Grow Your Chiropractic Business With Massage Therapists

One group of professionals you may consider adding to you network are licensed massage therapist or LMTs. It is a good idea to know a few massage therapists because you will have patients ask you who you recommend from time to time. Your patient will be very thankful if you refer them to a good LMT, especially if they were going to resort to a blind attempt of finding someone credible by using the phone book. If your philosophy is sound, you should not be intimidated by massage therapists and understand that what you do is very different. You should also be able to explain these differences. Unfortunately sometimes the general public may not know the difference between massage therapist and chiropractors. Thats fine; this can be another opportunity to educate your patients.

Your first necessity is to come into contact with a reputable massage therapist. Introduce yourself to as many as possible throughout your town or area of practice. many will offer you a tour of their facility and sometimes even a free massage. take them up on the free massage if offered. This will give you a chance to see how good they are at what they do and give you more time to work on your new network relationship by visiting with them. When you are visiting with these LMTs you are interviewing them at the same time. They are probably interviewing you also. Ask yourself questions like, is this someone I would trust with my patient, could I see myself becoming a client of this person? They need to have a respectable facility, reasonable fees and a philosophy that is somewhat close to your own. The last thing you want to do is refer a patient to a bad business that does not share your same philosophy. This could jeopardize your relationship with your patient.

I recommend you have about 4 to 5 massage therapist that you have built a rapport with. They need to be spread out in your area of practice for two reasons. first your patients do not want to drive all over town to get to your recommended LMT. Second this gives you a spread out area to receive your referrals from. Once you have your 4 to 5 LMTs you can trust and refer to, you also have 4 to 5 LMTs referring to your business. As always it is a good idea to keep in contact with each of them periodically to maintain your network.

When you refer a patient to a LMT, call them and let them know you sent that patient over to their business. Do no be afraid to put light pressure on them to refer you a patient or two when the timing is right.

Occasionally LMTs will want to barter with you. You may want to do the same. It is your decision. This may be the chance you are looking for to build your network relationship even stronger.

A great way that I have found to start the referral process with LMTs and build my practice at the same time is to offer a monthly special. For example, in the month of july refer a friend or family member to our office and receive a free 30 minute massage from a licensed massage therapist. Post signs in your office, have your receptionist tell patients and tell them yourself. This inspires patients to refer people to your office and at the same time allows you to start the referral process with your network of LMTs. Run the special only once every few months. This puts a since of urgency to your patients to receive their free massage. The only down side is you pay for the 30 minute massage. This is a small price to pay to add a new patient to your growing practice, and some massage therapist will give you discounts for your paid referrals. Again, its a win, win, win situation for everyone involved.

Dr. Ryan Marshall is a Tulsa chiropractor and a member of the American Chiropractic Association.

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Tips for Perfect Posture

Posture ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health. Posture is as important as eating right, exercising, getting a good night's sleep and avoiding potentially harmful substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. Good posture means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Posture also helps contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit.

Surprised? Well, you're not alone. The importance of good posture in an overall fitness program is often overlooked by fitness advisers and fitness seekers alike. In fact, the benefits of good posture may be among the best kept secrets of the current fitness movement. The good news is that most everyone can avoid the problems caused by bad posture...and you can make improvements at any age.

Know Your Curves

The natural state of your back has three curves which form an S.

The first curve of your spine is the cervical (neck) curve. Consisting of seven small, flexible vertebrae that support your skull and the cervical curve tilts slightly forward.

The second curve of your spine is the thoracic (mid back) curve. This curve has 12 vertebrae which are larger and more rigid than the cervical vertebrae. The thoracic curve has a prominent backward curvature.

The third curve of your spine is the lumbar (low back) curve. This curve consists of five massive vertebrae that carry most of the weight of your body. The lumbar curve has a forward tilt.

To keep your spine well-aligned and healthy, you must maintain the balance of these three curves. By maintaining this alignment you minimize stress on the spine, which helps prevent back pain and injury.

Yoga Can Help

Yoga helps improve your posture in the following ways:

1)Strengthens the muscles that support your spine easier to maintain good posture.
2)Improves the flexibility of your spine, enabling you to maintain good posture throughout different movements.
3)Improves the flexibility of your shoulders, hips and hamstrings, allowing you to maintain good posture without strain.
4)Enhances your body awareness, so you are more conscious of your posture throughout the day.

Better Posture made Simple

Follow these simple steps to quickly improve your posture.
1)Bring your feet parallel, not turned out, and about hip width apart. Bringing your feet parallel engages the muscles in the front of your thighs and keeps your hips, knees and ankles in proper alignment.
2)Reach up through the top of your head, feeling your spine lengthen, getting tall.
3)Bring your pelvis to a neutral position. To find this neutral position, place your hands around your hips, then tuck your tailbone slightly until your pelvis is directly over your thighs, so there is no bend in your hip joints, and theres less sway in your low back. As you tuck your tailbone, you should feel your abdominal muscles engage a bit.
4)Draw your shoulders back and relax them down, bringing your hands in line with the seams of your pants.
5)Level your chin, keeping your head directly over the spot between your shoulders, not forward or back.

Here are some easy ways to check your posture at home:

stand facing a full length mirror and check the following:

1) Your shoulders are level,
2) Your head is straight, not tilted to the side,
3) The spaces between your arms and your sides seem equal on both sides,
4) Your hips are level, not sloped to one side, and
5) Your ankles are straight and not turned in or out.

You can also have someone look at you from the side and check the following:

1) Your head is stacked over your body, not jutting forward or pulled back
2) Your chin is parallel to the floor, not tilting up or down,
3) Shoulders are in line with ears, not drooping forward or pulled back too far,
4) Your hands are in line with hips, not forward or back
5) Your knees are straight, not bent or hyper-extended
6) Your lower back is slightly curved forward, not too flat or curved too much, (creating a swayback)

Do your best to practice these points of posture everyday, and before you know it, your posture will be perfect. To learn more about improving your posture and developing a strong and healthy back, visit: www.yogaforbackhealth.com.

Nancy Wile, Ed.D. is the founder of Yoga To Go a yoga organization that provides simple and effective yoga programs for busy people around the world. You can subscribe to her free yoga and fitness newsletter at: www.YogaTG.com.

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