To say what you mean, and mean what you say, be mindful of these distinctions:

Fix – Fixing a spine? Unlikely. If there’s going to be any fixing going on, the patient’s body will be doing it. But that doesn’t stop some from offering “patch” care and “fix” care. These are often code for short-term relief and some type of nonsymptomatic rehabilitative or corrective care.

Additionally, fix has an unhelpful mechanical flavor to it, obscuring the whole body, neurological implications of chiropractic.

Support – Unless you primarily see pediatric cases with growth plates still intact, chiropractic care for most adults will not return the spine to a pristine condition. And while most patients enjoy relief, they likely have a problem that will require some sort of ongoing supportive care for the rest of their lives. Without it, they’re likely to experience a relapse and conclude, “I tried chiropractic but it didn’t work.”

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Bill Esteb has been a chiropractic patient and advocate since 1981. He is the creative director of Patient Media and the co-founder of Perfect Patients. He’s been a regular speaker at chiropractic gatherings since 1985. His 12 books explore the doctor/patient relationship from a patient's point of view. His chiropractic blog, coaching program, patient focus groups and consulting calls have helped hundreds of chiropractors around the world. Since 1999 Monday Morning Motivation has been emailed to over 10,000 subscribers each week.