Because of a patient's previous medical experiences, there's an unspoken "social contract" assumed when they begin care with you. If you don't establish new, chiropractic terms of engagement, they assume you operate under the same covenant they've experienced with traditional doctors.
What are they?
Among others, that since you control the recommended "dosage" of adjustments, you also control the speed of their recovery. That the adjustments treat their symptoms (medicine) rather than revive their ability to self-heal (chiropractic). That they can remain passive and you'll do all the heavy lifting. And like curing an infection, you'll produce a permanent fix.
If you forget or neglect to establish chiropractic rules of engagement, you're likely to attract passive patients unwilling to share in the responsibility of their recovery. Perhaps more troubling, it can create inappropriate patient expectations, place a needless burden on you and lead to countless misunderstandings and diminished patient satisfaction.
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