Increase your new patient base by offering seminars on postural imbalance and subluxation.

ONE TOPIC CHIROPRACTORS OFTEN mention is how difficult it is to build up and sustain a practice. To me, the solution is simple, obvious, and economical. All it takes is a little elbow grease, organization, and perseverance. The key to my success has been to arrange as many lectures and presentations for as many diverse groups as possible.

I begin by going to the telephone book and compiling a mailing list of every organization or group that I think might be interested in a free seminar. Service organizations, church groups, and businesses are among some of the groups I target. Groups are always looking for program ideas, and I offer something that is informative as well as interesting. With the spiraling cost of health insurance, businesses often sponsor wellness fairs—and I want to be there if one is being offered to the employees.

Do not overlook the professional women’s associations. I find that four out of five appointments made are by women. Even if they are not the ones experiencing problems, they are often the primary caregivers in their homes and concerned about the well-being of their families.

I write a simple, concise letter of introduction (see page 34) outlining my service and making it clear that the seminar or presentation is purely informational. I then invite them to call me to schedule a seminar at their convenience. Now, as you can imagine, most do not call me back from this initial contact. I do get about 1%–2% that call for more information or to schedule a seminar. Actually, that is not a bad return for a very little investment.

But I do not stop there. I still have the list I have compiled and I follow up the letter with telephone calls. With perseverance, I actually have a return rate of 18%–20%. This would be considered a whopping success for an advertiser—even for a mass mailing—but I am able to do this because I have reached a targeted, manageable group. And, again, I have spent very little money.

My seminars are also very targeted. I have three goals: 1) educate; 2) plant the seed that encourages my audiences to seek treatment before there is an injury; and 3) give interesting take-home literature. I do not even mention the word chiropractic, and I do not go into programs or length of time for care. I do offer to give a free examination and then either schedule individuals while I am at the meeting (I find this is best), or have them sign up and call them at a later date to schedule the appointment.

Even if someone does not show interest at the seminar, the literature is interesting enough that they usually keep it. Often, they will call me when they do have a problem. I have even had what I call nonpatient referrals—people who have attended a seminar and keep the literature, then when someone they know needs a chiropractor, they often share the literature. I make sure that every piece of literature has my card stapled to it or contains my name and telephone number.

My seminars are educational and informative. I begin by asking how many people are aware that one of their legs is probably shorter than the other. I then explain that very few people actually have a visual leg length inequality, and that in four out of five cases, the legs appear to be equal in length. What they probably do have, however, is a misalignment.

I have a few simple charts that illustrate a normal spine and subluxation. I use a model spine to show how incorrect posture, combined with a few bad habits, can aggravate misalignments and lead to myriad symptoms and health problems. I illustrate that when we assume poor posture or move incorrectly, the ligaments of the sacroiliac joints are stretched.

Using the example of a plastic bag (a bread bag works well), I am able to make an audience understand that with stretching, the ligaments permanently lose their original shape. I explain that this happens very slowly over time, and that since there is no muscular attachment, stretching of this nature cannot be reversed or strengthened through exercise.

I also have full-length posterior and anterior illustrations of the body that show what happens to posture when the pedal foundation is out of balance. The pelvis tilts, then the shoulders tilt, then the head tilts. All this to try to realign. Subsequently, there is nerve interference caused by all of these actions that emerges in symptoms of low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and even arthritis. I summarize this section by stating that most patients I see have not had an actual injury; the pain and/or any problems they are encountering are directly related to incorrect posture.

The next step is to demonstrate the many common habits that can cause spinal/pelvic misalignment:

• Posture. Not standing correctly causes a lordotic curve in the spine. When the pelvis tilts, the neck curve is flattened. This causes a host of symptoms and damages to the musculoskeletal system.

• Crossing the legs. When people cross their legs, they are aggravating any of the damage they have done with poor posture. The rule I give them is when you sit, do the same things with both of your legs. An example is having feet flat on the ground or crossed at the ankles.

• Slouching while sitting. Most people sit in the middle of the seat and slouch. I recommend sitting with their bottom all the way back into the seat and sitting straight.

• Wallets. Those pesky wallets are not only an enticement for pickpockets, they tilt the body. This, in turn, rotates the hips. Ultimately, the shoulders and head make unnatural adjustments to compensate.

• Sleeping. There are only two ways to sleep that keep your body in proper alignment: on your side with your knees bent, or flat on your back. Use only a cervical support pillow under your head. The worst way to sleep is on your stomach.

I close my seminar with the offer of a courtesy exam. I make it clear that there is no charge or obligation involved. It is best to have a staff member with you to schedule appointments before the presentation is over. If that is not possible, I have interested individuals give me their names and contact information. I then follow up within the next day or two to schedule appointments. I do not offer gimmicks or discounts. The only thing I ever give away is the exam. I do hand out literature that explains how to perform some basic exercises or stretches. I also have a sheet that shows correct and incorrect postures.

When I examine patients, I have five standard procedures:

1. Standing postural analysis. I check from head to toe to see if things are level and determine if their posture is correct or incorrect. This always includes an evaluation of the feet.
2. Range of motion. Can they twist? Is there any pain when they twist?
3. Neurological testing. I test their reflexes.
4. SEMG. I measure their motor output.
5. Orthopedic tests. Appropriate for the area of complaint.

Based on this standard five-step exam, I can begin to determine patient needs. After the exam, the results of the report of findings enable me to achieve patient retention. Perhaps this does not occur 100% of the time, but it certainly happens in the majority of cases. CP

Jeffrey D. Olsen, DC, is a summa cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He has been in private practice in Roanoke, Va, with his two partners/brothers since 1997. 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.