One of the concerns we hear from potential patients is that they will have to keep “doing chiropractic” for the rest of their lives if they start treatment. We like to explain it this way: In dental care, you get your teeth cleaned and make sure your gums are flossed and everything is healthy. But once you eat another meal, or take another drink, you may run into issues again if you don’t keep up with regular oral maintenance. Plaque can build up, cavities can form, toothaches can happen. So regular brushing and flossing is a must, and scheduled maintenance visits to your dentist are highly recommended
The same happens with your spine. When you start coming for chiropractic visits, it may take a few treatments to realign and retrain your spine to stay in it’s optimal position. Once you’re feeling better you may think - I’m all good, why do I need to keep coming back? Well the reality is, just like the dental care, as you go about living your life and performing work tasks, playing sports, having accidents or just living your life - your spine may end up out of alignment again. This is why we recommend maintenance care, so that you keep your body “tuned up” to keep it from breaking down.
What does maintenance care look like? It really depends. There is no one “right” schedule that we suggest everyone follows. For some folks, maintenance looks like a visit every couple of weeks, because they have a very physically demanding job that puts lots of stress on their body. For others, maintenance might look like once a month to iron out the kinks; and for still others it may look like 3 - 5 visits per year to keep tuned up when life throws them a curveball. It may also include recommendations for stretching and strengthening programs to keep your body running at its best between visits.
The doctors make their recommendations based on your unique situation; there is no “one size fits all” schedule that you must follow for the rest of your life. It’s really that simple - healthy maintenance for healthy bodies :).
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