Maintenance care looks different for everyone depending on lifestyle. You may be recommended to come in every two to six weeks for an adjustment.
When you are just starting a new treatment plan, it's common to have adjustments multiple times a week. As your body begins to heal, that number could drop to just once a week. And if you are pain-free and simply want to maintain your lifestyle, you might only need to get an adjustment once or twice a month.
Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to help increase blood flow to the brain. They can help increase the flow of cerebral spinal fluid as well. This can significantly help people suffering from neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.
Over-manipulation syndrome can begin after high velocity adjustments from a chiropractor or through self-manipulation. While chiropractors provide wonderful care in many cases, there is a risk of damaging the ligament structures and causing joint instability with continued high-velocity adjustments.
The adjustment itself should last anywhere between five and 20 minutes, again, depending on the issue and its severity. If the doctor has prescribed you a massage or some physical therapy, you can expect the appointment to take 45 minutes to an hour. If it's just an adjustment, it should be under 30 minutes.
Sometimes, a toxin release feels great because endorphins are released during a chiropractic adjustment.
Changing your posture, changing your spine's ability to move, changing your muscle health and structure take time. Months in fact. All muscles have memory and your body wants to go back to its old patterns instead of creating new healthy ones. That is why adjustments need to be repeated again and again.
Some people experience minor side effects for a few days after chiropractic adjustment. These may include headaches, fatigue or pain in the parts of the body that were treated.
One of the main reasons for an adjustment not lasting has to do with tight muscles. Your chiropractor will realign bones and adjust their placement. Still, if the muscles that connect to those bones are particularly stiff, your problems could persist after your chiropractor adjusts you.
In fact, this is one of the reasons that a chiropractic visit is so quick when compared to other therapies. When a chiropractor performs an adjustment, this quickly stretches the local spinal muscles, stimulating the GTOs, and causing relaxation. This relaxation of muscles is instantaneous.
External tests. Sometimes to know how and where to adjust, a chiropractor will want external tests. Chiropractors may order x-rays, CT scans, or an MRI to make certain that your chiropractic neck or back adjustment is safe and likely to help.
Gait and Posture Assessment
Chiropractors understand the natural gait and posture and will assess these areas when determining where to adjust. A basic assessment of your gait and posture will provide insights into the musculoskeletal system and its capability to adjust to different strains and stressors.
Chiropractic manipulations can release tension held from trauma and help the spine release tension held in the muscles. Frequent adjustments help open pathways of the nervous system which allows information to flow unobstructed, which is essential for a stronger and healthier mind-body connection.
One-time chiropractic care is always an option for our patients, especially those who only require one adjustment to fully heal from an injury or find lasting pain relief. If you're someone who isn't looking for a life-long chiropractic clinic or routine adjustments, our office is still the right place for you.
In total, the average person requires anywhere between 18-24 adjustments over approximately 9-14 weeks to complete all three phases of chiropractic care (pain relief, stabilization, rehabilitation).
If you don't drink enough water after a chiropractic adjustment, your ligaments can lose elasticity and strength due to dehydration. This can leave you sore or worse. So, it's imperative to drink water after an adjustment and to, of course, always stay hydrated.
So what happens when a chiropractor "cracks" a patient's neck? The word or term "neck cracking" refers to the manipulation applied to the cervical joints, and a person hears a 'crack' or a popping sound. This occurs because a quick motion is applied to the cervical area to loosen the neck's ligaments and joints.
A regular visit to a chiropractic office can help ease that pain and teach people better habits. Other common reasons include back adjustments, preventive care, pain relief, and spinal correction.
Even if you go a few times for an entire month, you might get a little more in shape, but most likely won't hit the huge goals that you set for yourself. Change takes lots of time. That is the primary reason that chiropractors require so many visits.
If your chiropractor uses low-force techniques or specific equipment, you may not hear cracking or popping. For example, your chiropractor may use an activator. This instrument allows them to scan your spine and slowly move the bones.
Do Chiropractors have to Adjust your Neck? Chiropractors do not have to adjust your neck to help you heal. There are multiple chiropractic methods that do not involve any bone popping or cracking of the neck. Holistic chiropractors believe that the body has resources within itself to heal.
Check your Neck – Cervical spine misalignment can inhibit full range of motion in your neck. If you can't seem to twist your neck fully to your left or right, or pain develops when you turn in one direction, odds are you're dealing with an alignment issue.