Who Are The Top Chiropractors On Instagram?
The other day, I found myself wondering who the top chiropractors on Instagram were. I was curious what I could learn about them. What type of content are they creating? How many followers do the top chiropractors have? How responsive is their Instagram community?
My first stop was to Google. I did a search for the top chiropractor on Instagram, but my Google search didn’t give me much to work with. Next, I asked ChatGPT. ChatGPT was even less helpful. It basically told me to go to Instagram and do the work myself. Thanks for nothing, ChatGPT!
After a bit of digging, I kept striking out. I couldn’t find a simple list that told me who the top chiropractors on Instagram were. So I ended up doing what ChatGPT suggested. I went to Instagram and started creating my own list.
Finding The Top Chiropractors On Instagram
My goal was to come up with a list of at least 20 chiropractors who were doing well on Instagram. “Doing well” is obviously a subjective term. I ended up with 22 chiropractors and I threw in 1 physical therapist. Their follower totals ranged from 27k to 887k, with an average of 175k followers.
I found my list of top chiropractors on Instagram through two different means. First, I searched the word “chiropractor” on Instagram and went through the accounts that came up in the search. Second, I searched the #chiropractic hashtag on Instagram and went through the top posts.
I was looking for chiropractors who are clearly being chiropractors. So I ruled out chiropractors who are primarily doing stuff like lifestyle advice, life/business/financial coaching, modeling, or influencing. I did make an exception for the 1 PT, but his account is a good example of what chiropractors do (or could do) on Instagram.
Also, I intended to analyze the latest posts from each of these top chiropractors. A few chiropractors that I found who had a large following on Instagram had their post privacy set up so that I couldn’t see how many likes were on the post. If I couldn’t see the like number on any of their most recent posts, that chiropractor did not make my list.
Top Instagram Chiropractors Data Issues
Once I had my list of top chiropractors on Instagram, my goal was to look at their most recent posts to determine interaction %, content type, and top post causes (why their most recent top post is their top post).
With all of the accounts, I ignored any pinned posts because they tend to have a much higher like number than a standard post. I also ignored the most recent post for each account because they tend to have much lower like number due to recency.
With that said, there are definitely flaws with my process.
First, since there isn’t an easy way to find out who exactly are the top chiropractors on Instagram, I’m sure there are people I missed who should have been included on my list.
Second, I only took post likes into consideration when looking at follower interaction. I didn’t take into consideration comments or shares, both of those things are important metrics when evaluating interaction.
Third, when calculating interaction percentages, I divided likes by followers. Since people don’t have to be a follower of someone on Instagram to like their post, the follower interaction numbers I came up with are not going to be exact.
Fourth, there is no way for me to know who is paying for ads and who is not. It’s entirely possible that the reason a chiropractor has such a high number of likes on a particular post is because they are advertising that post. That’s not a bad thing. But it would be nice to know from an analysis standpoint.
Fifth, I didn’t try to sort out who has legit followers and/or likes. Some chiropractors will pay for both followers and likes because they want to appear more popular than they are. I would strongly discourage anyone from doing that. It doesn’t help.
I would also say, that before you use any of these top chiropractors on Instagram as a model for your own practice, I would look very closely at their likes and followers to verify that it’s not a bunch of bots.
My Observations | Top Chiropractors on Instagram
As I was digging through the top chiropractors on Instagram, I tried to make a note of anything that might be helpful for other chiropractors who are trying to grow their following on Instagram. In no particular order, below are some of my observations.
Video vs Images
Something that became apparent to me right away was that the top chiropractors on Instagram are posting videos a lot more than they are posting images. Out of the 10 recent posts that I evaluated, the average number of videos posted was 9 out of 10. Also, 20 out of 23 of each chiropractor’s top post was a video.
Content Type
I started taking note of the type of content that the top chiropractors on Instagram were posting. I decided to put the content into 7 categories.
- Treatment
- Education
- Shock
- Inspiration
- Celebrity
- Promotion
- Humor
Treatment: Treatment videos were by far the most popular content type for the top chiropractors on Instagram. 20 out of 23 accounts posted treatment videos.
Education: Educational content was the next most common content type. 11 out of 23 accounts posted education content.
Shock: I define shock content as any content that intentionally or unintentionally draws attention to a chiropractor that doesn’t have anything to do with the profession. Examples of shock content would be half-dressed patients, chiropractors with face tattoos, unorthodox adjusting techniques, and adding crack sounds to videos. 8 out of 23 accounts posted some form of shock content.
Inspiration: Most of the top chiropractors on Instagram did not have inspirational content in their latest posts. There was one who stood out because he leaned very heavily on it compared to the rest of the chiropractors on the list. Overall, 5 out of 23 accounts posted inspirational content.
Celebrity: Celebrity content is when a chiropractor posts content with a well-known person. This person could be a big-time celebrity like a professional athlete, or it could be a local celebrity like the local mayor. 5 out of 23 accounts posted celebrity content.
Promotion: Promotional content is any content where a chiropractor is promoting themselves or their services. From my observation, promotion posts were the least popular on average when compared to the other types of content.
I did not count comments related to Instagram (“follow us on Instagram”) as promotional content. 4 out of 23 accounts posted promotional content.
Humor: I define humor content as any content where the chiropractor is deliberately attempting to be funny. An example of humor content would be memes, a chiropractor cracking a joke, or a chiropractor doing their version of the latest viral trend.
Humor content was the least common content amongst the top chiropractors on Instagram. 3 out of 23 accounts posted humor content.
Top Post Reasons
As I was looking at each chiropractor’s top (recent) post, I tried to make a note as to why I thought that particular post was more popular than the rest. The possible fly in the ointment is advertisements. Without knowing who’s paying for ads and who’s not, it’s impossible for me to know if the top post is the top post organically or if that just happens to be the post that the chiropractor threw money at.
There were 2 out of 23 top posts where I wasn’t really sure why they were so popular. Nothing about them stood out to me. But the rest of them had something in the preview image and/or something in the content that made that particular post stand out from the rest.
I even noticed a couple of times where a chiropractor posted the same video twice, but the preview images were different. The huge differences in interaction between those posts make it clear that the preview image is very important when it comes to social media interaction.
That’s not to say the content doesn’t matter. The quality of your content matters a lot. In fact, I would consider those two things the perfect recipe for a potential top post. You need quality content with an eye-catching preview image.
Male vs Females
When I started my search for the top chiropractors on Instagram, I was expecting to see more female chiropractors with large Instagram followings. I know that chiropractic has traditionally been a male-dominated profession, but I wasn’t expecting only 2 out of 23 accounts to be females.
With that said, I’m sure I’ve missed some people because there isn’t really a great way to search Instagram for chiropractors. Also, there were some female chiropractors who didn’t make my list because either I couldn’t see their post stats, or they were primarily doing something besides chiropractic. Male or female, those were things that kept chiropractors off my list.
I’m not saying there’s some sort of conspiracy against female chiropractors, or that Instagram isn’t being fair (whatever that means). It’s just something that I noticed and I thought it was worth mentioning.
Personalities & Cringy Content
Unfortunately, even when trying, not everyone comes across positively on social media. Heck, not everyone comes across positively in real life. That’s just the way it is.
Some people have personality in spades and others…well…they don’t. My assumption before I started this search was that ALL the top chiropractors on Instagram would have big personalities to match their big followings. I was wrong.
I’m not saying that any of the top chiropractors were unlikable. In fact, I would say they were all likable in one way or another. But they demonstrated that chiropractors don’t have to have a big (and sometimes obnoxious) personality to be successful on Instagram. I think that’s a good thing.
A lot of chiropractors who are trying to grow their Instagram following assume that they have to act a certain way to get clicks. That’s why there are so many cringy chiropractor videos online. Chiropractors often try too hard to be funny or clever because they think that’s what’s going to move the needle for them.
For a lot of chiropractors, instead of people laughing with them, people just end up laughing at them. That’s not really what you want. Hopefully, the diversity of personalities, and the minimal amount (there was some) of cringy content within my list of top chiropractors on Instagram serves as evidence that chiropractors can be themselves and be professional and still benefit from Instagram.
Conclusion | Top Instagram Chiropractors
Video > Images
This is probably old news for many people, but it’s never been more clear to me. Videos are better than images on Instagram. If you want to get more exposure and build your following, post more videos.
Treatment Videos > Everything Else
Across the board, chiropractic treatment/adjustment videos are the most popular. Obviously, you can post other things, but treatment/adjustment videos will grow your following more than anything else in most cases.
With that said, I want to stress the importance of being good with your hands. No one wants to watch a chiropractor who’s crappy at adjusting unless they are doing it to make fun of them. If you are going to post treatment/adjustment videos, be good at it. If you aren’t good at it, I would recommend getting good at it before you post videos online.
Sex Sells…Sort Of
Some chiropractors post videos of patients in tight clothes or patients who are (let’s be honest) half-naked. Yes, those posts do seem to get more attention than other posts, but being overtly sexual doesn’t seem to be the secret to Instagram success.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with having an attractive patient in a video. But when a chiropractor is overtly sexual posts for the sake of attention, that extra attention is not necessarily the attention that leads to more new patients.
Here are a few quotes from outside sources to drive my point home.
When doesn’t sex sell?
Sometimes, sex garners attention without producing any brand extension or sales results.
“Sex is not as effective when selling high-risk, informational products such as banking services, appliances and utility trucks,” Reichert said. Marketing for such items is based on facts, testimonials and customer service. Using sex to sell where it doesn’t fit won’t help move product.
The idea that sex doesn’t always sell is supported by the results of an International Journal of Advertising study, which found that participants might remember sexy ads, but they didn’t necessarily recall what those ads were selling.
“We found that people remember ads with sexual appeals more than those without, but that effect doesn’t extend to the brands or products that are featured in the ads,” said John Wirtz, an associate professor of advertising at the University of Illinois and the study’s lead author.
Wirtz and his co-authors used meta-analysis to look at 78 peer-reviewed studies examining the effects of sexual advertising campaigns. The research offered a new take on sexy messaging: Sexy ads might be memorable, but they often fail to sell the products or services they’re promoting.
Source: Does Sex Still Sell? What Marketers Should Know
More Talking Needs More Personality
I mentioned the importance of personality earlier. One of the things I noticed with my list of top chiropractors on Instagram was the ones who could get away with talking more in their videos were also the ones who had more interesting/likable personalities.
I’m not here to decide who does and who doesn’t have a “talk a lot in videos and get away with it” personality. But if you are posting videos in which you are talking a lot and they are not moving the needle…maybe try talking less. (Yes…I know I talk too much.)
Education Needs To Be Practical
Chiropractors love educating their patients. I get it. But something I noticed while looking at content on Instagram was the education that got the most interaction was very practical. The information that seemed to fall on deaf ears was less practical.
I will also add that the educational content that you post on Instagram needs to be clear and concise. Use words that your audience will understand, and use as few of them as possible to get across your point. (YEEEES…I still know that I talk too much.)
You Don’t Have To Be A Weasel
It wasn’t that long ago when I assumed that if a chiropractor was popular online they were a weasel. They were doing something shifty. They were a clown. They weren’t a “real” chiropractor.
I’ll admit it…I was wrong.
Over the last few years, I have gotten the chance to talk with some of the most popular chiropractors online and I have been pleasantly surprised. The same thing happened when I evaluated this list of top chiropractors on Instagram. I was also pleasantly surprised.
Now I’m not saying that there aren’t any weasels out there. But I am saying you definitely don’t have to be a weasel to become a chiropractor with a big following. I find that encouraging. Hopefully, you do too.
Top Chiropractors On Instagram
| Chiropractors Name | Instagram Username | Number of Followers |
|---|---|---|
| Alex VanDerschelden | @occhiropractor | 887k |
| Beau Hightower | @dr.beauhightower | 613k |
| Zeki | @zeki.therapy | 321k |
| Mohamed Shalabi | @drmshalabi | 231k |
| Alex Tubio | @drtubio | 208k |
| Michael Vanderschelden | @drmichaelvan | 174k |
| Rashad Trabulsi | @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k |
| Strat Poulson | @stratpoulson | 160k |
| Tomasz Jan Chachurski | @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k |
| Momma’s Chiro | @mommaschiro | 137K |
| Brenda Mondragon | @chiro_dragon | 130k |
| Chirag Joisher | @chiragjoisher | 116k |
| Pete Angerilli | @drpetechiro | 101k |
| Ralph Napolitano | @drralphnap | 98.8k |
| Brian Meenan | @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k |
| Andy Chen (PT) | @dr.andychen | 90.2k |
| Jamal Fruster | @drjamalfruster | 83.1k |
| Pankaj Choudhary | @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69.8k |
| Jeff Rosenberg | @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60.5k |
| Christopher Dorsa | @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56.3k |
| Holden Stanfill | @dr.holdenstanfill | 30.1k |
| Matt Ottoman | @dr_otto_dc | 28.3k |
| Ben Horning | @drbenhorning | 27.3k |
Stats From 10 Recent Posts | The Top Chiropractors on Instagram
I looked at the 10 most recent posts from my list of top chiropractors to see who had the most likes overall and who had the highest percentage of interaction from their followers. As I mentioned before, I disregarded each chiropractor’s most recent post to avoid getting an artificially low number due to timing.
You might assume that the person with the most followers automatically will have the most likes on their most recent posts. Turns out, that’s not correct. It’s also interesting to see which chiropractor has the highest interaction % relative to the size of their followers.
Let’s take a look.
| Username | Followers | Total Likes (10 Posts) | Interaction % |
|---|---|---|---|
| @dr_otto_dc | 28k | 9418 | 3.333 |
| @chiragjoisher | 116k | 25520 | 2.222 |
| @chiro_dragon | 130k | 20971 | 1.613 |
| @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56k | 8984 | 1.613 |
| @zeki.therapy | 321k | 48281 | 1.515 |
| @drtubio | 208k | 25106 | 1.220 |
| @occhiropractor | 887k | 105638 | 1.205 |
| @dr.holdenstanfill | 30k | 3007 | 1.000 |
| @drbenhorning | 27k | 2077 | 0.763 |
| @dr.andychen | 90k | 5314 | 0.592 |
| @drjamalfruster | 83k | 4565 | 0.552 |
| @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k | 6625 | 0.431 |
| @drralphnap | 98k | 4226 | 0.429 |
| @mommaschiro | 137k | 4369 | 0.319 |
| @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60k | 1518 | 0.251 |
| @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69k | 1529 | 0.219 |
| @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k | 1940 | 0.207 |
| @stratpoulson | 160k | 2985 | 0.187 |
| @drmshalabi | 231k | 3754 | 0.162 |
| @drmichaelvan | 174k | 2658 | 0.153 |
| @drpetechiro | 101k | 1263 | 0.125 |
| @dr.beauhightower | 613k | 6600 | 0.108 |
| @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k | 1556 | 0.091 |
Stats From Most Popular Recent Post | Top Chiropractors on Instagram
One of the things I noticed right away was that there would often be 1 post out of the 10 most recent that was noticeably different than the others.
So I documented the total likes for each chiropractor’s most popular recent post. Then I calculated the interaction percentage of that post to see how much higher it was than their 10-post average.
Let’s take a look.
| Username | Followers | Highest Post Likes | Interaction % |
|---|---|---|---|
| @dr_otto_dc | 28k | 8246 | 29.138 |
| @chiragjoisher | 116k | 18500 | 15.948 |
| @zeki.therapy | 321k | 41800 | 13.022 |
| @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56k | 4547 | 8.076 |
| @dr.holdenstanfill | 30k | 1094 | 3.635 |
| @chiro_dragon | 130k | 4545 | 3.496 |
| @drtubio | 208k | 6841 | 3.289 |
| @occhiropractor | 887k | 24500 | 2.762 |
| @dr.andychen | 90k | 2179 | 2.416 |
| @drbenhorning | 27k | 526 | 1.927 |
| @drjamalfruster | 83k | 1509 | 1.816 |
| @drralphnap | 98k | 1370 | 1.387 |
| @mommaschiro | 137k | 1606 | 1.172 |
| @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k | 1444 | 0.938 |
| @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69k | 510 | 0.731 |
| @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60k | 377 | 0.623 |
| @drmshalabi | 231k | 1425 | 0.617 |
| @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k | 490 | 0.521 |
| @dr.beauhightower | 613k | 2640 | 0.431 |
| @drpetechiro | 101k | 333 | 0.330 |
| @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k | 548 | 0.320 |
| @stratpoulson | 160k | 470 | 0.294 |
| @drmichaelvan | 174k | 508 | 0.292 |
Adjusted Stats From Recent Posts | Top Chiropractors on Instagram
Since it was apparent that the chiropractor’s top post made a huge difference for some and not much of a difference for others, I decided to look at what the like totals and interaction percentages looked like when I removed each chiropractor’s top post.
Here are the adjusted numbers.
| Username | Followers | Total Likes w/o Top Post | Interaction % w/o Top Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| @occhiropractor | 887k | 81138 | 1.016 |
| @dr.beauhightower | 613k | 3960 | 0.072 |
| @zeki.therapy | 321k | 6481 | 0.224 |
| @drmshalabi | 231k | 2329 | 0.069 |
| @drtubio | 208k | 18265 | 0.975 |
| @drmichaelvan | 174k | 2150 | 0.137 |
| @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k | 1008 | 0.065 |
| @stratpoulson | 160k | 2515 | 0.174 |
| @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k | 5181 | 0.374 |
| @mommaschiro | 137k | 1141 | 0.093 |
| @chiro_dragon | 130k | 16426 | 1.404 |
| @chiragjoisher | 116k | 7020 | 0.672 |
| @drpetechiro | 101k | 930 | 0.102 |
| @drralphnap | 98k | 2856 | 0.321 |
| @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k | 1450 | 0.171 |
| @dr.andychen | 90.2k | 3135 | 0.386 |
| @drjamalfruster | 83k | 3056 | 0.409 |
| @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69k | 1019 | 0.162 |
| @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60k | 1141 | 0.210 |
| @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56.3k | 4437 | 0.876 |
| @dr.holdenstanfill | 30k | 1913 | 0.708 |
| @dr_otto_dc | 28k | 1172 | 0.459 |
| @drbenhorning | 27k | 1551 | 0.630 |
Average Likes Per Post | Top Chiropractors on Instagram
Another way to evaluate the top chiropractors on Instagram is to look at how many likes they average per post. Below you will see how many likes each chiropractor averaged over their 10 most recent posts.
I also did an adjusted like average by removing the like totals of each chiropractor’s top post. Removing each chiropractor’s top post stats helps give a more realistic number that is not influenced by the top-performing post which could be a statistical outlier.
Let’s take a look.
| Username | Followers | Avg Likes Per Post | Avg Likes Per Post w/o Top Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| @occhiropractor | 887k | 10564 | 9015 |
| @dr.beauhightower | 613k | 660 | 440 |
| @zeki.therapy | 321k | 4828 | 720 |
| @drmshalabi | 231k | 375 | 159 |
| @drtubio | 208k | 2511 | 2029 |
| @drmichaelvan | 174k | 266 | 239 |
| @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k | 156 | 112 |
| @stratpoulson | 160k | 299 | 279 |
| @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k | 663 | 576 |
| @mommaschiro | 137k | 437 | 127 |
| @chiro_dragon | 130k | 2097 | 1825 |
| @chiragjoisher | 116k | 2552 | 780 |
| @drpetechiro | 101k | 126 | 103 |
| @drralphnap | 98k | 423 | 317 |
| @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k | 194 | 161 |
| @dr.andychen | 90.2k | 531 | 348 |
| @drjamalfruster | 83k | 457 | 340 |
| @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69k | 153 | 113 |
| @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60k | 152 | 127 |
| @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56.3k | 898 | 493 |
| @dr.holdenstanfill | 30k | 301 | 213 |
| @dr_otto_dc | 28k | 942 | 130 |
| @drbenhorning | 27k | 208 | 172 |
Average Follows Per Like | Top Chiropractors on Instagram
Another way to look at interaction is to see how many followers it takes to get a like. As I said before, since you don’t have to be a follower to like a post on Instagram, the follower per like metric isn’t an exact science.
Followers per like is just another way of evaluating how active the following is for the top chiropractors on Instagram. If a chiropractor has 10 followers per like, that means their Instagram followers are much more active than a chiropractor who has 100 followers per like. Basically, the lower the number the more active the community.
Let’s take a look.
| Username | Followers | Followers Per Like | Followers Per Like w/o Top Post |
|---|---|---|---|
| @occhiropractor | 887k | 83 | 98 |
| @dr.beauhightower | 613k | 928 | 1393 |
| @zeki.therapy | 321k | 66 | 446 |
| @drmshalabi | 231k | 616 | 1453 |
| @drtubio | 208k | 82 | 103 |
| @drmichaelvan | 174k | 654 | 728 |
| @dr.rashad_trabulsi | 171k | 1096 | 1527 |
| @stratpoulson | 160k | 535 | 573 |
| @toonypolak_chiropractor_pt | 154k | 232 | 267 |
| @mommaschiro | 137k | 313 | 1079 |
| @chiro_dragon | 130k | 62 | 71 |
| @chiragjoisher | 116k | 45 | 149 |
| @drpetechiro | 101k | 801 | 981 |
| @drralphnap | 98k | 233 | 312 |
| @pittsburgh_chiropractor | 94k | 484 | 584 |
| @dr.andychen | 90.2k | 169 | 259 |
| @drjamalfruster | 83k | 181 | 244 |
| @dr.pankajspinechiropractic | 69k | 456 | 618 |
| @dr.jeffrosenberg | 60k | 398 | 476 |
| @dr.christopher.dorsa | 56.3k | 62 | 114 |
| @dr.holdenstanfill | 30k | 100 | 141 |
| @dr_otto_dc | 28k | 30 | 218 |
| @drbenhorning | 27k | 131 | 159 |
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