I hear this question a lot from my patients, especially if they’re pursuing chiropractic adjustment for the first time. First timers are a little nervous about adjustment. They often don’t know exactly what to expect, even though they’ve talked to their family doctors prior to being referred to me.
When someone asks me “How often should I see a chiropractor to get results?”, my answer is always tailored to the patient. Every single patient I see presents different symptoms and a different state of overall health, so there’s really no canned response.
What’s the problem?
Patients who come to see me who’ve been hurt in a one-off incident or accident are probably the easiest to address, so we’ll start there.
People in good health who’ve been hurt will usually need to see me 2 or 3 times each week, for 3 or 4 weeks. That’s a very general ballpark, but it’s usually the case that a healthy person with no hidden problems will recover quickly.
If, however, diagnostics reveal an underlying problem that needs to be addressed, patients should expect a longer course of treatment. Recurring stiffness and pain and posture problems are symptoms that need to be addressed with regular visits to the chiropractor for a period of up to 3 months. This ensures that anomalies are adequately addressed.
Other factors.
A lot of people walk into my office looking for a magical cure they think I have up my sleeve. I can help, but patients need to help themselves, too. Here’s the part where we talk about patient responsibility for general health.
General health supports the ongoing health and integrity of your spine. I can’t stress this enough. Lifestyle habits which weaken your physical being should be addressed as part of a course of chiropractic adjustments. If for example, you’re carrying excess weight, you’re putting an undue burden on your musculoskeletal system.
If that’s the case, I will advise you before we commence therapy that you need to reduce your weight to support the integrity of your spine. Unpleasant, I know, but entirely necessary for my work to have maximum impact.
Part of my advice will be that you need to engage in mild exercise to start shifting the burden you’re putting on your body. Walking, swimming and other gentle forms of exercise will be recommended at the outset. I’ll encourage you to find the form of exercise that’s most pleasant, effective and (above all) sustainable for you, personally. That will motivate you to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle as a permanent fixture and not just to rid yourself of excess weight.
“How often should I see a chiropractor to get results?” It varies.
So, you can see there really is no canned response to the question “How often should I see a chiropractor to get results?”. A lot depends on the circumstances and patient health and wellness.
As a chiropractor, I want you to feel your best, so I look at the whole person. Contact me to find out more.
