Chiropractic Franchises Outperform Local, Independent Providers in All Areas of Patient Satisfaction Except Courtesy, Better Buyer Finds

AlignLife Ranks Highest in Overall Chiropractic Care Satisfaction

CHICAGO: 7 Dec. 2025 — While franchises may excel in structured and scalable systems, local independents leverage personalized care to achieve higher scores in certain satisfaction metrics, including courtesy of front desk staff, according to the Better Buyer 2025 U.S. Chiropractic Care Satisfaction Study ^SM released today. 

Local independent chiropractors outperform franchises in courtesy of front desk staff, with a weighted average satisfaction score of 4.37, surpassing all franchise providers. This suggests personalized, consistent interactions in smaller, independent practices leave a stronger positive impression on patients compared to the often standardized service experiences in franchises.

The study provides a comprehensive view of patient experiences across various chiropractic providers. The standout is AlignLife, achieving the highest overall satisfaction rating, with 50% of respondents marking their experience as "Very Satisfied" and 100% willing to recommend the provider. This combination underscores AlignLife's exceptional ability to meet patient expectations and foster unwavering loyalty among its clientele. AlignLife also received the highest percentage of "Very Satisfied" responses when respondents were asked about the effectiveness of the treatment received.

"This study highlights critical factors that contribute to patient satisfaction, such as courteous staff interactions, effective treatment, and a clean, comfortable clinic environment," said Matt Scroggs, head of research at Better Buyer. "Digital marketing efforts—search engine optimization and social media—emerged as essential tools for patient acquisition while the significance of personal referrals underscores the value of maintaining strong relationships with current patients."

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2025 U.S. Chiropractic Care Satisfaction Study

The Better Buyer 2025 U.S. Chiropractic Care Satisfaction Study offers an in-depth analysis of patient satisfaction levels across various chiropractic providers. Based on a national survey, this report evaluates critical aspects of patient experience, ranging from appointment scheduling to the effectiveness of treatments. By identifying trends and areas for improvement, this study provides actionable insights for chiropractic franchise executives and independent practitioners to enhance their services and foster business growth. The following sections analyze survey responses, highlighting patient satisfaction percentages to determine strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Satisfaction with Aspects of Visit

Ease of scheduling an appointment: Satisfaction levels indicate moderate room for improvement. While 38.89% of respondents were very satisfied and 30.86% were somewhat satisfied, a combined 15.43% expressed dissatisfaction (8.02% very dissatisfied, 7.41% somewhat dissatisfied). Efforts to streamline appointment scheduling could enhance overall satisfaction.

Wait time before seeing the chiropractor: Patient satisfaction is relatively high, with 38.27% very satisfied and 29.01% somewhat satisfied. However, 13.58% expressed dissatisfaction (3.70% very dissatisfied, 9.88% somewhat dissatisfied), indicating that reducing wait times could improve the patient experience.

Courtesy of front desk staff: This aspect received the highest weighted average (4.17), with half of respondents very satisfied and 27.78% somewhat satisfied. Dissatisfaction was minimal at 6.79%, reflecting strong performance in front desk interactions.

Satisfaction with Environment

Cleanliness of the facility: This aspect scored highly, with 51.85% of respondents very satisfied and 22.22% somewhat satisfied. Dissatisfaction was minimal at 9.88%, reflecting a well-maintained clinic environment across all providers.

Comfort of treatment rooms: Similarly, this aspect performed well, with 48.77% very satisfied and 26.54% somewhat satisfied. With only 8.64% dissatisfaction, comfort appears to be a strong point for clinics.

Satisfaction with Care Provided

Time spent by the chiropractor: Responses show favorable satisfaction, with 37.65% very satisfied and 33.33% somewhat satisfied. Still, 11.11% expressed dissatisfaction, suggesting a need to ensure adequate time allocation per patient.

Chiropractor’s ability to explain condition/treatment: This aspect received a weighted average of 4.12, with 48.77% very satisfied and 27.16% somewhat satisfied. Only 9.26% expressed dissatisfaction, indicating that clear communication is a strength nationally.

Effectiveness of treatment: Satisfaction levels are high, with 33.33% very satisfied and 36.42% somewhat satisfied. However, dissatisfaction at 11.73% (6.79% very dissatisfied, 4.94% somewhat dissatisfied) suggests that improvements in treatment outcomes could benefit patient perceptions and advocacy.

Barriers to Seeking Chiropractic Care

For individuals who have not received chiropractic care, the survey identifies several key barriers:

• Uncertainty about effectiveness: The most significant barrier, cited by 38.57% of respondents, highlights a need for better education and outreach regarding the benefits and outcomes of chiropractic care.
  
• Lack of perceived need: 34.29% of respondents reported no health issues requiring chiropractic care. This indicates a gap in awareness of the potential preventive and holistic benefits of chiropractic treatment.
  
• Safety concerns: Safety apprehensions were expressed by 32.86% of respondents. Addressing misconceptions and providing evidence-based safety assurances could help alleviate these concerns.
  
• Lack of knowledge about chiropractic care: 28.57% of respondents indicated insufficient understanding of what chiropractic care involves. Educational initiatives could effectively address this barrier.
  
• Cost and insurance coverage: 22.86% of respondents found chiropractic care too expensive or not covered by insurance. Exploring more affordable care models or enhancing insurance partnerships may reduce this barrier.
  
• Preference for alternative treatments: 22.86% of respondents preferred other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy or medication. Highlighting complementary aspects of chiropractic care could shift these perceptions.
  
• Time constraints: 8.57% of respondents cited a lack of time to schedule appointments. Flexible scheduling and convenient options may help overcome this challenge.
  
• Limited clinic access: Only 4.29% reported a lack of conveniently located clinics, suggesting minimal geographic accessibility issues.

These insights underline the importance of targeted communication and accessibility improvements to address potential patients' concerns and encourage wider adoption of chiropractic care.

How Patients Learn About Chiropractors

The survey highlights various channels through which patients initially learn about chiropractic services:

• Recommendation from friends or family: This is the most common method, cited by 50.62% of respondents. Personal recommendations remain a powerful tool for attracting new patients.
  
• Organic search engine results: 23.46% of respondents discovered their chiropractor through unpaid search engine results, underscoring the importance of a strong online presence leveraging search engine optimization (SEO).
  
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• Social media (organic): 17.28% of respondents learned about their chiropractor through organic social media posts, highlighting the value of an engaging and informative social media strategy.
  
• Paid search engine results: 14.81% of respondents were influenced by paid online advertisements, suggesting that investment in targeted advertising can be effective.
  
• Online reviews or ratings: 13.58% of respondents relied on platforms like Yelp, Angi, or Google Reviews. Maintaining positive online reviews is crucial for building trust and credibility.
  
• Walk-ins: 11.73% of respondents discovered their chiropractor by walking past or noticing the clinic. This indicates the importance of visible and appealing signage.
  
• Paid social media ads: Only 8.02% of respondents were influenced by sponsored posts or ads, suggesting that while helpful, this may not be the primary channel for patient acquisition.
  
• Other methods: 12.35% of respondents cited other unspecified ways they learned about their chiropractor, indicating some variation in outreach effectiveness.

Provider-Specific Overall Satisfaction

The overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend among patients varies considerably across chiropractic providers. The data reveals that while many patients express high levels of satisfaction and are willing to recommend their providers, some practices exhibit notable discrepancies between overall experience and endorsement rates. Notably, AlignLife ranks highest in the study for overall patient satisfaction, setting a benchmark for the other providers. The following analysis breaks down patient feedback for each provider, highlighting both the positive aspects and areas for potential improvement.

The Joint Chiropractic: Overall, patients of The Joint Chiropractic exhibit a balanced range of satisfaction. Approximately 43% report being very satisfied with their experience, while about 21% are somewhat satisfied and another 21% remain neutral. A small segment of around 7% each expressed being somewhat or very dissatisfied. In terms of recommendations, roughly 86% of patients would recommend this provider, though nearly 14% would not. These results suggest that while the majority of patients have a positive overall experience, there is still a modest group that is less enthusiastic.

100% Chiropractic: Patients of 100% Chiropractic generally provide a favorable assessment. A significant portion, around 40%, are very satisfied with their experience, and an additional 27% are somewhat satisfied. Although about 13% remain neutral and 20% indicate some dissatisfaction, the overall impression remains largely positive. This positive sentiment is reinforced by the recommendation rate, with approximately 93% of patients willing to recommend the provider and only about 7% opposing a recommendation.

AlignLife: Feedback for AlignLife is predominantly positive, and this provider ranks highest in the study for overall patient satisfaction. Half of the respondents indicate they are very satisfied, while roughly one-third feel neutral about their experience. There is no record of any patients being very dissatisfied, although around 17% are somewhat dissatisfied. Notably, every patient who responded stated they would recommend AlignLife, highlighting strong personal endorsement even if some experiences hover around neutrality.

NuSpine Chiropractic: The feedback for NuSpine Chiropractic reveals a relatively balanced experience. None of the patients report any dissatisfaction, with about 38% being very satisfied and 50% somewhat satisfied. A modest 13% remain neutral. Correspondingly, around 88% of the respondents would recommend this provider, with the remaining 12% not inclined to recommend, indicating a generally positive overall impression.

HealthSource Chiropractic: Patients of HealthSource Chiropractic offer a strong overall impression. Half of the respondents are very satisfied and 25% are somewhat satisfied, while 17% remain neutral and a small 8% are somewhat dissatisfied. This generally positive sentiment is supported by the recommendation rate, with approximately 83% of patients willing to recommend HealthSource, though about 17% would not.

Local Independent Chiropractor: The local independent chiropractor stands out with the highest number of responses. Over 42% of patients indicate they are very satisfied and nearly 35% are somewhat satisfied, while around 14% remain neutral and about 4% each report being somewhat or very dissatisfied. Despite these high satisfaction levels, only about 78% of patients would recommend the provider, with roughly 22% indicating they would not. This suggests that even among a largely satisfied patient base, there may be specific issues that hinder a full endorsement when it comes to recommending the provider to others..

Ease of Scheduling an Appointment

The overall data reveals that nearly 70.9% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the ease of scheduling an appointment, with 32.45% somewhat satisfied and 38.41% very satisfied. However, differences between providers are evident when comparing their percentage distributions and weighted averages. For instance, The Joint Chiropractic has 14.29% of respondents very dissatisfied, 28.57% neutral, and a combined 57.14% satisfied (somewhat and very), leading to a weighted average of 3.64. This indicates that while a majority of patients are content with their scheduling experience, there remains significant potential to improve by converting the neutrals and reducing dissatisfaction.

In contrast, 100% Chiropractic reported no responses in the very dissatisfied category, with 20% somewhat dissatisfied, 6.67% neutral, and a high 73.34% satisfied overall, resulting in a weighted average of 4.00. This suggests that 100% Chiropractic is performing well in terms of scheduling ease, though addressing the isolated issues reflected in the 20% somewhat dissatisfied could further enhance patient experience.

AlignLife  shows a polarized distribution, with 33.33% very dissatisfied, 16.67% somewhat dissatisfied, 16.67% neutral, and 33.33% very satisfied, and no patients in the somewhat satisfied category. With a weighted average of 2.83, the high overall dissatisfaction highlights the need for a more consistent and reliable scheduling process.

NuSpine Chiropractic exhibits an even split between dissatisfaction and satisfaction, with 25% very dissatisfied, 25% somewhat dissatisfied, and 50% combined in the satisfied categories (37.50% somewhat and 12.50% very), resulting in a weighted average of 2.88. The absence of a neutral category suggests that patients either have a very positive or a very negative perception of the scheduling process, pointing to inconsistencies that require attention.

HealthSource Chiropractic demonstrates a more balanced distribution, with 8.33% very dissatisfied, 16.67% somewhat dissatisfied, 16.67% neutral, 16.67% somewhat satisfied, and 41.67% very satisfied, resulting in a weighted average of 3.67. Although nearly half of the respondents are very satisfied, the presence of both neutral and dissatisfied responses indicates there is still room for improvement.

In contrast, the Local Independent Chiropractor stands out as the top performer, with only 4.30% very dissatisfied and 4.30% somewhat dissatisfied, 11.83% neutral, and a strong 79.56% in the satisfied categories (39.78% somewhat satisfied and 39.78% very satisfied), which is reflected in a weighted average of 4.06.

Wait Time Before Seeing the Chiropractor

The overall data on wait time before seeing the chiropractor shows that 37.09% of respondents reported being “Very satisfied” with their wait times, while 30.46% indicated they were “Somewhat satisfied.” In contrast, 18.54% of respondents were neutral, 9.93% were “Somewhat dissatisfied,” and a small 3.97% reported being “Very dissatisfied.” These results suggest that most patients are content with their wait times, yet there remains a notable proportion of patients who are either indifferent or dissatisfied, which may be an opportunity for providers to improve the overall patient experience.

Examining individual providers, 100% Chiropractic stands out with no respondents reporting “Very dissatisfied” and only a small 6.67% “Somewhat dissatisfied.” In fact, a combined 80% (33.33% “Somewhat satisfied” plus 46.67% “Very satisfied”) of patients were satisfied, leading to the highest weighted average of 4.2. This performance suggests that 100% Chiropractic has managed its patient flow and appointment scheduling well enough to keep wait times within acceptable limits for the majority of patients.

In contrast, The Joint Chiropractic, while receiving no “Very dissatisfied” responses, exhibits a more even distribution across the satisfaction spectrum. Approximately 57.14% of its respondents were on the satisfied side (28.57% each for “Somewhat satisfied” and “Very satisfied”), but nearly 43% of patients were either neutral or dissatisfied. This is reflected in a weighted average of 3.71, indicating that there is room for improvement in reducing the neutral and dissatisfied responses.

AlignLife’s  responses reveal a somewhat mixed picture. With 33.33% of patients being “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied” and an equal 33.33% being “Very satisfied,” its performance is close to the mid-range, which is further evidenced by its weighted average of 3.67. Although the data for AlignLife shows no one was “Very dissatisfied,” the significant percentage of neutral responses implies that there is an opportunity to further elevate the patient experience by reducing uncertainty around wait times.

NuSpine Chiropractic displays a high level of neutrality with 62.50% of respondents choosing “Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied,” and only 12.50% reporting they are “Somewhat satisfied” or “Very satisfied” combined. The relatively low 12.50% in the “Very satisfied” category, coupled with 12.50% “Very dissatisfied,” yields a weighted average of 3.13, highlighting the need for NuSpine to not only decrease dissatisfaction but also to actively convert neutral opinions into satisfaction.

HealthSource Chiropractic shows a balanced spread across the responses, with 33.33% of patients “Somewhat satisfied” and 25.00% “Very satisfied,” while 16.67% fall in both the “Somewhat dissatisfied” and “Neutral” categories. This results in a weighted average of 3.67, suggesting that while many patients are content with their wait times, there is still an opportunity to streamline the process to reduce the degree of dissatisfaction.

Finally, the Local Independent Chiropractor performs relatively well with 33.33% “Somewhat satisfied” and an impressive 40.86% “Very satisfied,” leading to a weighted average of 3.99. Although a small portion of respondents (3.23% “Very dissatisfied” and 9.68% “Somewhat dissatisfied”) indicate some discontent, the overall satisfaction levels are high, which suggests that local independent practices are managing wait times effectively compared to some of their larger counterparts.

Courtesy of Front Desk Staff

The overall data for courtesy of the front desk staff indicates that nearly half of the respondents (49.01%) are “Very satisfied” with the courtesy they receive, while an additional 29.14% are “Somewhat satisfied.” This high level of satisfaction is tempered by a relatively small proportion of respondents who are dissatisfied, with 3.97% “Very dissatisfied” and 3.31% “Somewhat dissatisfied,” and 14.57% remaining neutral. In general, the majority of patients appreciate the courteous service provided by front desk staff, though there is some variation between providers.

For The Joint Chiropractic, 50% of respondents are “Very satisfied” and 28.57% are “Somewhat satisfied,” while only 14.29% are neutral and 7.14% express being “Very dissatisfied.” This distribution results in a weighted average of 4.14, suggesting that patients have a generally positive perception of the courtesy exhibited by the front desk team.

Similarly, 100% Chiropractic enjoys a favorable rating with 40% of respondents each in the “Very satisfied” and “Somewhat satisfied” categories, accompanied by 13.33% neutrals and a small 6.67% who are “Somewhat dissatisfied,” leading to a nearly identical weighted average of 4.13.

In contrast, AlignLife’s  responses reveal a more mixed experience. Although no patients reported being “Very dissatisfied,” 16.67% are “Somewhat dissatisfied” and 33.33% remain neutral. While 33.33% are “Somewhat satisfied” and only 16.67% are “Very satisfied,” the resulting weighted average of 3.5 reflects an overall lower level of satisfaction compared to the top-performing providers.

NuSpine Chiropractic presents a somewhat mixed picture, with 12.50% “Very dissatisfied,” a large 37.50% neutral response, and 50.00% “Very satisfied,” culminating in a weighted average of 3.75.

HealthSource Chiropractic similarly shows a balanced spread, with 8.33% “Very dissatisfied,” another 8.33% “Somewhat dissatisfied,” 16.67% neutral, 41.67% “Somewhat satisfied,” and 25.00% “Very satisfied,” which produces a weighted average of 3.67. These figures suggest that while many patients are pleased with the courtesy of the front desk staff at these locations, there is still room for improvement.

Notably, the Local Independent Chiropractor outperforms the others, with only 1.08% of respondents “Very dissatisfied” and 2.15% “Somewhat dissatisfied,” alongside 11.83% neutrals. A remarkable 29.03% are “Somewhat satisfied” and 55.91% are “Very satisfied,” resulting in the highest weighted average of 4.37. This strong performance indicates that local independent practices may be setting a benchmark in customer service that could serve as a model for improvement across the board.