Why Should I Return When I Am Feeling Fine?

You have had a few chiropractic treatments, after experiencing the pain that prompted you to see the doctor, and now your feel great. There are some chiropractic patients that experience results after only one or a few treatments, they feel miraculously better and pain free.  From the inception of chiropractic, the fist treated patient was blind for 17 years and regained sight almost immediately after an adjustment; there have been amazing results. On the other end of the spectrum, there are patients that are treated with chiropractic for long periods before they recover, and even patients who do not ever fully recover. But feeling pain free does not mean that your body has recovered, it simply means that you have eliminated the symptom for the time being, this is known as the relief care stage if treatment. To fix the problem that caused the symptoms you must continue care into the corrective stage.

Feeling Fine Health Care

Many people avoid health care unless they are experiencing symptoms. This is not the correct approach to well-being, as most symptoms are the end result of a problem and not the indication of its onset. A heart attack is usually the first symptom or indication that a person with heart disease experiences. The same holds true for spinal nerve stress, pain is usually caused after a long period of time passing, when the subluxation has damaged parts of the body to the point of causing pain. People can have spinal nerve stress for years and not know until symptoms appear. The best treatment for the body is preventative care rather than waiting until curative care is warranted.

The Goal Of Chiropractic

Chiropractic is not just a treatment for neck or back pain; it is a means of healthy living and disease prevention. Your Chiropractors goal is to relieve your body of vertebral subluxations so that your body may function properly. Uncorrected vertebral subluxations can cause a weakening of the spinal muscles, stretch and deform the spinal column. Cartilage, discs and vertebrae. This causes a lack of energy, early aging and fatigue.  But the most prevalent result of spinal nerve stress is the irritation of the nervous system and brain stem.  This irritation is an interference that interrupts the information and energy flow to the various parts of the body and lowers our natural resistance to sickness and disease. Chiropractors are trained to locate and correct vertebral subluxation through examination and spinal adjustment. The adjustments relieve the nerve stress and assist in restoration of body function. Proper functioning of the nervous system through chiropractic treatment is one of the best defenses against conditions and diseases that one would normally not be susceptible to.

You may suffer from spinal nerve stress for years before a symptom appears, but while symptoms are absent the damage to the body is being done over time. This is why a chiropractic check-up and maintenance is very important.  A vertebral subluxation, diagnosed in its early stage is easier to correct than a subluxation that has progressed to the point of actual symptoms. Just as we should see our dentist regularly, we should see our chiropractor regularly. Like dental care, if a cavity is located when it is small it may be filled, but if one waits until pain is noticed that cavity may have already damaged the tooth beyond repair, the same holds true for vertebral subluxation.

Some of the first symptoms of spinal nerve stress are fatigue, moodiness, sleep disorders and depression. When these symptoms are noticed they should be listened to, as your body is warning you of a problem. Unfortunately, in our busy lives, we tend to ignore these symptoms until pain begins. True health means that your body is functioning to its fullest capacity, it does not mean that you are just pain free.

Phases of Chiropractic Care

• The Acute Phase – In this phase the patient is in pain.  Many people only visit the doctor when they are experiencing discomfort.
• The Reconstructive or Healing Phase – In this phase the body begins to strengthen and heal with chiropractic care. Several visits may be needed to find the spine aligned properly.
• Health Maintenance Phase – In this phase the spine is holding its proper alignment and treatment is performed to ensure that it continues to do so.

Spinal Degeneration

 Degeneration of the spine is a result of a long period of time passing between the actual onset of the vertebral subluxation and the act of getting treatment. With spinal degeneration, it may take a long period of time before the spine is back to normal. Degeneration occurs because most people do not know that they have spinal nerve stress until pain sets in.