How often should you see a chiropractor?

As a practicing chiropractor, this is a question that comes up often.  In fact, as a chiropractic patient myself, this is one of the things I’ve taken years to figure out.  The simplest answer is – it depends!  Let me explain…

Seeing a Chiropractor as part of your lifestyle

Chiropractic is best used as a regular part of your overall healthy lifestyle.  This is fairly well documented in both scientific literature as well as anecdotal studies.  In conjunction with a balanced diet, regular cardiovascular and strength training, positive outlook on life and good relations, a chiropractor will help your stay in the proper lane of health.

When someone uses a chiropractor as a part of their healthy lifestyle, the regularity depends largely on the following factors:

• Amount of emotional stress in their lives

• History of spinal health and wellness

• Degree of chemical insults in their lives (smoking, poor diet, medication use etc.)

• Activity level (too much or too little)

Seeing a Chiropractor for an accident

If you have been involved in an accident or suffered an injury, your frequency of visits to a chiropractor will likely be greater.  Some patients are in my office daily until they are able to get back to their activities of daily life (work, family, sports etc.).  Once you begin to regain your proper mechanics and neurological function, your frequency will reduce.

Maintenance mode with a Chiropractor

Most patients eventually move into a maintenance or wellness model of chiropractic care.  This is used in a similar fashion to getting your oil changed every 10,000 km or cleaning your eaves troughs each spring and fall.  When you keep up with your spinal and nerve system health, you will start to establish new normals for your overall health.  Patients report fewer sick days, less frequent headaches, better sleep patterns, overall improvement in mood and generally are happier in day-to-day life.  An example of this type of wellness schedule would be getting adjusted once a week up to once per month, depending on the above factors.

Learning with your Chiropractor

As you build your educational experience in chiropractic, you will find that the nerve system controls everything in your body.  Thus, a healthier nerve system equals a healthier body.  For this reason, many people rely on their chiropractor as the first line of defense when facing a difficult or new health challenge.  Did you know that a chiropractor helps children with ear infections or poor sleep patterns by adjusting the spine?  Were you aware that a chiropractic adjustment may improve signaling to the bowel or the stomach, thus potentially improving bowel habits or decreasing symptoms of indigestion or heartburn?  Did you know that the chiropractic adjustment helps people get off of pain medications thereby saving them thousands of dollars and avoiding potential long-term side effects of such medications?

Individual care programs developed by your Chiropractor

As the individual cases always vary, the chiropractor will do his or her best to assess and outline exactly the proper frequency of care.  The key to remember is that anything that is done with consistency, yields positive changes/gains.  If you went to the gym once a year, while it’s better than never, it would take eons to notice a change.  With chiropractic care for your spine and nervous system health, the same principles apply.  Get healthy, and stay healthy by visiting a chiropractor today!

We hope that this blog has helped you understand the approach that we take at ReAlign Natural Health Clinic.  We look forward to continuing to serve the families of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph and surrounding communities for many years to come.

Also, see our blog Things I’ve learned while being a chiropractor.

If you’re looking for a chiropractor in Cambridge, check out ReAlign Health.