A Chiropractic adjustment is a skilled thrust to a specific part of the spine, designed to send a message to the brain, reminding it how we want it to move and function.
This allows for optimal nervous system function, which is ultimately the goal for spinal care. When joints are not moving adequately, they force other joints to work extra hard to compensate for movement, causing them to degenerate quicker.
At the commencement of care, every patient is given a very good estimate of how long it will take to correct the underlying problem.
At the conclusion, patients are given suggestions on how to maintain the improvement in their spinal health. With most people, this includes continued adjustments.
Our spines and nerves are subject to daily strains, so we need to continue to take care them, much the same as we continue taking care of our teeth.
Although there is no treatment that is completely risk-free, spinal manipulation is generally recognized as the safest drug-free, non-invasive form of alternative care.
There is a great deal of research providing evidence that chiropractic adjustments hold an extremely small risk. This is because chiropractic works using the body’s natural healing process and doesn’t interfere by using drugs or surgery.
The proof lies in the difference a medical doctor pays in malpractice insurance in comparison to a chiropractor.
The answer is different for every patient. It all depends on the condition of one’s spine. Correction of underlying biomechanical issues could take anywhere from 3 months to a year.
The more important question is, what are the goals of care. Some forms of treatment base their goals on cessation of symptoms. Unfortunately, this is a poor way to gauge actual improvement.
Our goal for care is to make every patient’s spine and nervous system healthier, not simply provide temporary pain relief.