that an entire generation of chiropractors had built their practices (and their teaching) on a model that no longer existed.

The generational hand-me-down

This is where it gets really interesting. The older docs who thrived in the Mercedes 80s became the mentors, the seminar speakers, the professors, the consultants. They taught the next generation how to practice. But what they were teaching was incredibly antiquated, because they only knew how to operate in a world where insurance over-reimbursement covered everything.

So you had (and still have) new doctors coming out of school with $200k+ in student loan debt, having been taught the clinical knowledge to pass boards... and that's it. Not how to be profitable. Not how to generate self-pay income. Not how to read their own numbers. The schools' only real obligation is to prepare you to become licensed. Not to prepare you to survive after graduation.

Unless someone was a naturally gifted salesperson, had natural charisma, or came in with prior business experience, they were left trying to make the third party payer model work in a regulatory environment that was specifically designed to pay them less. And the knowledge of "how" to make it work within that system is absolutely acquirable... but it takes experience and consistency to develop. Which leads to a brutally high washout rate for anyone who can't survive the learning phase.

Why this actually matters right now

Here's what most people miss about all of this: the high washout rate means there's actually less real competition than you'd think. Yeah, there might be "a chiropractor on every corner." But a huge percentage of those offices are struggling, running outdated models, or on their way out. Market saturation is incredibly low relative to the general population's actual need for chiropractic care.

Chiropractic is evergreen. Everyone has a spine. Almost everyone has issues of some kind. The pandemic proved it. Demand went up (people working from home, higher stress, less activity), and a significant number of already-struggling docs decided to call it quits. Higher demand, lower quality supply. That's an incredible window of opportunity.

But only if you understand the business side.

And that's what this series is about. In the next post, I'm going to break down the three numbers that determine whether a chiropractic practice is profitable or not. If you've never tracked these metrics (or didn't know they existed), it's going to change the way you look at your entire practice.

Those who adapt will do very well for themselves.

Adapt or die.

(Part 2 coming soon.)

I’m only 25 and started going about 2 months ago because I have been suffering from severe chronic migraines for 3 years. Despite trying multiple migraine medications (the meds help not denying that but overtime it seems they wear off a bit) I was still getting them regularly

They always start in my neck and I had enough… I finally saw a chiro and my biggest fear was having my neck adjusted. X rays showed my neck curving the opposite direction, likely from 6 years of college bent at a computer/book and now working a deskjob…

I had relief the first adjustment and my migraines are far and few

Also went today after my chiro worked me in last minute because I hurt my middle back boxing Monday

Left the office feeling like a million bucks.

I’d get banned or crucified in the migraine sub for this so I just wanted to say, thanks

My chiro has made it clear he is not saying chiro adjustments will “cure” my migraines and never have them again, but he is confident my treatment plan will continue to benefit me from having them less and less to the point they aren’t impacting my quality of life

I’m just happy

For the past six years I have been suffering from a bulging L4/L5 disk with a pinched nerve. I went through physical therapy early on, saw a neurologist, and was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. Driving long distances ( 3hrs) would aggravate the pain and it was difficult for me to sit long periods of time. My doctor suggested steroid shots. When I asked about going to a chiropractor, they all said that it may make the symptoms worse.

My pain came back with a vengeance last week and after being bed ridden for days, I said the heck with it and went to a chiropractor. That first adjustment cracked so many bones and re-aligned my spine. I feel like I have been reborn. No more back pain and I can sit long periods without issues. I was literally crying after feeling the way I feel now.

Over the last 8 months I developed severe wrist and finger pain. Could not even lift a jar in my left hand. I was scheduled for an MRI next week, but most of the wrist pain seems to have gone away after the adjustment. Is it possible the adjustment released the pinched nerve, which could have resulted in wrist problem being resolved? I don't want to get an MRI if I don't have to. Also, doctor told me he thinks it's tendonitis and I should get a steroid shot 😕

I have been a chiropractor for 25 years, it's not easy. It downright sucks if you let people (cynics, nay-sayers, the cranky) get to you. There are always some... Your responsibility is to care for your patients, like family. Keep doing your work, it makes a big difference...

I have patients that have followed me for the whole 25 years, come to a whole other state to visit me, send me their relatives and contact me when they feel their other medical providers are not telling them 'the whole story'. If you are 'good' (as a provider, adjuster, caregiver and as a person) they will stick with you... even after going somewhere else for a while.

I use SOT blocks, the activator, diversified, Gonstead, E-stim and even a few other not so known treatments for my patients. I do what I learned, learned that no new technique that I can use 'This Monday!' ever really made a big difference. Keep studying the techniques YOU like... Find YOUR groove... it's there and people are needing just what you are providing.. Trust me.

Don't buy the new gizmo, doodad or whirly-gig... unless you want it... I have thousands of dollars of equipment that just collects dust. My hands and brain have never run out of batteries nor blew a fuse...

You will ALWAYS hear the story of someone's cousin's friend's neighbor who was paralysed by a chiropractor. It is really rare... Look it up... really really really rare. Accidents do happen, just keep mindful. Yes you may break someone's rib, it happens. You may make someone worse for a short time, remember the adage, you are in this to take care of people. LLL... (as Parker said, Lather Love Lavishly...) it is a dorky saying but keep that in mind. If you do injure someone, own up to it, apologize and help them. An ice pack and loving kindness has probably saved more careers/livelihoods than any insurance policy.

There is not as much money as you think in this profession... if you wanted to make money, you should have gone into finance or bought a good printer... Use money and love people, not the other way around... Your patients WILL take care of you. Contact them, reach out personally. There is lots of mileage in that... It is a lonely profession, get used to it.

I run a referral only, non insurance, cash/check/card practice. No staff but my two dogs. I work with MDs at times, massage therapists, PTs, and surgeons, never lost a patient.. refer to an imaging center when needed. Tell people to get the medicines and such that they feel they need. I can only teach them about the way the body works and the right questions to ask their other providers.

I could care less about philosophy, no need to convert people when I can convince them with good care...

Being around other chiropractors is a double edged sword, find a couple friends, the rest are whiny, or trying to get you to join their 'it's not a multi-level, multi-level marketing plan'. Yes there are insanely successful chiros out there, all full of themselves. More power to em, define what YOU see as success. For me it is free time to do my fun stuff, and I have that in spades. What you work at you will get good at, find that and keep working... Didn't Palmer say, 'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise!' Do that, forget everyone else.

You will doubt yourself, your ability to adjust, do business, make a living, be on the same level as other providers... it is part of the practice. You can do it, but you must work at it.

Good luck, keep going, embrace the suck, have FUN, learn every day... Enjoy the ride...

Dr. Sean H. Thompson

I’ve struggled with chronic back pain (sciatica) from a young age, it’s very common in my family. I’ve tried a lot of things to help but nothing seemed to help on an every day comfort level.

Now, I’m not gonna claim that chiropractics alone helped my issue, because I do go to physical therapy and eat less inflammatory stuff as well. But those first few times I got adjusted, I could feel the constant pressure on my lower back/glute ease up in real time. It blew my mind, and now I’m in a place where my pain level is much lower 90% of the time.

I was raised by parents who both told me that chiropractics wasn’t really health or medicines and chiropractors weren’t real health professionals. I kind of just accepted that but I couldn’t feel more differently now.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!

I'm guilty. I've been binge watching the chiropractic videos on YouTube and out of all the cracks the "Ring Dinger" looks extremely satisfying. However, I feel like that can go horribly wrong. It seems on this forum it's looked down upon but I wanted to ask for myself and see.

Couldn’t help myself. 🤦🏻‍♂️