This is a question that I hear a lot from my own patients on a weekly accorance. My answer is always yes! It is just a matter if both the chiropractor and the physical therapist can find common ground.  Both physical therapy and chiropractic providers have the same goal in mind, offering care to their patients. The issue arises when a chiropractor or a physical therapist are bull-headed and refuse to utilize “co-care” or treat the same patient together at the same time. You would think this would be a no brainer, but some providers don’t see it this way. I am a huge believer in “co-care” which utilizes chiropractic care (chiropractic adjustments) as the primary therapy for my treatment protocol and offering the manual therapies from the physical therapist to help speed up the rate of healing. The key is “co-care”. You have to find the right chiropractor and physical therapist with the right mind set. Both have to agree that both professions offer benefits to the patient, not one or the other. When physical therapy and chiropractic care work hand in hand the patient responds much quicker and heals faster.  In my own practice I am struggling to find a physical therapist that is interested in working together outside of my practice. So far I have referred out numerous patients to physical therapy and I have not been referred any back. Though this can be frustrating, do not give up! As a chiropractor and businessman I am bound and determined

Chiropractors are called upon by their patient base for care frequently throughout the day. Each time we interact with a patient, we touch them multiple times on the neck, back, and of course, when we shake their hands. Therefore, our immune system has to be in top working order all year, not just during flu season, for us to stay healthy and keep our doors open.  Chiropractors have to practice what we preach. We have to be proactive about neck pain, back pain, and overall health, including all the systems of our body. 2. Exercise and Flexibility. It is not enough to work out a few days a week and call it good anymore. We not only have to feel good and just go about our day working a desk job, but we also need to heal our patients as well. Resistance training and cardiovascular exercises are critical. Chiropractors have to stress our muscles and joints with activities with much greater demands than our job requires. This approach ensures the microtrauma of repetitive movements, “providing chiropractic adjustments” daily never causes issues. If we continually stress the body at a higher demand in the fitness center’s controlled environment, then we have a minimal risk of injury in the workplace. Flexibility is just as important as exercise. Flexibility and dynamic stretches/yoga are crucial daily as well. Dynamic flexibility and stretching is an unsung hero and necessity that is always overlooked as unimportant. However, when we perform chiropractic care daily, we put our body into some interesting

Chiropractic colleges typically have a great array of tools and equipment they allow students to try out while treating different patients. However, many times what schools offer is only a drop in the bucket of the potential tools on the market. Anymore, chiropractic schools do not accept donated tools/equipment from manufacturers. Because of this, students are not getting exposed to all of the possibilities out there.  I strongly encourage new chiropractors to scour the web and look for different tools outside of what is offered within the walls of chiropractic school.  Here is a list of just a few common tools new chiropractors should seek out:  Soft Tissue Tools: What is Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)? IASTM in short is a method of scraping the skin to break up scar tissue in the soft tissues of concern. This process increases blood flow and then re-aggravates the area to stimulate the healing process again. This method can be used for scar tissue, muscle contractures, contusions, herniated discs, tendonitis, ligament sprains, increased range of motion (ROM) and also, of course, help with improved function and pain relief.  Graston owned the patent the soft tissue tools that were used to “scrape” the patients soft tissue. It’s a great product, but far overpriced for what it is. Now, a quick search shows many other brand names now that the Graston patent has expired. Examples are “Myofacial Releaser, FAKTR, Hawk Grips, Rocktape has its own line now, too. In short, they are a dime a dozen. I would

No matter the technique a chiropractor utilizes, they all need chiropractic tables. There are a few chiropractic tools and techniques that do not require a table, however, when it comes to the scalability and performance of a provider. A table is crucial to have a successful practice treating subluxations and reducing patient pain during their chiropractic treatment. There are over 200 chiropractic adjusting techniques in circulation. No one, single chiropractor can master them all. However, a great chiropractor will find their strengths and weaknesses and then choose a handful of techniques based on their own strengths to reduce pain to a patient's area of concern. Chiropractic adjusting tables: There are many different options for chiropractic tables. Some are just a bench roughly knee height. Others have more options. The more options you have (pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics), the more chiropractic techniques you can utilize and the more age groups of patients you can treat. You also have less wear and tear on your body with a table that can do more of the work for you. The following link is the site to the table I currently use, the Lloyd Galaxy Ultimate. https://www.lloydtable.com/index.php?p=210393 Electric Stimulation: Electric stimulation is a great passive modality used by chiropractors and physical therapists on a daily basis. Electric stimulation allows a provider to relax the muscles around the area of concern to be able to effectively help the patient with their issues.  Electric stimulation is a great addition to a practice because it is passive. I recommend a separate room for this