Welcome to Part Two of a three part series we are taking on in an attempt for you to determine how often you should see a chiropractor. Although you don't need to read Part One to understand Part Two, if you're in pain at the moment, you may find it very relevant as it discusses getting chiropractic treatment for pain relief. Read How Often Should You See a Chiropractor for Maintenance: Part 1 – Pain Relief.
How Often Should I See a Chiropractor?
As we mentioned in Part One, the most common question we hear at Superior Spine Care is "how often should I see a chiropractor?" We know that nobody likes to hear "it depends" but it really does. Patients request chiropractic treatment for one of three reasons: pain relief, improve everyday functions or accomplish peak performance and each patient follows recommendations at varying scales, heals at different rates and has unique demands on their bodies.
In order to answer this question we are breaking the topic into three parts and hope you'll leave with a better understanding of what chiropractic care can do for your body.
- Part One of Chiropractic Maintenance Care we discussed pain relief,
- in Part Two we will explain seeing a chiropractor to improve function and range of motion, and
- Part Three will explore chiropractic care for sports and peak performance.
Maintenance Chiropractic Care: Importance for Function & Movement
FUNCTION: Sometimes pain isn’t the issue that leads to a patient seeking out chiropractic treatment. Either there is no pain associated with a condition, or the pain is minimal and easily managed by stretching, applying heat or cold, or over the counter medications. Examples of this type of patient are someone who has difficulty getting out of a chair, or crouching down to pick up a sock on the floor. Some patients can’t reach a top shelf, or put on a jacket by themselves. While these limitations may seem minor, they can have a big effect on your quality of life.
Chiropractic Maintenance Care For Increased Range of Motion
These patients benefit from maintenance care in a very measurable way. Without treatment, most often the functional gains that were made during treatment will slowly deteriorate. While we give our patients home exercise programs to help maintain their flexibility and strength on their own, regular chiropractic visits help keep the joints mobile and working correctly. One of the most tangible benefits of Chiropractic treatment is increased range of motion.
Misaligned Body Uses More Energy: Tired Muscles & Tendinitis
Whether you sit, stand, or walk throughout the day, we all seem to get more tired towards the end of the day. When the body’s joints are misaligned or fixated, our movements are less efficient, and we use more energy accomplishing the same tasks than we would otherwise. This results in poor movement patterns and tired muscles. This can also lead to nagging conditions such as tendinitis. Regular Chiropractic treatments help keep your body in alignment and working efficiently. Patients who do repetitive movements or tend to work in one position throughout the day especially seem to benefit from maintenance care.
At Superior Spine Care we pride ourselves on being patient-centric, or centered around what the patient feels comfortable with. We don't try forcing visits or treatment that our patients don't want because whether they're trying to relieve pain, improve function or achieve optimal performance, we're in it together. Each patient begins with a patient evaluation, which includes a thorough exam, x-rays when applicable and together we determine and schedule the most effective treatment from a choice of the Chiropractic Treatments, Therapeutic Massage or Physical Therapy & Rehab that apply to our patient's case. So come on in, check out our clinic or contact us to schedule a patient evaluation today.
.. and come back to the blog for How Often Should You See a Chiropractor for Maintenance Part 3 - Performance.
