29 May “When the chiropractor near me isn’t helping, what’s next?”

Our healthcare isn’t going to get any better.

In terms of quality or expecting to pay less money.

If you don’t know what your goals are when you schedule an appointment with any doctor, you might get taken for a joy ride.

Or if you’re already thinking:

When the chiropractor near me isn’t giving me relief any more, what’s next?

… Then read on.

What Every Doctor’s Metric Should Be

Money is good.

It buys you stuff.

But if the doctor who is working on you, your “chiropractor near me”, is only focused on the money, what does that say about the care you’re receiving?

The only things that matter when it comes to seeing a specific doctor or therapist for your annoying pains and health are:

• What does your doctor claim to be the best in the world at?
  • At Barefoot Rehab, we find and fix adhesion better than anyone else in New Jersey.
• Will your doctor tell you the comprehensive truth about your condition?
• Does your doctor respect other areas of healthcare?

The answers to these questions can be summed up in one word:

Results.

Results can also be described as:

I don’t feel my pain anymore!

You want relief!

Not a small amount either. You want this nagging pain gone!

Or if your pain can’t be fixed, you want to be told immediately so you don’t waste any precious:

• time, because every day with this pain costs you focus on the things that actually matter to you (your kids, your partner, your job, your hobbies).
• money, because losing money hurts your head.
• energy, because you have better things to do.

It may seem obvious that what you want, as a patient, is to get out of pain.

But if you really ask yourself, the majority of you might find that the doctors you’ve seen in the past don’t hold your well-being above all else.

What 8 of Our Patients Had to Say About Their “Chiropractor Near Me”

At Barefoot Rehab, we are constantly gathering information about how our patients think of us.

We want to know:

• are we helping people?
• are we not helping?
• what else we can do to make people’s lives better?

During the week of May 21, 2017, we sat down with 8 of our patients to find out how their experience was with us.

A few of those patients were current. Others were discharged months ago.

There were several common themes around the reasons why they came to see us at Barefoot Rehab.

1. I saw several other doctors.  Nothing else worked.
2. If you can’t help me, I wanted an honest answer and trusted that you would give it to me.
3. I wanted a doctor who didn’t say that he could fix everyone’s problem. I wanted a holistic doctor.

Below, I’ll show you their word-for-word responses so you can see if you’re getting the type of healthcare you deserve.

#1 “I saw several other doctors. Nothing else worked.”

A 38 year-old mother said:

I spent 5-6 months seeing different doctors with no results. I went to physical therapy, got MRIs, went to regular chiropractors, went to my regular MD, took, drugs, and went to the ER 3 times. I was desperate to find something. When I saw how many people you helped [47 5-star reviews on Facebook, 29 5-star reviews on Google], I realized I wanted to try out your practice.

It’s not uncommon for people to become frustrated with a healthcare system that moves them from one doctor to the next.

With empty words and broken promises.

We call this the Medical Merry-Go-Round.

It costs you enormous amounts of time, energy, and money.

This same woman continued:

I can look in my blind spot now while driving. I no longer have the chronic pain that was affecting my daily activities. I was always thinking about my neck instead of everything else in my life. I can’t believe the pain is gone without medication.  You guys [Dr. Curtis and I] see me for 15 minute treatments when I was going to physical therapy for 90 minutes at a time.

I can’t believe how effective your treatment is.

Another 40 year-old desk worker said:

I was in a hospital, had a cortisone shot in my shoulder, had seen several chiropraactors. None of it was helping.

My range of motion was lost, I had constant pain, numbness and shooting in my hand. It impacted my sleep at the time. I was becoming irritable to those around me and couldn’t stay focused. I couldn’t throw a ball or drive my car.

My pain is 75% better from your treatment. You told me I had a rotator cuff tear and told me to get an MRI. When the MRI came back, it confirmed that I had a rotator cuff tear. You’ve given me exercises to strengthen my shoulder and I’m aware what might aggravate it on a daily basis, whether at my desk, holding the mouse,or driving the car.

One more 35 year-old psychotherapist said:

I had incredible pain in my hip. I was getting spasms in my groin. I couldn’t do anything. I was doing regular physical therapy. I went to the ortho and he couldn’t figure out if it was your low back or hip. My sports orthopedist was an asshole [Dr. Chris’s Reminder – this was her language, not mine.] This guy moved my hip around and said “See, you can move your hip around.” He didn’t image me and sent me away.

No one wanted to help me.

When you saw me on day one, you said you’ve seen this before, “You have a labral tear.”

I got the MRI report back and it said I have a labral tear. I wish the previous doctors would’ve told me that.

A 67 year-old CrossFitting grandmother added:

I once saw the chiropractor near me. I was really unsatisfied with the approach.

I knew you did things differently and was willing to try it for my low back.

It can be really disappointing to think you’re all alone with your pain and there are no potential solutions.

These three people got off the medical merry-go-round.

#2 “If I can’t be helped, I want an honest answer.”

One young, athletic male, owner of three CrossFit gyms, had this to say about referring his members to us:

The biggest thing, Chris, is you’re super honest. If you can’t fix someone, you send them on your way with their recommendation. You’re not trying to ground their pocket for as many sessions as you can get out of them. If you can’t fix people, they appreciate the honesty that you share with them.

The reality of people’s bodies is that not everyone can be fixed. Some people have done permanent damage to their bodies:

• disc herniations
• cartilage wearing
• labrum tearing

So, having the full and complete answer to your pain can give you an enormous peace of mind.

The same psychotherapist from above with the labrum tear in her hip continued:

I manage my expectations now as I see you once a week. You’ve been patient with me. You’ve been open to learning that even though you can’t cure everyone, you can manage the pain. You can help me manage the pain. I can have the freedom to see what I can do. Knowing I have that base to come back to when I do something I should’ve have done.

That’s been really helpful.

I have less worry and stress, which is a huge part, about my issue. I have a diagnosis now, that’s huge! I know now it wasn’t in my head. Something that tends to be very painful for a lot of people.

Sometimes, just realizing that you’ve been causing your pain by the way you move your body can be extremely liberating.

Just last week, I told a young mother with an annulus tear in her lumbar disc how the Sit-Slide-Lean rule for sitting reduces the stress on the low back by 33%-50%.

Immediately, she replied:

Oh my Gosh Chris. I’ve been trying to sit upright with good posture away from the back of the chair for years. Damnit. Wow. The abuse I must’ve put on my discs! I’m so disappointed.

I reassured this woman, “Good thing you’re not learning this 10 years from now when you’re not a 45 year-old mom of 2 young kids who needs a walker, right?”

She smiled and took a deep breath.

#3 I wanted a doctor who didn’t say that he could fix everyone’s problem. I wanted a holistic doctor.

A young, female teacher and a single mom with one daughter said:

I initially came to see you because you had an organic, real, down-to-earth, upfront feel with an honest opinion. You said you may or may not be able to help me and I appreciated that honesty.

I was looking for a doctor who had extra kindness and would recognize me as a person. Someone who was concerned with my issues and seeing me as a person. [Namaste my friend – ha.] Not someone who was so overloaded with patients that they didn’t have time to connect with me.

You really do look out for people in your own unique way. We need practices like yours to say:

“It’s OK, we’re going to get through this. I’m with you on this journey.”

The whole body-mind-spirit approach is a huge selling point for you guys. I know I’m not going to go to you and you’re not going to prescribe me vicodyn.

Even though we may prescribe you other plant medicines.

Ha.

The psychotherapist from above noted:

All of my other doctors wanted to focus on one thing. I knew, intuitively, it’s important to look at the body as a whole.

Another young, male CrossFit owner had this to say about wanting real answers:

I had zero hesitation about seeing you. I wanted to know what was really going on. I wanted some type of closure to know what we can do to make it better. I knew I’d get a more straightforward answer with you than anyone else.  Did I herniate a disc? Was I weak? Did I have adhesion? Did stress contribute? What were all the factors to my pain?

Not only is my low back pain gone, but the tension I had in my back for days after a deadlift workout is no longer there.  I used to think that workout soreness and stiffness were the same thing. Now, the stiffness is gone, though I’m still sore everywhere after a serious WOD.

You know, I cut hair and stand alot. I had mid-back pain that I didn’t even tell you about. I’ve even been feeling looser in my mid-back too! I feel a lot taller and a lot better.

Now, my whole back is working less.

Not every patient gets the relief these three got.

But addressing the whole person usually delivers at least some relief and value to chronic pain sufferers.

So, what about you?

Do you have pain that isn’t going away?

Even if your doctor or therapist helps you, have you ever wondered if anyone can give you better care?

Are you tired of the medical merry-go-round?

Do you have a feeling your doctor is missing something?

Do you want to be treated a real human being?

As you’ll notice above, we can’t fix everyone.

But we can love the shit out of you.

If you want be loved (and get your pain fixed) and you live in New York City or Northern New Jersey, just give us a call.

• Parsippany, NJ office (862-205-4847)
• New York, NY office (929-251-3830)

What has your experience been with doctors? Is your “Chiropractor near me” using the same metric we use for success? Share your thoughts. We read every comment.