95% of Chiropractic Content is Generic, Safe, Boring Drivel
The students who looked busy but learned nothing became the chiropractors who write content that looks professional but says nothing. Here's why your content is killing your practice, and what to do about it.
📋 Table of Contents
Why I Couldn't Stand Chiropractic Students
You want to know what used to annoy me in chiropractic school? The students. I couldn't stand them.
Especially the ones who acted like they had it all figured out. They would sit there with all of their learning gadgets, the latest and greatest of something, student loan money wasted on crap. Taking notes like their life depended on it, but never hearing a word spoken.
Then when it came time for the test they couldn't pass anything. They couldn't have passed a one-legged turtle stuck in 4 feet of mud.
I always wondered why they were there. I know now. They were there to dumb down the curriculum. And honestly they were the same ones that never learned to adjust. And when they couldn't learn to adjust or pass an exam or a practical for that matter, they would cry and pout.
I hated being locked in a class with them. They slowed me down and everyone else that knew what they were doing.
We started with 120+ students in my tri. A class or specific group is called a tri. We graduated with about 30 or so, I don't remember exactly. But it was way less than 120+. Way less.
The Chiropractic School Problem Nobody Talks About
See here is the thing about chiropractic school compared to medical school. Medical schools aren't hard up for money so they have high standards to get in. But once you are in you are in, and you get through. Not to mention you had to show some sort of aptitude for learning to get in in the first place.
Chiropractic school? You got a pulse? You're in.
I thought I was special when I got in. I thought I had accomplished something. Then I looked around first day, second day, after scores had been given for first exam. I remembered thinking to myself: what is going on? Where am I?
Don't get me wrong, I struggled with stuff. I'm not a genius by any means. But I learned how to study. Much more, I learned how to listen. The profs gave you the answers to the exams in their lectures. You just had to listen to what they were emotional about.
How I Actually Learned
I couldn't take notes because I couldn't read my writing to go back through and look at them. So I listened instead. Then scanned back through the syllabus and text and highlighted things they were emotional about.
I remember the two classes I started off the worst in. Tri 2 microbiology and tri 4 neuro. Both first exams were failing. Bad.
Both classes I listened more intently and practiced what they were telling. I also figured out how to take a multiple choice exam. I got so good at it I was usually the first one walking up to the front with my scantron and test to hand it in.
I loved the oohs and awes and "what the hells" I could hear from the other students.
Neuro: Failing
Neuro: 92
It's Gotten Worse
From what I understand things have gotten worse at the chiropractic schools. The quality of student was so bad my good friend Dr. Gene Giggleman decided to retire. He was catching heat from admin about students not being able to pass his class, so he dumbed down his course work. Then started getting complaints when those same students couldn't pass boards.
You can't make this shit up.
He told you just about everything you needed for boards in tri 1 anatomy. And he told you as much in his class. One of the very best professors I ever had, claimed by an education system that is set up to fail.
I guess maybe that is why I can't stand chiropractic students.
How Bad Students Became Boring Content Creators
Those same students graduated. Opened practices. Started writing content.
And that's why 95% of chiropractic content is generic, safe, boring drivel.
The students who looked busy but learned nothing became the chiropractors who write content that looks professional but says nothing.
They learned to look like they were doing the work without actually doing the work. They mastered the appearance of competence without developing actual competence.
Now they're doing the same thing with content:
- Publishing blog posts that look professional but say nothing unique
- Using all the latest AI tools to crank out content nobody reads
- Taking notes (copying competitors) instead of listening (understanding what patients actually want)
- Dumbing down their message to avoid saying anything that might be wrong
- Writing content that couldn't pass a one-legged turtle stuck in 4 feet of mud
- Creating generic pages about back pain that sound exactly like every other chiropractor in town
Boring vs Interesting: Side-by-Side Comparison
Don't believe me? Let's look at actual examples.
Generic. Safe. Could be written by any chiropractor in any city. Says nothing specific. Makes no claims. Offends nobody. Gets ignored by everybody.
Controversial. Specific. Takes a position. Challenges conventional wisdom. Makes CrossFit athletes defensive, then curious. Gets shared in gym group chats.
Nobody searches for this who isn't already sold on chiropractic. It's an FAQ answer, not a blog post. Zero emotion. Zero controversy. Zero shares.
Directly addresses a frustration your patients have. Defends the activity they love. Positions you as different from other medical providers. Gets forwarded to friends.
Every chiropractor in America says this exact thing. It means nothing. It's the written equivalent of taking notes frantically without hearing a word.
Specific. Clear. Different. Tells you exactly what to expect. Removes objections before you even ask.
Why Chiropractors Write Boring Content
1. Fear of Saying Something Wrong
The same students who couldn't pass exams because they were too busy taking notes to actually listen are now too afraid to take a position on anything because they might be wrong.
So they write generic, safe content that says nothing anyone could disagree with. And nothing anyone cares about.
2. Fear of Board Complaints
You can write compelling content without making outcome claims. But most chiropractors think being board-safe means being boring.
It doesn't. It means learning to write about mechanical function instead of disease treatment. Big difference.
3. Copying What "Successful" Chiropractors Do
Just like in school, they're copying the notes without understanding why the notes were taken in the first place.
They see a big practice's website and copy the language. Not understanding that the big practice got big DESPITE the boring content, not because of it.
4. Using AI to Write Content
AI is making chiropractic content worse, not better. Every chiropractor is using ChatGPT. Now everyone sounds like the same robot.
Patients can smell AI content from a mile away. It has the same vibe as those students with all the gadgets who never actually learned anything.
5. Trying to Appeal to Everyone
When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one. The students who graduated despite never learning to adjust are now running practices trying to treat everyone despite having no actual expertise.
Their content reflects this: generic, non-specific, trying to be everything to everybody.
What Boring Content Actually Costs You
Here's what happens when your content is generic, safe, and boring:
Your competition isn't other chiropractors. It's Netflix and Instagram. You're competing for ATTENTION. If your content is boring, they scroll past.
The Framework: How to Write Content People Actually Read
Here's what actually works. This is what I learned by listening instead of just taking notes:
1. Take a Position (Even If Controversial)
"CrossFit didn't injure you" is a position. "Chiropractic has benefits" is not. One makes people defensive. The other makes people yawn.
The chiropractors who stand out are the ones willing to piss people off. Controversy creates conversation. Conversation creates visibility. Visibility creates patients.
2. Tell Real Patient Stories
The 59-year-old patient I sent to CrossFit who said I changed her life? That's a story. "We help patients achieve wellness" is not.
Stories stick. Generic claims don't. That's why athlete-focused content works better than generic health tips.
3. Use Your Actual Voice
If you wouldn't say "optimal health and wellness" in a conversation at a bar, don't write it on your website.
Write like you talk. Short sentences. Direct language. No corporate buzzwords.
4. Challenge Conventional Beliefs
"Rest alone is why the injury keeps coming back." This challenges what patients have been told by other doctors. It makes them think.
"Neck pain can benefit from chiropractic care." This confirms what they already believe. It makes them scroll.
5. Make People Feel Something
Anger. Curiosity. Validation. Relief. Fear. Hope. Any emotion is better than indifference.
Boring content creates no emotion. No emotion = no action = no patients.
6. Be Specific
"Walk in Monday-Saturday, $40 flat rate" is specific. "Quality care at affordable prices" is not.
Specific beats vague. Always. That's why "back pain chiropractor" works better than "pain management specialist." And why "shoulder pain from overhead squats" works better than "upper extremity discomfort."
7. The Controversy Filter
Before publishing anything, ask: Would this make someone uncomfortable?
If the answer is no, it won't make anyone pay attention either. Rewrite it until someone would disagree.
The bar is higher than you think. You're not competing with the chiropractor down the street for who has the most professional-looking website. You're competing with every other thing your potential patient could be doing with their attention right now.
The Bottom Line
The students who looked busy but learned nothing became the chiropractors who write content that looks professional but says nothing.
They never learned to listen in school. They're not listening to what patients actually want now.
They're taking notes (copying competitors) instead of understanding what makes people stop scrolling, click, read, share, and call.
Don't be one of them.
Write content that takes a position. Tell real stories. Use your actual voice. Challenge beliefs. Make people feel something. Be specific.
That's what we do at Vanguard Chiropractic. No generic drivel. Just straight talk.
Or keep writing generic drivel and wonder why nobody calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Examples of Different Content
See What Different Looks Like
Walk in at 1334 E. 41st Street in Brookside Tulsa. $40 flat rate. No appointment. No insurance required. No generic drivel. Just straight talk and actual results.
This content is educational and reflects the author's perspective on chiropractic marketing. No medical advice is provided. The opinions expressed about chiropractic education are based on personal experience and observation.
Tools I Built From This Work
After two years of trying every SEO plugin on the market, I built my own. ChiroRank Pro is a WordPress SEO plugin built specifically for chiropractors. Board-compliance scanning across 141 jurisdictions, medical schema generator, AI that learns your voice, GSC dashboard. It is what I use on this site. Starts at $99 per year at chirorank.pro.
Related reading: a 2026 systematic review on chiropractic safety in elderly patients