Do Chiropractors Have Specialties?
If you haven’t looked into chiropractic as a profession much you may assume that all chiropractors are generally the same, providing similar care with only minor variants between offices and providers. However, there are actually many chiropractic specialities that a provider may venture into by conscious choice or simply by preference during their schooling, training, and in practice. Some of these specialties can have associated certifications programs and techniques that are popular among each specialty but they aren’t always necessarily required to treat a particular patient base or call yourself a specialist in that area of treatment.
All chiropractors receive basic knowledge during their schooling about physical examination, movement assessment, treatment of basic musculoskeletal issues using the chiropractic adjustment and basic exercise based rehab, taking and reading x-rays, ordering and interpreting basic bloodwork, and helping patients implement nutritional and lifestyle changes to live a healthier life. During these classes many of us get “bitten by the bug” of a particular speciality and decide to dive in to those subjects with much more detail. So what are some of the chiropractic specialties a provider might pursue?
Chiropractic specialties cover a wide range of patient bases and can deal with some pretty niche populations including pregnancy and pediatrics providers who often deal with young children, pregnant mothers and pelvic floor dysfunction, chiropractic radiologists who are especially skilled in reading x-rays and other images to rule in or out specific structural issues, functional medicine chiropractors who deal with advanced blood, urine, and fecal testing and prescribe specific dietary or supplement regimens, chiropractic neurologists who deal with treating and rehabbing conditions like migraines, dizziness, nausea, and inner ear conditions, and sports and rehab based chiropractors who treat athletes of all levels and ages using a very active and multi-modal approaches to treatment (I consider myself to be a sports and rehab based chiropractor).
While most chiropractors can handle most issues that present in their office, sometimes a patients condition falls outside of a particular providers skillset and a referral can be extremely helpful to get that patient back on track to feeling good. If a referral isn’t necessary right away, a trial of care with a provider is a great way to assess how much they will be able to help you and the dialogue should be open and honest if a provider is not the best fit to help you resolve your specific symptoms. A great provider has no issues with referral to another specialist if things get out of their scope or skillset. For most patients, a specialist is not necessary and most good chiropractors (REMINDER: with or without a specialty, a provider should always be well-rounded, thorough, and caring!) should be able to help, but for some, a specialist who’s well versed in that patient’s particular assessment and treatment challenges can make all the difference!