How Often Should You See a Chiropractor? 

Chiropractic is the third largest health profession in the world, after medicine and dentistry. Every day, millions of Chiropractic adjustments are performed for pain relief and wellness care. With so many people benefiting worldwide, how often should you go to the Chiropractor?

Most Chiropractors recommend a schedule of sessions to their patients to meet their health goals. The number and frequency of those appointments can vary widely. A new born baby will be recommended a very different schedule from a 45 year old builder with a disc bulge. Often spinal problems have been there a lot longer than you’ve had symptoms. 3 months of intense low back pain really started 5 years ago when mild aches began, but x-rays can then show that the spine hasn’t been working correctly for 15+ years.

“Your Chiropractor will recommend a schedule of care tailored to your current health situation and goals”

The ideal schedule and frequency for you will be based on several factors. How long has your complaint been there? Is the pain radiating, like sciatica down your leg? Are there other underlying health issues? How old are you?

An initial consultation is required to answer these questions and many more. In that consultation your Chiropractor will take a detailed case history, asking you many questions about your complaint and any relevant medical history. Then they will perform a full physical examination, studying all your nerves, muscles and joints. Some Chiropractors also take x-rays to view your bony structures. X-rays are very useful for assessing alignment of the spine and pelvis, viewing wear and tear or arthritis and ruling out the nasty stuff too.

When all this information has been gathered, your Chiropractor will formulate a diagnosis of what is causing your pain and a plan to get you back on track to living a full, pain free life. 

Your schedule of care could start anywhere between once per week up to 3-4 times per week for several weeks. As you progress, as your symptoms subside and you hold your adjustments for longer, your appointments will space out.

Do you need to keep going to a Chiropractor?

Once you have met your health goals and are back on track your Chiropractor will recommend a level of care to maintain a high level of wellbeing.

Most patients realise after their initial schedule that they feel better than they have done in years and want to maintain that higher level of health. 

Few things as complicated as your body can be fixed and then ignored. Like maintaining your teeth, your car, your family or your faith, maintaining the integrity of your nervous system requires ongoing investment. So, they opt for ongoing Chiropractic care as part of a healthy lifestyle.

“Ongoing Chiropractic care is a strong pillar of a healthy lifestyle”

Think of it like exercise. Initially you need to do it a lot to get fit and as you get fitter you feel healthier and stronger. Once you are fit you can then stop exercising or you can maintain that level of fitness. Many people go through life without ever exercising, but those that do feel better and healthier, physically and mentally, as a result of regular exercise.

The good news is you don’t need to go as often at this stage. There are people who have very busy, stressful lives and/or love being adjusted who continue to get adjusted weekly. I’m one of those, I get adjusted every week and have done for years. Research recommends fortnightly sessions as the optimum. Some people space out to monthly and further.

Obviously, how long you benefit from Chiropractic care is always up to you and the more you put in, the more you get out.

Who can benefit from Chiropractic care?

Typically most people consult a Chiropractor for pain relief with the goal of getting back to living life pain free. The most common conditions that present are low back pain, sciatica, neck pain or headaches. Chiropractors also help with sporting injuries, shoulder and knee issues and much more. 

“If you have a pulse then you can benefit from Chiropractic”

But Chiropractic isn’t just for pain relief. The majority of our patients who attend our clinics are there for wellbeing care. So, the real answer to who can benefit is: anyone with a pulse! If you are alive then Chiropractic care can help you. The better your nervous system is working then the better your brain and body are communicating. The better your brain and body communicate then the better you adapt to stress, the better you heal, the better your body works and the better you feel. 

So, you are never too old, too young, too ill or too healthy to benefit from Chiropractic. Everyone can benefit from Chiropractic, whether that’s for an intensive initial schedule or for an on-going check up or MOT.