I have been seeing chiropractors on and off for 20 years. I've lived several places so I've had the…read moreopportunity to experience many modalities and approaches. Here are the pros and cons of my experience with Dr. Kaplan:
Pros:
- Adjusts exactly what needs adjusting. No more, no less.
- Very accommodating to see my husband and I quickly.
- After my first couple of visits, Dr. Kaplan called me personally to see how I was feeling.
- Affordable care
- I had pain in my foot that is virtually gone after several visits.
-Friendly and helpful office staff at the Campbell location.
Cons:
- I found his humor to be inappropriate on multiple occasions. He explained, in front of my husband, that in his Campbell office they have female patients wear gowns, but at the Boulder Creek office they don't have gowns so "we just do the examinations topless." I dealt with it through humor by saying something like, "yeah that's not happening haha."
In subsequent appointments, he told a joke about lesbians that had an overtly violent tone, and in my final appointment he ranted that policies around sexual harassment have gotten so ridiculous "you just can't say anything anymore" and "if women are looking to be offended that's what they're going to find." As an example of what men aren't allowed to do anymore he said, "Like, I'm trying not to look at your boobs right now." This is demeaning in any context and beyond inappropriate for a doctor to say to a patient. I felt incredibly uncomfortable.
- Although the adjustments were mostly helpful, in one appointment he adjusted my neck and I immediately got a headache. It was pretty severe with the pain referring to my eye. I told him and he looked up from his note-taking to say, "Well, I'm not going to do anything that GIVES you a headache," (AND YET HERE WE ARE, WITH ME HAVING A HEADACHE I DIDN'T HAVE TWO MINUTES AGO). He totally dismissed my concern and went back to writing his notes. Any other chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, or physical therapist I've seen would have said, "OK, let me take another look" and reexamined my neck, explained if it was a muscle spasm, etc, treated it if possible, and given me instructions about ice/heat, etc. I hope his student observer filed this away as "what not to do." I had that headache for 2 days, persisting through Aleve and prescription muscle relaxers.
I'm not sure why I returned for several visits, but I grew weary of having to push back and attempt to create boundaries in each appointment. Given his positive reviews, he's obviously helped folks and that's great. He did help me with my foot pain. However, I'm looking for a higher level of professionalism in my health care and won't be returning.
I let Dr. Kaplan know via email exactly what was inappropriate in our most recent appointment. He left me a voicemail apologizing for making me uncomfortable which I appreciated until he went on to retell one of the more innocuous stories he'd told me and explain why he thought it was funny, that his humor is sarcastic and weird, and that there was no malicious intent. He also promised that if I returned as a patient, he'd TRY not to do it again. Apparently, he cannot say with certainty that he will never again make a comment like, "I'm trying not to look at your boobs right now," and this is why I felt it necessary to leave this review.
I believe his apology is the best he can do with the awareness that he has, however the truth is that it doesn't matter what he says his intent is--a doctor can NEVER say the things I've mentioned here to a patient in any context, for any reason and expect that patient to feel safe. It's not our job as patients to make excuses for his off color comedy routine or the fact that he likes to "be sarcastic and push people's buttons." I'm honestly sad that he doesn't get it and I sincerely hope that one day he does.