Chiropractors are effective at helping back pain as well as other body pains (1). Chiropractic Care is better than usual medication for neck pains of a mechanical nature (2) and is helpful for cervicogenic headaches and migraines as well as some types of dizziness (1).

Prevention

A preventative approach to muscle and joint health includes regular Chiropractic Care to complement your good diet and good exercise habits.

The regularity of your Chiropractic Care should have a real world reflection. The frequency of your  bodywork appointments should reflect the waxing and waning of your life stresses and tensions.

Without periodic loosening we hold our body. The longer we hold the more holding becomes normal. Changing from an unwanted holding or tension posture to a desirable posture can take months. Expect your Chiropractor to help you over months and even years. 

Transitioning from a movement fault to a healthier habit of movement is akin to learning a new PIN number for your bank card. You are required to learn the new but also forget the OLD PIN number. It is in the forgetting the OLD that takes the time (3-4 months) (3).

 

Chiropractic Care Plan

In an ideal world, a Chiropractic Care Plan would be 3-4 months in duration.

If a Care Plan is finished early, because aches and pains are better, muscles and joints may remain injured (4), leading to greater longer term pain and expense (5).

The process of change requires adequate time and bodywork. When these two things are cut short then a reversion to the undesirable posture, discomfort or pain is to be expected. 

Where you are unable to make changes in your lifestyle that your Chiropractor recommends then you should expect to see limited improvement only.

 

When you do the same you get the same. 

 

Chiropractic Care (6) is Defined by the General Chiropractic Council as

‘interventions by Chiropractors that are designed to improve health’,

including but not limited to: 

Manual Interventions

Advice, Explanation and Reassurance

Exercise and or Rehabilitation

Making Referrals

Promoting Behaviour Change

and adjunct therapies such as Ultrasound and Interferential.

 

 

References:

(1) Bronfort G, Haas M,Evans R, Leininger B, and Triano J. Effectiveness of Manual Therapies: The UK Evidence Report Chiro Osteo (2010) 18 3  

(2) Bronfort G, Evans R, Anderson AV, Svendsen KH, Bracha Y and Grimm RH. Spinal Manipulation Medication or Home Exercise with Advice An RCT Ann Int Med (2012) 156 1

(3) Fiona Kumfor and Sicong Tu. How our Brain Forgets Information to make room for New Memories. The Independent Newspaper, Sunday 7th June 2015.

(4) Hides JA et al. Multifidus Muscle Recovery is Not Automatic after Resolution of Acute (pain) first episode. The Spine Journal (1996)

(5) Wasiak R et al. Work Disability and Costs caused by Reoccurrence of Low Back Pain Episodes: Longer and More Costly Than First Episodes. The Spine journal (2006)

(6) General Chiropractic Council. The Code (2016), Glossary.