If you’ve never been to a chiropractor, don’t worry, the first appointment is pretty simple. They will ask you if there is a certain reason you are coming in, and they may put you through a couple of small, easy movement tests to check your range of motion and see if there is anything that you do that raises a red flag to them. Chiropractors can help treat all sorts of things. Back pain, neck pain, muscle pain, or headaches. Some will have you take an x-ray, and they’ll show you any deviations or issues that they’ll be working to adjust for your spine. If you’re going to start getting adjustments from a chiropractor, or you’ve just started to get help with a certain issue, you’ve probably already wondered when to stop the chiropractor adjustments.
And that question really depends on the reason you went in the first place.
Treating Specific Problems
Often, we don’t seek a professional out unless there is a problem, so there is a good chance the only reason you started going to a chiropractor was because something already hurts and it has been hurting. You’ve tried ice packs, you’ve tried stretching, Tylenol, and the weird homemade salve your mother in law swore by. You did everything you could to avoid making an appointment, and none of it worked. It’s not uncommon for something in our daily lives to be the cause of our issue. Sitting at desks or having poor posture can do a number on our spines. And after years of it, it can take quite a while to adjust as well.
Once the problem area has been pinpointed, your chiropractor will most likely give you a suggestion of how long it will take to get it corrected. Plan for there to be several appointments. If you have something that has really been bothering you, they may even ask you to come twice a week for a month and then once a week for two.
Your diet and the kind of vitamins you’re feeding your bones may play a part in it. If we aren’t following instructions and helping ourselves, it could take longer for the chiropractor to help us. If they suggest vitamins or adjusting a certain piece of our lives in order to help his adjustments, more than likely it’s something we should try.
Ask your chiropractor how many adjustments he thinks it will take, and what you can do to help the problem. Just keep in mind that this estimate is only an estimate, and it could take a little longer.
Regular Adjustments
So, let’s say you’ve already gone for a problem, you’ve done the stretches, you’ve taken the vitamins, you were consistent with your appointments and now it’s fixed. Now what?
The chiropractor will tell you.
Your chiropractor knows you have this question, and they will probably already be prepared with an answer. What you do for a living, your hobbies, past injuries, and upcoming plans will play a role in how often they think you’ll need an adjustment. Maybe you drive most of the day, you ride horses in your spare time, you’ve fallen off your horse in the past, and you plan to get pregnant in a year or two. These are all normal life things that will affect your body. Talk to your chiropractor to see how often you’ll need to come in and get an adjustment. If something happens in the meantime, another fall, a car accident, a sports injury—you may want to make an early appointment and get the adjustment before it turns into a problem.
