How to Choose a Health Professional for Pain and Injury

How to choose a health professional for pain and injury

A common question that we encounter in the clinic when it comes to seeking treatment for pain and injury is, who should I see? In this day and age, we have a huge myriad of different providers in the allied health care and rehabilitation field and it can be very hard to know who you should visit when trying to recover from pain or injury.

Should you see a chiropractor, physiotherapist, osteopath, myotherapist, remedial massage therapist, soft tissue occupational therapist, exercise physiologist, sports medicine doctor or orthopedic specialist? Perhaps I’m exaggerating here, but the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the marketplace of allied health practitioners, it can be very confusing to know who you should see about your problem. One of the things that we often preach to patients when choosing a health practitioner is that we believe the title of the practitioner or which profession they come from, such as Chiro or Physio, is not always the most important thing that you should look for when trying to find who’s right to help you with your problems. We believe that there are other ways that you can decide which individual or clinic is right for you!

The overall approach of the practitioner or clinic

It’s really important to understand what kind of treatment the practitioner that you’re looking at seeing actually offers. Do they offer a combination of different hands-on treatments in the clinic such as spinal adjustments or manipulation, soft tissue therapy, dry needling, other different hands-on manual therapy techniques? Do they utilize things like ultrasound machines or other electrical modalities? 

Ideally, we recommend looking for someone that combines hands-on variety treatment in the clinic, with a plan of things you can do to help you recover outside the clinic, such as exercise rehab & practical advice.

Treatment should be unique to you

We firmly believe that when looking for a health practitioner, you should be trying to find someone that will customize a plan of treatment for you. It should be specific to your condition as well as your goals and expectations for seeking treatment. Your treatment should always be specific to you and your unique problem and experience.

Ideally, your practitioner should ask you what you’re aiming to achieve out of treatment, what it is that you want to help with, and what your expectations are in terms of what outcome you would like to achieve.

Special interest areas

Often it benefits to look for a practitioner or a clinic that has a special interest in treating the type of problem that you are facing. For example, if you’re an active grappler or crossfitter, you may want to look for a practitioner that has an interest in these fields.

If you’re suffering from complex headaches or jaw pain, there is probably a practitioner or clinic in your area that has a special interest in these. Health practitioners are often very passionate and interested in their special interest field or niche. So magic can happen when you align with someone with an interest in your particular problem.

Practicality of the practitioner or clinic

This may seem like an obvious one, but the clinic needs to be practically viable for you to attend on a regular basis as required. If you find the best chiro or osteo with an interest in your problem, but the commute to their practice is an hour and you’re not going to be able to get there often enough, this probably won’t lead to a great outcome from your treatment.

Ideally, look for a practice or practitioner that will logistically work around where you can attend and what times you can be there. You might want to check things like consult fees, do they take private health, and all sorts of other considerations

Now you’re asking, great, but how do I find the right practitioner for me? With the availability of online information & social media, there’s actually quite a few ways that you can find a practitioner that could be right for you and your problem.

Online Research

The first would be to have a look online and try and find a practitioner or a clinic within a location that’s suitable. From here, you can look at clinics’ website and check the bios of the practitioners. The team will often list their special interests clinically, and you can get a feel for what the service and overall approach of the clinic is based on the website and the treatments or services listed on their website.

Social Media

Social media is often another great avenue. Many clinics and individual health practitioners will post different information or content related to their overall approach and how they treat in the clinic. It can be a good way to find out what their special interests might be.

Word of Mouth Recommendations

Word-of-mouth and recommendation is a really great option here. People whose opinions you trust might be able to give you a great recommendation or suggestion for who you should visit regarding pain or an injury. Added bonus if they have a similar problem to you or a similar interest or hobby relating to their pain or injury.

We are here to help!

If you are looking for a Chiropractor Perth, Scarborough Chiropractic clinic or Doubleview Chiropractic you’ve come to the right place! Our team will work with you in develop A custom treatment Plan unique to your problem goals and expectations. 

To decide which of our team is right for you check out our practitioner page and have a read of the chiropractors bio.

Contact us today or book online and let’s help you out of pain, to overcome injury and get back to doing what you love!

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