The frequency with which you should see your chiropractor depends on personal needs or what you are being treated for. If you have a more severe problem, you may need to visit your chiropractor more frequently.
Chiropractic medicine and care is often misunderstood. Many presume that one visit is enough to make all of the necessary adjustments. A variety of factors come into play.
If you have been living with back pain for many months and have not done anything about it, it is likely that you will need a longer treatment plan. In general, the longer you ignore a problem, you risk having to have more involved treatment.
Also, certain injuries or conditions including severe injuries, chronic joint pain and disc problems, may require several visits per week or monthly. Most chiropractors like to make small adjustments and focus on them “staying in place.” This is the safest way to practise chiropractic medicine.
Once your chiropractor has established that the adjustments have stayed in place, he may ask you to visit less often. It is important to have follow-up visits. By visiting regularly, you often avoid future problems.
The frequency you visit your chiropractor also varies depending on what type of chiropractic medicine they specialise in. For instance, McTimoney is a more gentle discipline. It has become popular over the last 20 years.
5 Reasons You Should Visit Your Chiropractor Regularly
Let’s take a look at the top 5 reasons you should visit your chiropractor regularly.
1 Pain Relief Matters
We all experience pain from time to time. When you are in pain, it is important to find out why.
If you think it is related to your skeletal structure, visiting a chiropractor is the best option. Most chiropractors gently make small adjustments. You may experience a feeling of re-alignment and release.
Just because you have been treated, and the problem has been solved, it does not mean it will not return. Perhaps you have a job that puts strain and stress on your joints, tendons and muscles. This can quickly lead to back pain, shoulder pain and neck pain.
Chiropractic treatments are also useful when it comes to treating osteoarthritis.
2 Are You Stuck?
Sometimes we feel that we are stiff or even stuck. When our range of motion becomes limited, we can experience all kinds of peculiar symptoms.
Not only can you experience stiffness and pain, but you may also experience headaches and migraines. It is not unusual to have what is called psychosomatic symptoms. They may include nightmares and blackouts.
Feelings of stiffness are common after injuries. The most common injury to affect us is whiplash. It does not take a lot to misalign neck vertebrae or cause neck discomfort when you experience a whiplash injury. By the way, whiplash injuries are not limited to car impacts.
3 Better Sleep Quality
Are you not sleeping well at night? Many of us try to solve our sleeping problems ourselves. We may rush out and buy neck supports and expensive pillows to help us sleep better.
We blame our poor sleep quality on stress. If you visit a regular physician about your sleep problems, he is more likely to diagnose you with stress than problems with your skeletal structure.
Your doctor may prescribe a low dose of valium or recommend you try a herbal supplement. But, if your melatonin levels are okay, your doctor should really think outside of the box. Well-balanced melatonin and other hormone levels are a clear indication that you are not suffering from stress.
However, far from all sleep problems are a result of stress. Misalignments can affect our nervous system and lead to sleep issues.
If you are concerned about poor sleep, think about how your body feels. Are you noticing any stiffness or pains in your body? If you notice stiffness and pain, especially in the neck, back and head area, it is possible that your pool quality of sleep, or even insomnia, can be made better by chiropractor treatment.
4 Improved Immune System Function
How can chiropractic treatment improve your immune system function? Although there is not a lot of evidence of an immediate link, the theory behind it is sound.
If you are experiencing inflammation anywhere in your body, you have activated your immune system. The danger comes when you ignore this inflammation.
It could be that your immune system is so busy trying to deal with the inflammation that it is making you feel run down. You start to experience colds and frequent virus infections.
We forget that our joints can experience inflammation along with our muscles and tendons. Managing inflammation is challenging for the body, especially long term. A couple of days are okay, but when it goes over that, you should seek help.
So, if your joints have been hurting and you feel run down, your chiropractor may be able to help you to get back on the right track.
5 Chiropractic Treatment and Improved Digestion
It may seem strange that our posture affects our digestion, but it is true. Once again, inflammation plays a role.
But, we also know that if our body is out of alignment, we can experience digestive issues. Misalignment of the spine has been show to cause digestive problems including hiatal hernias. There are clear links, some of which need to be explored further, but that is true of all disciplines in medicine.
Conclusion
Visiting a chiropractor for regular maintenance is not a bad idea. After all, we use our skeletal structure, tendons and muscles every day. It is only reasonable to expect wear and tear.
We know that a car may suffer alignment problems when it goes over a bump or when we accidentally hit the curb. Yet, we expect our far more sensitive structure to manage impacts, sitting all day and walking around in 10-inch stilettos. Mmmm, it does make you think…
