Q: I have gone to the chiropractor before and he really helped my lower back. My neighbor continues to go regularly though and I can’t figure out why. He says it makes him confident that he won’t have the same injury as bad. How do maintenance adjustments work?
A: It may be pain—back pain, most likely—that first sends you to a chiropractor. Even after the pain is gone, however, many people continue with periodic visits to maintain their well-being. Many people might ask, “Why?” You take your car for regular maintenance, don’t you? So a chiropractic tune-up is a good idea, even if you’re feeling fine. The fact is that through the rigors of daily living—from coming through the birth canal, to childhood tumbles, to an adulthood of sitting at a desk—we put strain on our body, including the spine. Add the chemicals and pollutants we’re exposed to through food and the environment, and it’s not surprising that our systems start to gum up as we age. After we begin to have symptoms like back pain or ill health, we can now “feel” the results of this chronic stress we put on ourselves.
In terms of physical pain, once we feel the relief brought by chiropractic or other physical medicine procedures, we better understand the problem. When people continue with a maintenance type of treatment, they have also realized that the problems that made the pain come in the first place are usually still a part of their life. They then make the decision to continually manage those stressors through an adjustment usually combined with the home exercise program they learned while getting out of pain initially. In this way, we find and remove small problems before they can become big painful ones again. It’s kinda like maintaining dental health… with regular cleaning, we find small carries before they become cavities that require more invasive and expensive treatment.
How can this affect your overall health? The nerves that pass through the spine do not only control the operation of our limbs; they also have a bearing on our organs. So a digestive or urinary problem could be caused or exacerbated by a spinal misalignment and nerve root pressure. The spine has 24 joints consisting of bones—vertebrae—and discs through which nerves pass. A misalignment could be affecting a nerve that’s causing a problem for you.
Maintenance treatment is usually a service that you pay cash for and is not covered by your insurance. It is up to you if it is worth the usually small price you have to pay. Ask your chiropractor if regular adjustments would be helpful for you.
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