Stop telling patients their joint pain is coming only from their weight.
People of all sizes have joint pain and everyone deserves the same ethical, evidence-based treatment. Do the diagnostic tests and find out what is really wrong instead of just telling someone to lose weight.
Just give the same advice you would a thin person. I promise it is easier than you think.
Stop weighing patients if it is not medically necessary
A chiropractor would rarely have a clinically relevant need to weigh someone such as administering anesthesia, medication dosing or monitoring fluid balance. Having a patient step on a scale can cause anxiety and fear and lead to more bias from the practitioner. If you want and/or need to record a vital sign for insurance or history purposes, choose blood pressure, blood oxygenation, height, or shoe size.
Stop giving weight loss advice.
Diets don't work. While most people are able to lose weight in the short term, 95% of diets fail and 2/3 of people gain back more than they lost. Also, dieting is one of the most important predictors of the development of eating disorders. Any intervention with this type of failure rate and risk of harm is not evidence-based and should be avoided.
Purchase a more accessible adjusting table
Having a table that can raise and lower as well as a breakaway abdominal piece can be very helpful for those folks in larger bodies or those that have disabilities. Look for a table with a higher weight capacity and list the weight capacity on your website.
Have chairs without arms in your reception
Creating a more inclusive environment starts with having seating that can accommodate more people. Make sure you have a few chairs without arms or have a wider base to show your new patients you care about their comfort from the start.
As a chiropractor who lives in a fat body, I understand how weight stigma and anti-fat bias feel from a personal and professional perspective. It takes time to unlearn previously held beliefs but we all have the capacity to treat others with more respect.
Comments
No posts