After completing your initial chiropractic treatments, you could really benefit by going through additional maintenance treatments. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your original problem, your chiropractor might suggest you schedule several months of weekly or monthly maintenance adjustment appointments.
After successfully completing your initial series of chiropractic treatments, it’s reasonable to assume you should continue treatments as part of a maintenance program. That raises the question, “how often should you see your chiropractor for said maintenance treatments?”
The frequency of chiropractic maintenance treatments that you might want to schedule should be left up to your chiropractor’s discretion. They are in a far better position than you to know whether or not you could benefit from ongoing maintenance. In all likelihood, they would take into account the following factors:
- Location of your original pain
- The severity of your original
- The cause or causes of your original pain
- The duration of your original pain issues
- How fast you reacted to treatments
- The successfulness of the original treatments
Based on these factors, they should be able to offer you a recommendation. That would put the ball in your court as to whether you take the advice or pass.
Reasons Why Chiropractors Require So Many Visits
If you decide to seek help from a chiropractor, you must be prepared to continue treatments for as long as it takes to get pain relief. At a minimum, you can expect to need three adjustments for any reasonable level of pain relief. With that said, it’s far more likely you’ll need weeks or even months of chiropractic to get the results you want and need. Why?
Your objective should not be temporary pain relief. That’s why you need to adopt an “as long as it takes” attitude about your commitment to chiropractic care. You want your chiropractor to deliver results that will relieve your pain and improve your health over the long term. That’s going to take as many visits as it’s going to take.
Recommended Frequencies of Common Chiropractic Adjustments
To be clear, your chiropractor will ask you to let them be the guide as to how many and the frequency of treatments you need to schedule. If it seems like a lot of visits, you should trust them. After all, they have a clearer understanding of how long it’s going to take to get the best results possible.
FYI: They could make any of the following recommendations.
Weekly appointments
Weekly adjustments are usually recommended toward the end of the treatment process or as part of a maintenance program.
Bi-Weekly appointments
If your chiropractor recommends bi-weekly adjustments, they are likely doing so as part of an ongoing treatment process. They need to provide repetitive chiropractic care to keep the healing process headed in the right direction.
Monthly appointments
If your chiropractor recommends monthly adjustments, it’s likely because they believe your pain issues are mostly in the past. They just want to provide maintenance adjustments once a month to keep old issues from becoming new issues.
Treatment of pain Flare-ups
Sometimes, a chiropractor will tell a patient that everything seems to be in fine order. However, they will further suggest that the patient come in for additional treatments should they experience any further pain issues.
Why should I schedule follow-up chiropractic adjustments?
After going through the entire chiropractic care process with good results, the last thing you want is for old issues to return. Follow-up chiropractic adjustments are the ounce of prevention you might need.
How many chiropractic visits are necessary for certain conditions/issues?
The number of visits you might need to schedule will depend a great deal on what your chiropractor expects. They will likely use the following factors in order to offer you an estimate:
- Location of your pain
- Severity of your pain
- The cause or causes of your pain
- The duration of your pain issues
- How fast you reacted to treatments
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for lower back pain?
For lower back pain, approximately 12 treatments would be optimum, spread over a 2-4 week treatment period.
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for a herniated disc?
For a herniated disc, approximately 12 treatments would be optimum, spread over a 2-4 week treatment period. In many cases, treatments need to be extended for at least another 2-4 weeks.
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for sciatica?
For sciatica (nerve pain), approximately 12 treatments would be optimum, spread over a 2-4 week treatment period. In many cases, treatments need to be extended for at least another 2-4 weeks.
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for whiplash?
For whiplash, approximately 12 treatments would be optimum, spread over a 2-4 week treatment period. In many cases, treatments need to be extended for at least another 2-4 weeks.
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for a frozen shoulder?
When treating a frozen shoulder condition, chiropractors need to address two things. They need to provide long-term pain relief and improve the patient’s range of motion. That usually requires bi-weekly treatments for at least three months.
How many chiropractor visits are recommended for migraine headaches?
For chronic migraine headaches, approximately 12 treatments would be optimum, spread over a 2-4 week treatment period.
Is there a limit to how many times you should visit the chiropractor?
As long as your chiropractor is closely managing your chiropractic care program, there are no viable limitations to how many treatments you can receive.
Should you cease chiropractic when your pain is gone?
That’s a decision that should be made in a discussion between you and your chiropractor. However, the absence of pain should only play a tiny part in the decision-making process. Given the potential benefits of ongoing maintenance care, many reputable chiropractors will recommend you invest time in a maintenance program.
Determining How Many Chiropractic Adjustments You Need
As was discussed above, it’s your chiropractor who is going to be charged with figuring out how many adjustments you will likely need. They will likely consider the following factors:
- Location of your pain
- Severity of your pain
- The cause or causes of your pain
- The duration of your pain issues
- How fast you reacted to treatments
Ultimately, the goal will be a return to good health with no pain. That will require as many adjustments as you’ll need for that result.
How Long Do Chiropractic Adjustments Take?
Most chiropractic adjustments can be completed in 15-45 minutes, depending on which adjustment options your chiropractor decides to employ.
Can one session make a difference?
For very temporary pain relief, it’s possible one treatment will make a difference. However, a minimum of three treatments is usually required for any noticeable results.
Will I experience pain during my first chiropractic treatment?
Your chiropractor will take great care to make sure they don’t cause you any pain during an adjustment. Of course, you might experience some minor discomfort. Also, it’s common for patients to complain of short-lived headaches after chiropractic. These headaches are usually caused by the release of body chemicals during the treatment process.
When should you cease seeing your chiropractor?
Most reputable chiropractors will advise that you continue maintenance treatments until you are confident your pain issues are a thing of the past. You might also want to cease treatments if your pain issues worsen, which is usually indicative of a more significant medical issue.
How long should you maintain a relationship with your chiropractor?
If you are willing to maintain an ongoing health maintenance program with your chiropractor, there’s nothing wrong with continuing the relationship for years.
Benefits of On-Going Chiropractic Maintenance Treatments
All evidence suggests that ongoing chiropractic treatments as part of a maintenance program provide real benefits. Here are just a few of the benefits you could derive by continuing treatments in the future.
Prevention of recurring injuries and future pain issues
There is a strengthening component to chiropractic care. The more often you get treatments, the better aligned your back will be and the stronger your muscles will get. This could certainly help you fend off injuries and pain in the future.
Improved overall health
When your back and neck stay in proper alignment, it allows your body to function more efficiently. If your body is working as it should, your overall health should be able to remain in very good order.
Reduction in headaches/migraines
As you continue chiropractic treatments, you might notice you seldom encounter headaches of any kind. That is usually a result of less muscle tension in your back/neck and better blood flow to your brain.
Lowering of blood pressure
One of the key benefits of chiropractic care is better circulation of blood throughout the body. That ultimately leads to better heart health, which usually results in consistently lower blood pressure.
Posture imporovement
As you get older, you will come to realize it’s harder to maintain good posture. This usually happened because of wear and tear on the back muscles and the spine. While continuing adjustments will help keep your spine properly aligned, it should also help with the aforementioned wear and tear.
Athletic performance improvement
The surest way to improve your balance, flexibility, and agility is to keep your back and neck properly aligned.
Strengthening of the immune system
A well-aligned spine allows for the body to function as it should. That means the circulatory system is working as it should. Your immune responses will always get better when you have a consistent flow of healthy red and white blood cells flowing throughout your body.
Questions
How often should you get adjusted by a chiropractor?
As often as it takes to resolve pain issues and keep the body functioning as well as it can.
Are frequent chiropractic adjustments good for you?
Yes, frequent adjustments can play a big role in stabilizing your overall health.
Do you have to constantly go to a chiropractor?
To address injury issues, yes, you might need constant chiropractic care. However, periodic treatment might be all that’s needed if you wish to participate in a health maintenance program.
How long should you keep going to a chiropractor?
You should continue until you feel you have derived all the benefits you need or want from chiropractic care.
How long is each adjustment?
Depending on the type of adjustment option employed, each treatment should take 15-45 minutes.
Do adjustments hurt?
If at all, you would only experience minimal discomfort. Short-lived headaches are common after adjustments due to body chemicals released to the brain.
Is One Adjustment Enough??
No. At a minimum, you will need at least three adjustments for any noticeable results.
When to discontinue chiropractic
When you feel you are no longer benefitting from treatments.
Can you go to the chiropractor too much?
Only if you were to continue treatments as your pain worsens.
Why do chiropractors require so many visits?
Their motivation is to schedule as many appointments as they deem necessary to resolve your pain issues for the long term.
Signs of a bad chiropractor
You might want to seek another chiropractor if your pain worsens or collateral health issues become apparent.
Is going to a chiropractor once a week too much?
Not at all as long as your health issues improve and or overall health stays strong.
How often should you go to a chiropractor for migraines?
Many chiropractors would advise that you schedule a minimum of 12 treatments over a 2-4 week period, then reassess.
How often should you see a chiropractor for sciatica?
Many chiropractors would ask you to schedule a minimum of 12 treatments over a 2-4 week period and then continue as needed until the headaches stop occurring.
