How often should I get adjusted?
An ongoing discussion at Lighthouse for many of our clients is “How often should I be getting adjusted after my pain is gone?”
A big part of the answer is based on your lifestyle and the other health professionals you have on your team.
Lifestyle
If I have a client who is faithfully hitting the gym a couple of times a week and also getting in 4 days of fitness training then they are in the zone for 100+ physical fitness.
If I have a client who is moving away from a grain based diet and aggressively adding healthy fats and proteins, they’re also really helping out their nerve system for longevity.
If you are in stable, long term and healthy relationships at home and at work then you’re helping your nerve system again.
The science of spinal hygiene
Then there is the science of spinal hygiene. Research has proven that the current volume of sitting or standing at work will cause damage to the spine and pelvis and eventually impact the nerve system.
Short term is stiffness and joint restriction. Basically your joints need to move through their entire range of motion on a consistent basis, several times a day.
On the far end of this scale, if you don’t move a joint through it’s entire range of motion every 7-10 days there will be small micro adhesions that start to damage the joint surfaces and in the long run lead to early onset arthritis.
Some research has shown that after 4 weeks of immobility, the joint will never regain it’s full, healthy range of motion. This is where today’s chiropractic comes in — we can get that back and beat the research with appropriate and focused chiropractic adjustments.
That is why most truly preventative chiropractic strategies recommend a weekly check up and at the very least every other week.
The evidence doesn’t lie
That may seem like a lot, but I have seen the evidence on x-ray of someone who is fairly dialed in on their lifestyle but only seeing a chiropractor every month or 6 weeks and they do not have a healthy spine. They’re nursing several discs in their spine that are arthritic, usually the C5/6 level in the neck and the very lowest level, L5/S1 in the lower back and pelvis.
Most of these people are not in pain and they think they are in great shape.
But you can’t argue with the x-ray evidence. Spinal arthritis and postural problems are either there or they are not.
So as much as people really want to believe they can beat the house when it comes to their health, there are some things that because of our modern lifestyles, such as our technology, our hours of driving and siting each week, not to mention our sports injuries or other stresses and strains we put ourselves through in the name of recreation, our spines need some TLC.
That’s if we want to live to a healthy 100.
And yes, I absolutely need my clients to be able to check off that lifestyle list that I mentioned earlier, in addition to having a great RMT or muscle specialist to help with the wear and tear to the muscles.
Other health care team members
And both professionals are required — an RMT or physiotherapist does not replace a good chiropractor and a good chiropractor has enough sense to let you know that we are spine and central nerve system doctors and we specialize in that, I leave the soft tissue to the therapists. When every professional on your team stays in their own lane, you get the best care and the best results.
Do you want to upgrade your health?
If you’re interested in upgrading your health then give Dr. Ken and I a call at Lighthouse, (250) 870-9136 or send us an email at info@lighthousechiro.ca.
We won’t be the cheapest chiropractic office you’ll call, but I am confident if you are looking for an accurate diagnosis, a team that put’s your needs first, and won’t waste your time then you’ll be happy here.
The people that are attracted to Lighthouse understand that you need to invest in your health long term and are looking for doctors who are willing to build relationship on mutual trust and respect.
Talk to you soon,
Dr. J
