pic

Chiropractic Adjustments: How Often Should I Get Adjusted?

May 07, 2021
Chiropractic Adjustments: How Often Should I Get Adjusted?
One of the most common questions we hear about chiropractic is “How often should I get adjusted?” Your recommended number of adjustments, or care plan, is an important factor to consider when choosing to start care.

One of the most common questions we hear about chiropractic is “How often should I get adjusted?”

Your recommended number of adjustments, or care plan, is an important factor to consider when choosing to start care. Chiropractic, in a broad sense, relieves pain and improves the quality of life for tens of millions of people worldwide. However, not every chiropractor (or clinic) seeks the same goal. 

We believe every patient wants quick pain relief with a chiropractic adjustment. But not every provider is prepared to deliver on longer term outcomes such as postural or structural improvement. At Integrated Spine & Disc, your Mandeville chiropractor, we consider both the current health of your spine and your expected outcome. Where do you hope to be with your health a year from now? We’ll recommend a treatment plan that helps you get there in a safe and effective way. 

The benefits add up.

Whether you are recovering from a disc injury or chronic low back pain, healing the body takes time. Chiropractic adjustments are shown to be cumulative; the effectiveness increases with each adjustment. You will heal properly when you get adjusted at regular intervals that increase in length over a period of weeks or months. It’s not uncommon to need 2-4 adjustments a week in the acute phase of an injury. As your body begins to recover, you will need less frequent chiropractic adjustments to reap the benefits. And while it’s tempting to select a chiropractor based on factors such as the fewest number of recommended visits and autonomy over your adjustment schedule, this approach could be more costly in the long run if your problem resurfaces. A well-designed chiropractic plan gets you well and keeps you well.

Your care plan is unique.

At Integrated Spine & Disc, your Mandeville chiropractor, we understand that no two patients are alike. Your unique care plan is primarily based upon your spinal health and phase of spinal degeneration (see image). This will be explained to you after the Doctor’s Report where we will review your x-rays. It may surprise you to know that only a small fraction of spinal degeneration is expected with age. You have considerable control over how rapidly your spine succumbs to the aging process. You can prevent (and even reverse) spinal degeneration through targeted exercise, proper nutrition, and chiropractic adjustments over your lifetime.

Your Mandeville chiropractor at Integrated Spine & Disc will recommend corrective care to anyone who is in a phase of spinal degeneration. Corrective care is what sets Integrated Spine & Disc apart from an adjustment-only clinic. We take x-rays to determine your starting point. Then we assist you through the journey of spinal therapy, adjustments, and at-home exercises. We periodically measure your progress with x-rays and make any necessary adjustments to your plan.

Corrective care patients are typically seen three times a week. For some Phase II spines, it is not unusual to be seen four times a week. This number is based on research performed by Dr. Pettibon on thousands of patients who have been through similar spinal corrective care using The Pettibon Method

Less is more.

Be assured that as you hold your chiropractic adjustments longer, your Mandeville chiropractor will adjust you less frequently. This is the goal of corrective care and it is what makes our office unique. When your spine is either 100% perfect (sometimes that is not a possibility depending on the amount of degeneration present), or when we see that your spine stops changing positively, the doctor will make a recommendation for continued spinal maintenance. Maintenance can be anywhere from once a week to once a month. Spinal maintenance is designed to keep your spine in its optimal position for the long term. 

Do I need to get adjusted forever?

This is a great question! 

Your body will always undergo stress—physical, chemical, emotional. Getting adjusted is like getting a tune-up, and the reality is that you will need a chiropractic adjustment from time to time to keep you functioning at your absolute best. We are all subject to daily stressors that can knock your body out of alignment— mowing the lawn, sitting for long hours at your desk, or an emotionally stressful event. This is why the healthiest bodies are adjusted regularly. Over time with spinal maintenance, you can expect greater immunity, greater adaptability to stress, and reduced risk of musculoskeletal injury.

We make maintenance extremely affordable and convenient, which is why Integrated Spine & Disc is the top-rated Northshore practice. We hope to serve you and your family for spinal maintenance, for many years to come. Schedule an appointment with your Mandeville chiropractor today.