Why All Chiropractors Aren’t the Same and How Austin Patients Are Finally Seeing the Difference

For years, people searching for a chiropractor in Austin have assumed the experience—and results—would be roughly the same from one office to the next. According to Dr. Matt Delgado, D.C., founder of Lifespring Chiropractic, that assumption is at the root of widespread confusion and inconsistent outcomes in chiropractic care.

“Chiropractic has a branding problem,” Dr. Matt said. “Patients don’t realize there are very different models of care operating under the same name.”

Lifespring Chiropractic, recently recognized as Best Chiropractor in Austin for 2025 by Austin Fit Magazine, is using that momentum to help clarify what most patients are never told: there are three fundamentally different types of chiropractors, and the results depend on which model you choose.

What Are the Three Types of Chiropractors—and Why Do Results Vary So Widely?

Through years of clinical experience and patient feedback, Lifespring now openly teaches an industry-wide framework that helps patients understand what to expect from care.

1. Pain-Focused Chiropractic
This model centers on one core question: Where does it hurt, and how do we reduce it?

• Model: Local, mechanical

• Strength: Fast symptom relief

• Limitation: Pain often returns because the system that created it isn’t addressed

2. Structural or Postural Chiropractic
This approach asks: What’s out of alignment or not moving well?

• Model: Mechanical + posture-based

• Strength: Improved movement and mechanics

• Limitation: Still largely local, with limited system-wide impact

3. Nervous System–Focused Chiropractic
This model still addresses pain and posture, but it organizes care around a different question: What conditions allow the nervous system to regulate the entire body effectively?

• Model: Systems-based, adaptive

• Strength: Explains non-local, whole-body changes including pain, posture, and long-term health optimization

• Limitation: Requires time, consistency, and supportive conditions

Each model has value,” Dr. Matt explained. “But they don’t all produce the same depth of change.

Why Lifespring Chiropractic Changed Its Model—And Its Questions

Lifespring Chiropractic didn’t always practice nervous system–focused care. Like many Austin chiropractors, the clinic began with a primarily structural and postural approach.

The shift began gradually in 2024, when the team noticed a recurring pattern: patients felt better, stopped care, then returned months later with the same challenges.

“We realized we were helping people feel ‘fine,’ but not function optimally,” Dr. Matt said.

“After seeing the ceiling of short-term pain relief, and reversing my own autoimmune condition, I knew the nervous system had to be the focus.”

Advanced INSiGHT Scans for chiropractic revealed a consistent gap between how patients felt and how their nervous systems were actually functioning. Many were highly stressed and dysregulated—yet unaware of it due to the body’s remarkable ability to adapt.

By late 2025, Lifespring fully transitioned to a nervous system–focused, systems-based model, using precise, low-force adjustments guided by neurological data and supported by lifestyle shifts such as sleep optimization and stress regulation.

What Are Austin Patients Experiencing With System-Based Care?

Patients at Lifespring are now reporting changes that extend far beyond pain relief, including:

• Faster recovery with fewer flare-ups

• Improved sleep, energy, and focus

• Greater stress tolerance and emotional resilience

• More presence and enjoyment in daily life

These transformations are reflected in patient stories shared publicly at:
https://lifespringchiro.com/testimonials/

When you focus on the system that controls every other system, change stops being isolated,” Dr. Matt noted. “It becomes global.

Why the Austin Community Responded

Austin Fit Magazine’s Best Chiropractor in Austin recognition is based on reader and community votes, reflecting trust from a health-literate city that values long-term outcomes.

“People here ask better questions,” Dr. Matt said. “They want to know why something works—not just whether it works.”

That curiosity mirrors Lifespring’s own evolution and has shaped the clinic’s culture, attracting patients, and team members, who want more than short-term relief.

To celebrate the recognition, Lifespring is hosting a community pickleball event in Austin—bringing patients and families together in movement outside the clinic walls. Event details can be found here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1981952816226?aff=oddtdtcreator

About Lifespring Chiropractic

Lifespring Chiropractic is an Austin, Texas–based chiropractic practice focused on nervous system–centered, systems-based care. Founded by Dr. Matt Delgado, D.C., Lifespring helps individuals and families move beyond symptom cycles toward greater resilience, capacity, and overall function.

Learn more at https://lifespringchiro.com

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all chiropractors trained the same way?

All chiropractors receive similar foundational education, but their clinical models and focus can differ significantly.

Why does nervous system–focused care take longer?

Because it addresses how the body adapts and regulates itself, not just isolated pain points.

Is this approach only for people in pain?

No. Many patients seek care for stress, sleep issues, energy, focus, and long-term health.

How should patients choose a chiropractor in Austin?

By asking what model of care the office follows and what outcomes they prioritize beyond symptom relief.

When do patients typically see the three different types of chiropractors?

Pain-focused chiropractors are usually seen during acute flare-ups for quick, short-term relief.

Structural or postural chiropractors are often chosen when pain returns and alignment or movement seems involved, though results can remain local and temporary.

Nervous system–focused chiropractors are commonly sought when pain keeps repeating, when people feel stuck moving between providers without lasting answers, or when they’re looking to improve sleep, energy, stress tolerance, and overall long-term health by addressing the system that controls them all. Many of these patients have already explored various holistic doctors in Austin before realizing their nervous system may be the missing link.