Qualifications and accreditation matter. Whether you need a lawyer, an accountant or a personal trainer, you’ll want to select someone who holds the relevant qualifications because it gives you confidence that you’ll receive professional, reliable service. The rules are no different when it comes to choosing your chiropractor, but it’s arguably especially important in this case because it’s about your health, and you only want the best. Let’s take a look in more detail below.
What it takes to be a Chiropractor
Some people have the impression that anyone can legally call themselves a chiropractor, but this could not be further from the truth. In Australia to practice as a qualified chiropractor you must complete a five-year chiropractic degree at a university offering a recognised chiropractic degree. You must also register as a health professional and commit to undertaking a requisite number of hours each year of professional development to maintain accreditation.
In addition, many chiropractors undertake further studies and training to specialise in particular areas of chiropractic treatment. At Sports and Family Chiropractic for instance, our chiropractor has completed a Masters of Exercise Science and specialises in sports injuries and rehabilitation.
If you want to know more about the education and training requirements for chiropractors click here.
Why Qualifications Matter
“A life without health is like a river without water.” - Maxime Lagacé
Your health is one of the most important determinants of your level of happiness, so it is crucial when you seek out any health care services including chiropractors that you find a qualified and experienced practitioner. If you opt for an unqualified chiropractor, you’re risking a higher likelihood of experiencing any of the following negative outcomes:
- Ineffective treatment - you may go in with a headache and come out, with that same headache, only with your wallet significantly lighter!
- Harmful treatment – you could end up in more pain and discomfort than you were in before.
- Serious injury - while every chiropractic manipulation performed by a qualified practitioner carries a (very, very low) risk of injury; when you opt for someone who doesn’t actually know what they are doing this risk can increase substantially. Remember it’s not just the discs in your back that can be affected but also your spinal cord
- Loss of trust in a profession – If you see an unqualified chiropractor and have a bad outcome this can act as a barrier to you seeking effective treatment from a qualified chiropractor in the future.
How to Tell if Your Chiropractor is Qualified
Unfortunately, as is the case in all industries some unethical practitioners exist who either promote themselves as chiropractors or claim to offer the same services. You can easily confirm that your chiropractor is qualified by going to the Chiropractic Board website and search using your practitioner’s surname or registration number. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a chiropractor’s qualifications or experience, you can also notify the Chiropractic Board through their website.
Doing so helps to eliminate unethical, unqualified practitioners from the sector, thus reducing the risk of harm to patients.
For gentle effective chiropractic treatment, contact Sports and Family Chiropractic today.