Chiropractor: What Determines Cost of Care?

Injuries are an unwanted but seemingly unavoidable part of life. Usually, the best course of action for you or your loved ones is to receive treatment from a hospital. Yet, you’ll need special care from a chiropractor for specific injuries.

Whether you’re a new patient or returning visits to a chiropractor, you may have concerns about your bill’s potential costs and components. This article discusses the factors that affect the cost of chiropractic treatment.

Chiropractor Explains the Details About Chiropractic Costs

Medical treatment costs are usually significant financial expenses, and most people do not know or rarely ask why they pay specific amounts of money to get better. Visiting a chiropractor is similar to seeing a doctor in a regular hospital. They will need to perform an initial evaluation of your physical state before advising the best treatment procedure.

These treatment procedures often incur costs. However, choosing the cheapest or most expensive chiropractic provider should not be the focus. All you need is to know what you’re paying for and why.

Multiple factors affect the cost of chiropractic care, and we examine a few significant ones below.

• Extent or Severity of Injury

You’ll need to see a chiropractor when you sustain injuries or have a particular physical condition. A one-off chiropractic adjustment may not be costly if you’re in good physical condition.

Alternatively, certain conditions require extensive treatment and therapies over long periods. Unfortunately, this treatment plan usually leads to high costs.

• Chiropractor’s Experience

Before earning a doctor of chiropractic degree, chiropractors take at least eight years of undergraduate coursework and specialized training. Also, some practitioners have spent a significant amount of years in practice. As a result, more experienced chiropractors often acquire multiple certifications and may charge more.

• Use of Advanced Technology

Chiropractors use special techniques to diagnose and treat body conditions. For effectiveness, chiropractors may also opt for advanced technologies.

High-tech tools used by chiropractors include electrical-muscular stimulation (E-STIM), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanning, radiography (X-rays, CT, etc.), and ultrasound therapy. Unfortunately, these tests can create extra costs up to thousands of dollars.

• Location of Chiropractic Clinic

States differ by the cost of living, resident taxes, and frequency of demand for chiropractic services. Treatments in a large city are usually costlier than in smaller cities or rural towns.

Also, chiropractors may be part of a regular hospital or set up private practices. Either of these situations can affect the final cost of chiropractic care.

• Insurance Coverage

Most insurance plans cover some part of chiropractic treatment bills. These plans include Medicare, Medicaid, and others for military (active-duty and veteran) and workers’ compensation. Therefore, you will pay less if your health insurance covers chiropractic care.

Does Medical Insurance Cover a Chiropractor?

Most medical insurance plans cover chiropractic care. However, there may be certain limitations according to different programs.

You may need to receive a referral from a primary care physician, stating your chiropractic care as “medically necessary.” Alternatively, you’ll need to receive treatment from approved (or in-network) chiropractors.

You can use the mandatory personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to pay for chiropractic care in Florida. But, you must receive medical care within two weeks of your accident. Ultimately, ensure to confirm details of coverage from your insurance provider.

When Do You Need a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor, or Doctor of Chiropractic (DC), cares for the body’s neuromusculoskeletal system. They diagnose and treat issues with the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and tendons.

For instance, at Specific Care Chiropractic, treatments exist in two categories: chiropractic adjustments and physiotherapy.

• Chiropractic Adjustments: It involves controlled but forceful shifts to realign the human spine and increase mobility. Adjustment techniques include diversified adjustments, knee-chest, side posture, toggle recoil, and the Sacral-Occipital technique (SOT).
• Physiotherapy: Physiotherapists use evidence-based rehabilitation to treat short or long-term musculoskeletal pain. Some physiotherapy treatments are corrective care, massage, ultrasound, and rehabilitative therapies.

Generally, chiropractors seek to improve the overall performance of the human body. So, getting chiropractic treatment is necessary for you in the following situations.

Accident and Sports-Related Injuries

Slip-and-fall situations, car crashes, and workplace accidents usually result in painful injuries or health conditions. After treating your wounds, you’ll need to see a chiropractor. DCs typically assess, diagnose, and develop rehabilitation plans for various accident-related injuries.

You’re at risk even as an athlete or a physically active person. Common high-impact injuries like sprains and concussions result from body strain and pressure. Chiropractic reduces healing times and optimizes physical performance.

Body Aches and Pains

Spinal misalignment is a common cause of non-accidental injuries. Examples are tension and migraine headaches, neck and lower back pains, and issues with muscles and joints.

Manipulating the spine is a significant feature of chiropractic care, so it’s helpful for these types of injuries. Other situations include tingling, numbness, or weakness in certain body parts.

Sedentary Work and Lifestyle

Your job can also negatively impact your health. For example, sitting for extensive periods at work, especially hunched over a computer screen, creates a high risk for poor posture. In turn, you may experience back, neck, and shoulders problems.

Pains Due to Chronic Conditions

Diabetes, arthritis, and other long-term health conditions often come with additional joint, muscle, and spine pains.

Your chiropractor can work with other medical professionals involved in your care. Together, they can create a comprehensive treatment plan to reduce or relieve your pains.

General Wellbeing

It’s vital to be intentional about your health and general wellbeing, and a chiropractor can be instrumental in this process. A chiropractor can advise you about exercise and mobility routines, personal nutrition, posture correction, and stress-relief techniques. So, even when you have no injuries or painful body conditions, a chiropractic visit can provide helpful information.

Benefits of Getting Chiropractic Care When Treating Accident Injuries

The following are known benefits of chiropractic care:

• Non-invasive option for injury treatment and corrective care
• Treating invisible injuries like whiplash or nerve damage
• Reduce inflammation from muscle and ligament tears
• Restore mobility and strength to stiff or sore body parts
• Lasting relief without relying on potentially addictive pain killers
• Prevent severe complications from delayed symptoms
• Help injury claims with proof of accident-related medical care

A chiropractor can examine injuries and advise you on appropriate treatment procedures. At Specific Care Chiropractic, our priority is to give you safe care.

Yet, chiropractic care is not only for treating injuries from accidents. It can help maintain top physical condition and improve overall health.

Hire a Professional Chiropractor in Florida

Accident injuries can have severe and long-term effects on your health without the proper treatment. At Specific Care Chiropractic, we help patients with pains from accident-related (vehicle crash, slip-and-fall) and non-accidental (headaches, back pains) situations. In addition, we provide chiropractic treatment tailored to your specific needs.

Do you often find yourself searching “injury treatment center near me” in Florida? Then, call us at (239) 932-5314 today to schedule an appointment with our doctors.