Dealing with the cause rather than the complaint with treatment protocols and technological tools helps educate and retain your patients

My favorite venue for meeting prospective patients is a health fair or wellness seminar. In this environment, people are open to hearing about a holistic approach to health care and not just interested in a quick fix for pain. I am able to discuss subluxation and how incorrect posture, combined with a few bad habits, can aggravate misalignments and lead to a myriad of symptoms and health problems.

I explain to prospects: If a person seeks chiropractic care only when there is pain and discontinues visits once the pain is eased, then chiropractors are able to alleviate only the symptom—not address the cause.

Unfortunately, I see many patients for the first time when they are suffering from some form of pain. In some cases, they have attended one of my seminars and have been meaning to schedule an appointment but delayed contacting me until a physical problem developed. Other times, satisfied patients refer them. And sometimes they know they need pain relief and just pick a chiropractor at random. Whichever way they come to me, I take advantage of the visit to educate them about their discomfort. I also try to help them understand why they must do more than just relieve symptoms.

Information, Please
I have developed a series of procedures for new-patient visits that have helped me educate and retain patients. This checklist is in addition to a standard examination, which includes computer-assisted standing postural analysis; range of motion, neurological, and orthopedic tests; and x-rays (if merited).

• Develop a patient profile questionnaire that gives you insight into the lifestyle and habits of the patient. Some entries are obvious: height, weight, level of physical activity, and type of job. However, some helpful questions that determine causation are rarely asked. For example: Do you cross your legs when you sit? Do you routinely lift and/or carry packages? What kinds of stress do you have in your life? Do you carry a wallet in your pocket? What position do you sleep in? These questions help in your initial consultation and overall diagnosis and care plan.

• Discuss the possible causes of discomfort. My goal is to let patients know that all pain is not the same. Pain is not just the body begging for acetaminophen. It can be for protection, a result of trauma (acute or chronic), or an accumulated and delayed response. If my patient do not know the cause of their pain, I inform them that a thorough exam can reveal the underlying cause and provide relief.

• Have educational tools available that explain the relationship between habits, routines, and misalignment. The best tool is the patients’ arms. I ask them to fold their arms and note which arm is on top. Next, I have the patients fold the arms with the opposite arm on top. Every person response is “that feels awkward”. This is a simple example of posture and a misalignment. Just like changing the arm on top feels awkward (misalignment), and making posture changes will meet resistance and may require multiple adjustments before the new position feels natural.

• Use visual materials to demonstrate how these habits may lead to postural distortions and subluxations. Visual materials often help people better understand the relationship between cause and effect.

When patients choose to visit a chiropractor, they are looking for a long-term solution. It would be easy to prescribe a pill that could mask the pain until any immediate inflammation abates. However, there are often better avenues that the patient can take to address the cause of the problem. Therefore, I give my patients the benefit of a personalized, in-depth look at why they are experiencing pain and the changes they need to make.

Then I discuss the recommended protocol of care with them. After making sure they understand that the process is not a quick, overnight fix, I give them an idea of the treatment schedule. I do not want them to get the idea that they will have to visit me every week until the end of time. I do want them to have a realistic understanding of the time investment that is involved and why.

Whenever possible, I like to set goals so patients can measure their accomplishments. I also encourage chiropractors to use advanced-technology tools whenever possible (see sidebar).

Going for the Goal
Follow through with your patients. Continually update them on their progress, and open an ongoing discussion about their care. Make sure they understand that, although the reason they came to see you in the first place is gone, the root cause still needs to be addressed, which is not always easy. We are an instant gratification society, and many of us forsake good habits that keep us healthy. We want health care quickly and completely, and then we are off to the next issue. Explain to your patients that to correct their conditions and to keep recurrences from happening, a lifelong change is required.

It is rewarding when you help patients understand it is more important to discover and treat the cause of a problem than to merely address the complaint. More people are accepting the wellness approach to health care. CP

Jeffrey D. Olsen, DC, is a 1996 presidential scholar and summa cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He has been in private practice with his two partners/brothers since 1997 in Roanoke, Va. Olsen has also instructed as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, teaching anatomy and physiology in the Physician Assistant Department. He can be reached at 800-553-4860, or via email: olsen@footlevelers.com.