Hey friends, let me tell you about my whole tennis elbow saga and finally getting help from a chiropractor without breaking the bank. My right elbow started killing me after painting my garage last summer – guess I overdid it. Turning doorknobs? Ouch. Picking up my coffee mug? Forget it. It just wouldn’t budge.
The Cost Worries Stopped Me At First
Honestly, I dragged my feet. I pictured chiropractors costing an arm and a leg – which, irony alert, is what I needed fixed! I imagined big bills flashing before my eyes. Called my insurance; surprise surprise, chiropractic for tennis elbow? Barely a peep of coverage. That stressed me out. What if I needed ten visits? Twenty? How much was this gonna rack up?
So, I started digging around. Called three different chiropractic places near me. Straight up asked them:
- How much for a consult? One said $85, the other two were $75. Okay, baseline set.
- How much per adjustment visit? This varied more. Found one place asking $65 per visit after the consult.
- Do packages cost less? Bingo! The $65/visit spot offered a discount if I bought a block of, say, 10 visits upfront. That brought it down closer to $55 each.
- What about extra stuff? Yeah, gotta ask. Some places talked about extra fees if they did deep tissue work ($20-$30 extra maybe) or if X-rays were needed ($100+ easily).
Felt like a bit of detective work, but worth it. Found that $65/visit ($55 with package) place seemed the most straightforward and wallet-friendly. Booked the initial consult.
Walking In & What Actually Went Down
Nervous? Yeah, a little. Filled out some paperwork – standard stuff about my health and this dang elbow pain. The doc spent time just talking, really grilling me on when it started, what motions hurt. Then came the hands-on part: feeling around the elbow, my forearm muscles, even up to my neck and shoulder (’cause apparently it’s all connected!). Made me bend and twist my arm every which way – felt a bit awkward but he was cool about it.
His verdict? Classic tennis elbow. Said it wasn’t too far gone, which was relief! Best part? No X-rays needed! He felt confident enough just from the exam. Dodged that extra cost bullet.
The Treatment: First session was wild. Laid face down on the table. He adjusted my neck – quick, firm movements, couple of pops. Then got to work on my elbow and forearm. Used his hands to stretch and push on the tendons and muscles. It was… intense. Not painful exactly, but definitely a strong pressure, like he was trying to loosen concrete. Felt some weird pops and cracks in my forearm I never knew could pop! Did some deep tissue pressing too – focused on spots that made me wince (he called ’em “trigger points”).
Total time? Maybe 25 minutes. Felt immediately different – not healed, mind you, but less tight somehow.
The Payoff & My Honest Take
Walked out that first day lighter on pain but heavier on curiosity. How long? How much total?
Went back twice a week for the first three weeks, then once a week for another month. That first chunk cost me the package: 10 visits for around $550 upfront (so ~$55 per). Used maybe 8 of those in the first stretch. After that, paid the $65 each week for four visits.
Was it cheap? Nah, healthcare ain’t ever truly cheap. But was it worth it? For me? Yes. The constant ache faded a lot after 2-3 weeks. Grip strength came back slowly. Could finally carry grocery bags without cursing!
Total cost landed around $550 + (4 visits $65) = about $810 all-in spread over a couple months.
It didn’t magically disappear. I still had to do stretches at home he showed me (free! bonus!) and be mindful. But compared to the prospect of months more suffering or pricier options like specialized PT (which my insurance still wasn’t great with), this chiropractor route felt affordable. Avoided the sticker shock nightmare I feared by just asking about costs upfront and finding a place with clear packages. Elbow ain’t perfect now, but it’s functional! Way better than yelling every time I shook someone’s hand. Shop around, friends!