Choosing a Chiropractor in Mcallen, TX and the RGV

Hello, if you are looking for a chiropractor in McAllen or surrounding areas then there are some things to consider before choosing one. But before getting into that, let’s look at some background. When a chiropractor goes into practice, he learns different techniques for adjusting in school as well as the options for attending post graduate training, special internships, having mentors etc. As a result, there are literally hundreds of chiropractic techniques within the chiropractic profession and most people just don't know this. There is also the question of what type of condition or symptom the patient has that brings him to want to see a chiropractor. Is it headaches? neck pain? back pain? disc issues? These are probably the most common conditions why people go see a chiropractor. Often, people get referred to a chiropractor by a friend but sometimes a person will just start searching the internet and google: “chiropractor in Mcallen” or “chiropractor near me” and see what google brings back. Nowadays, the "google business profiles" are filled with reviews that a person can look at to see the kind of feedback that people leave for a chiropractor. From 1 star to 5 stars we scroll through to see what people say and review. This seems to be one of the most important factors when you don’t get referred to a chiropractor by a friend you trust. Also, social media is very strong for chiropractors and prospective patients now, and platforms like Instagram, Facebook page, Tik Tok allow doctors to post not just advertising, but lots of entertaining interactive content that can become viral videos like people watching videos of patients getting loud “cracks” or watching how doctors do their protocol on various patients and conditions. This is a powerful way to learn more about each doctor and what or how they practice chiropractic.

In the chiropractic profession, chiropractors often label themselves as “wellness chiropractors” “straight chiropractor”, “mixed chiropractor” and then their treatments are also classified as “acute treatment” vs “corrective care” vs “wellness care.” I know it may seem a little confusing but that’s how it is, and I would love to share with you what all these classifications and terms mean from a chiropractor’s point of view so that you can understand it more and make better decisions on who you want to see.

“Straight” chiropractor: a chiropractor who will only adjust the spine and joints and doesn’t normally use other physiotherapy modalities such as electrical stimulation, hot packs, and those kinds of things. They often use X-ray to evaluate your spine and check for gross misalignments and degeneration of bone.

“Mixed” chiropractor: a chiropractor who combines various philosophies and modalities such as adjusting, physiotherapy, exercise, and nutrition.

“Acute Care”: this is most common with acute injuries such as low back pain from lifting a heavy object, or you wake up with a stiff neck and can hardly move. The treatment focuses on getting you out of the acute pain and increasing your movement and function back to normal. Often x-rays are not taken, and you may be seen a few visits or until your pain subsides.

“Corrective Care”: the is more comprehensive care and most doctors will take x-rays to get a baseline of your spinal health with regards to degeneration and static alignment. Goals will be to realign your entire spine (where it needs it) and to get the natural curvatures of your neck and back as well. Pain reduction (acute care) is more for the beginning of care and then its starts to switch over to not just treating pain but also other things such as energy, organ and systemic health, brain function, sleep, and a number of other health factors. Treatment can range from a few months to 6 months at 2-3 times per week and then taper in frequency over a longer period of time as your health improves. At first it may seem like a lot but then just like working out at the gym, goals are attained over time and being consistent with appointments, which can help to retain the gains as well. Consistency is king here.

“Wellness care”: normally this kind of care is seen with patients who are proactive to keep their health for mobility, brain function, movement, and alignment. Sometimes they will have gone through a corrective care program and now they come in to see the doctor 1-2 a month or however many times is best for their best functioning.

Costs vary amount doctors because of their education, skills, training, certifications. Some doctors do not take insurance because of more complexity that can bring with insurance carriers. A single visit for solely an adjustment may cost around 40-80 dollars and then if they do therapeutics procedures then those are additional costs. Be sure to know all pricing involved when a doctor is giving their recommendations to see that it makes sense for you.

So these are some of the things to know and consider when choosing a chiropractor in the Rio Grande Valley.

-What type of injury do I have? Acute vs chronic

-What kind of chiropractors are there, and which would best fit my needs? Straight, mixed

-What kind of chiropractic care is out there or best for me? Acute, corrective, wellness

-What is their social media presence look like and do I like and trust their content?

With "The Chiro House Call", I provide a mobile chiropractic service where I go to your location such as your home or office and provide chiropractic care there. Convenience is the main benefit here. No waiting in a waiting room and extra driving required. Your chiropractic care is determined by the results of the exam that I do and what I think your body needs the most. It may be just acute care, or it may be more of a hybrid of acute and corrective care. My goal is to get you feeling and moving better than you ever have felt before in the least number of visits because it’s my goal to give quality care to as many people as possible instead of just working with less people and more visits. And often you will want to stay proactive with wellness care because you will notice a huge difference in your life and how productive and good you feel.

I love to adjust and see how that benefits your spine, overall well-being, and nervous system (brain). Here I am in action :) This patient did not present with much pain but rather opted to get adjusted because he is always on the go and wanted to remain efficient and pain free by being proactive and preventative.

I hope this brought some new light to you in choosing a chiropractor that would best suit your needs and likes. As always, I offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation to go over anything health related to see if I can be of service.

Have a great one.

Victor Flores, D.C.

wellness chiropractor

@thechirohousecall on Facebook and Instagram

@drvictorflores on Tik Tok