Life Force Chiropractic

I have seen dr. Ruiz during and after my first pregnancy and I’m about to see him through my second one as well. He is friendly, and gentle. His adjustments really helped with my pubic symphysis dysfunction and just the overall out of whack that comes with being pregnant. I was worried at first to see him because of the reviews, but he came highly recommended from other Mamas and midwives at the birth center here in Austin. After the first time visit I had no doubt about his good nature and felt immediately comfortable. His new location is even closer to me, and right next to Summer Moon coffee which is a bonus too, haha.

I had a terrible problem with my foot after an injury. The swelling would not go down and several months and x-​rays later, I limped into his office. Most chiropractors do not work on feet, but he did and he actually helped me.
Dr. Ruiz also gave me a really good price. He first tried to sell me on the packages, but was still accommodating when I chose not to purchase one. I think he is knowledgeable, but I can see how his personality could rub someone the wrong way. My foot is fine now, but ever since he got rid of his long-​time assistant, I don’t feel comfortable going back unless I have to.
TL;DR He is knowledgeable, and has reasonable prices, but he has a personality that can be difficult.

I’m in my 2^nd week of treatments for feeling a bit contorted or «out of whack», kind of like the hunchback without the hump, nothing too serious. While I do feel a bit more straightened out (I’ve also been getting deep massage therapy) Dr. Matt has been late every appt. and they have been at 10AM. I almost left before my treatment the first day because he was late and today, a lady that arrived after me left before her treatment because he was 30 mins late. She gave Christa (or Krista) an earful about Dr. Matt’s chronic tardiness and his unprofessionalism. I agreed and decided to write this review. Christa (or Krista) is very nice and you can tell she has to placate the patients/​clients everyday that he’s late.
In agreement with the Kara M, it’s odd that the back cracking table is right in the middle of the waiting room so everyone watches and hears what you have to say.
I didn’t mind that he took X-​rays because I could really see how screwed up my spine is. In response to Kara M.‘s review, Radiologists don’t take Xrays, they read them. Xray tech’s take the actual films (or do MRI’s) and they use the same information Dr. Matt does to determine how much radiation to use to penetrate the tissue. Don’t forget that the radiation one recieves in an airplane is greater than getting an Xray. With respect for your fear of radiation, I know people who get serial CT scans so I doubt 2 CT scans will have caused you damage. But there is research being done and everybody’s body is different and one’s wishes should always be respected.
I didn’t know I had so much to say on the subject. Sorry.

I found Dr. Ruiz to be arrogant, condescending, and unprofessional. I felt that my wishes for MY body were not only disrespected, but completely unheard. It seems to me he is much more interested in his own success than he is in the well-​being of his patients. Read further for explanation…
First, he asked me point-​blank, in front of the entire waiting room of people, what my health issues were. To me this is sensitive and very personal information, and believe that it should be kept confidential between patient and doctor… not shared with everyone at the practice. I was very uncomfortable with this practice.
Second, I’ve been in a lot of pain lately, which necessitated two CAT scans in the last six days. My doctors were concerned about such high exposure to radiation over such a short period. I know most chiropractors use x-​rays to help guide them, but during the year before I moved to Austin I was seeing a great osteopath who relieved my pain without exposing me to anything unhealthful. I told Dr. Ruiz very clearly that I did not want more radiation exposure from X-​Rays, and asked if he could work without them. Instead of just telling me he would rather not and respectfuly letting me find someone who was a better fit for me and was willing to work without x-​rays, he condescendingly tried to talk me into it, showing me x-​rays of other patients and how he had fixed them solely due to the x-​rays, and bragging, claimed that «only 2% of chiropractors could correct such a spine.» I didn’t appreciate the arrogant tone of his speech, nor his complete ignoring of everything I had said.
I was happy to leave without an adjustment, but was very frustrated that a health practitioner, who by nature of the job needs to listen to patients and respect their authority over their own bodies, disregarded my words with a flare of arrogance.
I received a call 10 minutes after I left with a non-​apology: «I’m sorry it SEEMED TO YOU that…,» «I’m sorry if YOU were offended…» The call was more to save face than to genuinely apologize or ask how to better serve patients. Dr. Ruiz was calling for another chance to tell me how right he was and how good he was. I’m always wary of a doctor who finds the need to toot their own horn. All I heard was more arrogance, unprofessionalism, and lack of listening. This frustrated me even more, and lead to an argument about listening and respecting patients… with him, clearly not listening, trying to talk over me the whole time.
Maybe I came on an off-​day, but it seems to me Dr. Ruiz cares way more about how he feels and maintaining his pride than he does about his patients and their health.