Is Chiropractic Care Worth the Cost and Health Benefits?

by Ashley Eneriz · 16 comments

I became a big advocate for chiropractic care after taking my colicky three-month-old daughter to see someone two years ago. It seemed too good to be true, but one gentle adjustment reduced her never-ending crying and helped her sleep through the night.

Fast forward to the present, and I forgot my love for the chiropractor until recently. It wasn’t until my husband was coming home from work with headaches every night that I thought we should make chiropractic care a habit again. And, much like the first visit, after two adjustments, my husband’s headaches disappeared. During this same time, I also became pregnant with our second child, and Ellie, our two year old started the terrible twos.

Since then, my husband, our daughter, and I, started receiving one adjustment a month, and I’m pretty happy with the results. We’ve being going for five months now, and at just over six months pregnant, my aches and pains are minimal.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

I rarely have trouble sleeping through the night thanks to consistent monthly adjustments with our chiropractor. Which is a far cry from my first pregnancy where I was suffering from constant hip pain and sciatica pain. I also ended up having a C-section.

This pregnancy, however, I have barely any hip or sciatica pain. There have been a few days, but usually that’s right before I’m due to visit the chiropractor. I also have a lot more energy and don’t need to nap as often as I did with my first pregnancy. In addition, my husband has not had any more headaches since they first flared up.

I didn’t think chiropractic care would cure my two year old of the terrible twos. However, I do find that her tantrums are much more manageable.

She seems to be a little more balanced and her emotions are not so out of control, but that could be her personality, or due to the fact that she’s gaining more logical reasoning. It is hard to tell. In the five months we’ve been making regular chiropractor visits, she hasn’t gotten sick, even though she’s been exposed to many children and germ situations through church, childcare, and friends. Hopefully her immune system stays strong throughout the winter.

All of this to say, I think chiropractic care is definitely worth the extra cost. With the evidence it’s provided me and my family, I would highly recommend it to anyone.

If you’re interested in trying out chiropractic care, thankfully it doesn’t have to eat up your entire health budget.

How to Afford Regular Adjustments

Review your health insurance coverage. We have Kaiser for our health insurance and they actually offer 20 adjustments per person, per year for just the cost of a $15 co-pay. I know not all levels of Kaiser coverage have this benefit, but it’s worth looking into to see if your insurance covers any of the costs of preventive health treatments.

Research other options. If you do not have Kaiser, consider taking your family to The Joint Chiropractic Place, which is a franchise of chiropractors all over America. It’s related and very much like Massage Envy. With The Joint, you get the very basic level of chiropractic care, which means just what they call “wellness adjustments”.

They don’t do X-rays or any other kind of treatments, but each location does have a certified chiropractor doctor. Since The Joint locations offer just adjustments, they’re able to keep their prices very low and keep insurance out of the picture.

You can either pay $29 per adjustment whenever you like, or pay $49 a month for four adjustments in that time period. They also offer family plans that would decrease the charges. I’m not sure which plan is best, since four adjustments a month seems like a lot for our family. However, if you have injuries from doing sports in high school, or from a car accident, more frequent adjustments may be needed.

Additionally, when I saw one bill from my chiropractor (the bill they send before insurance takes care of it) it was over $100 for one adjustment! So $49 a month seems like a steal.

Limit how often you get adjustments. One last way we save money at the chiropractor is by determining how often we get adjustments. When my husband first came in, they took X-rays and wanted him to come three times a week for several months, and to use a special foam roller.

Our insurance wouldn’t cover their treatment plan, so it would have cost an extra $1,000 for the chiropractor’s suggested treatment to fix an issue in his back. We told them we were only interested in coming once-a-month as a family and that we didn’t have the time or money to do anything more. Thankfully, they understood.

Have an honest talk with your chiropractor, and see what the best plan is for your family and your budget. Going once-a-month may be all you need to receive the benefits that this kind of care can provide.

Is Chiropractic Care Worth the Cost?

There are hundreds of studies showing the benefits of chiropractic care, so feel free to do a bit of research before making your decision. However, I highly recommend it because of my family’s personal experience.

Because of our regular visits, we all have more energy, less pain, and better immune systems. I’m convinced that the $45 we spend as a family a month on chiropractic care will save us even more money in the future by preventing health issues.

Make your focus this year to pay attention to your health needs, and see what you can do about preventive health care options like chiropractic adjustments. It’s likely more affordable than you realize.

Do you partake in regular chiropractic care? Why or why not? Do you have another tip for an affordable way to get regular adjustments?

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{ read the comments below or add one }

  • Shammy Peterson says:

    It was nice that you suggested determining how often chiropractor adjustments must be considered in order to save money on chiropractor services. This makes me think of how chiropractors could consider enrolling their clients in a DMPO program in order to help them manage their expenses well. I could imagine how the right DMPO program for chiropractor clinics could allow professionals to help their clients save money.

  • Zoe Campos says:

    My favorite part is where you said that you didn’t experience any troubles in sleeping after receiving chiropractor care. This has been my problem for weeks now and I’m having a hard time doing my daily activities. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to visit a chiropractor that can help me treat this problem.

  • April Cook says:

    My sister has a colicky baby right now and she has tried almost everything to help. I will suggest that she looks into a chiropractor who works on infants and children. How many times did you take you baby in for adjustments? Thanks for this great idea. I hope it helps!

    • Ashley Eneriz says:

      Sorry just seeing this now. My first was so much better after the first adjustment, but she was also 3 months old, which is kind of the age when things start to get better. My second has gone to the chiropractor once a month since she was 6 days old (19 months old now), and I have never had issues with colic. Neither of my kids have had ear infections either.

  • Jeff Curtis says:

    Thanks for the helpful information on chiropractic care. I have been considering getting my back re-set, but I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the cost. I didn’t really think much about chiropractic care helping with sleep. To me, sleep is the most valuable thing. I think that alone makes it worth it. Thanks for the help!

  • Lillian Schaeffer says:

    This is some great information, and I appreciate your point that your family has increased energy and less pain from your regular chiropractor visits. My husband and I have both been having some back problems, and we’ve been looking for non-invasive ways to help with it. We’ll definitely look into visiting a chiropractor regularly to reduce the pain and increase our energy. Thanks for the great post!

  • Whitney Black says:

    My father had a motorcycle accident a couple years back and has been dealing with quite a bit of back pain since then. Cost is a big worry, but after learning that it helps with energy, less pain and a better immune system I think its worth the money to prevent future health issues like you said. Thank you for posting on the benefits of chiropractic care!

  • Veronica Marks says:

    Thanks for mentioning other ways to afford chiropractic care if not through insurance. I don’t think my insurance covers that, so I’m really glad to see other options. I’ll have to call around and see if I can find anywhere that has pricing similar to the office you visit!

  • Jadine says:

    Hi Ashley, I’ve been constantly visiting my chiropractor for my neck injury. I got into an accident while working at the construction and fell from the ladder head first while drilling the wall. My neck injury was sever and thought i would never move my head again. We consulted a chiropractor and my doctor slowly rehabilitated my condition. I can say that the cost of my therapy is nothing compared to the healing that i got. I can now move my neck but still on the process. Thanks for your wonderful article.

  • Lily de Grey says:

    Great post, Ashley! I’m glad that I stumbled upon your article because I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to go to the chiropractor. I think you’re absolutely right: going to the chiropractor grants your health many great benefits. I think it’s neat that you never have trouble sleeping anymore. I’ll be sure to follow your suggestion by scheduling an appointment. Great tips; thanks for sharing them with us!

  • Samantha Dantley says:

    I had no idea that there were so many benefits from going to the chiropractor. I’ve had trouble sleeping like you, but I thought that that was just a part of life. It sounds like you can really benefit from going regularly! I’ll be sure to try that out sometime. Thanks for sharing your experience.

  • K @ One More BROKE TWENTY-SOMETHING says:

    I think chiropractic care is one of the best things I do for myself once a month. My chiropractor’s office has a massage therapist linked to the practice, so massage is included with each adjustment if you want. And, the best part, my insurance covers the massage and adjustment. I spend a lot of time on my feet for work and I’m very active when I’m not at work, so I think it’s a great $20 to spend each month on the co-pay.

    • Ashley Eneriz says:

      Awesome! I need to find a chiropractor with a massage therapist linked to it 🙂

    • Jerry E. Lindsay says:

      I completely agree with you friend. If any one is facing the skeletal problems then one must go for the chiropractor care. They have magic in their hands. The time they start their therapy, the whole pain goes away.
      Great job they do. 🙂

  • Ashley says:

    I loved reading about your experience, and that is awesome that you received free chiropractic care when you are in the military. I definitely think more places should offer free chiropractic care for their employees because of the amazing benefits.

  • grinch says:

    Great article. I first received chiropractic care in the Navy for lower back pain. There was a chiropractor on base and it was free. That is something you should check if you are military. I have since retired and started seeing a local specific chiropractor when I could not move because of the pain. I recommend the regimen that you turned down. I started seeing my Chiro three times per week, then two, and so on. It was expensive but worth it to me. It also made a huge improvement in my back. Today I am on monthly maintenance. My Chiro does offer a 10% discount if I pay for a year’s care upfront. My wife had xrays taken and had one adjustment, but to her it is snake oil and she quit. Now I rub it in when she has a headache. I highly recommend chiropractic care. It literally changed my life.

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