Speaking for myself, the answer is “no.” The best way to address this common question is to examine your expectations from chiropractic treatment.. People go to chiropractors for different reasons. Obviously, most go because they want to have some sort of painful condition treated and resolved. Some go for periodic “tune-ups” in a proactive effort to prevent the onset of poor posture or back pain. Conceptually, this is the same as going to the dentist twice a year for prophylactic care (teeth cleaning) to prevent gum disease and tooth decay; or visiting your primary care physician for a general check up. And some seek periodic spinal adjustments because they believe in the organic connection between the spinal column and health. Chiropractic health models suggest that nerve interference due to spinal segment misalignments can actually lead to organic conditions like asthma and gastrointestinal disorders (nerves that help regulate the internal organs originate in the spine). There is anectodal evidence to support such a connection, but the issue remains unresolved and controversial in the research community.
Some patients are startled when I tell them that it may take 12-24 chiropractic treatments to resolve their condition, at a treatment frequency of 2-3x/week. But you must understand that in most non-traumatic cases of pain, by the time pain is felt, the soft tissues and joints have undergone morphological changes that take time to heal. In actuality, a 12-visit treatment prescription is not long at all, from a therapeutic standpoint. Most pharmaceutical prescriptions require several administrations in a single day, for several weeks. So, an antibiotic regimen of 2x/day for four weeks is 56 treatments!
Now, I am quite familiar with those chiropractors who recommend “lifetime” care with no particular goal in mind. While this is not the approach I take, I wouldn’t go so far to say that no one should get “lifetime” care. It just may benefit some people. My advice: use your judgment. If you are in good health, have no major problems with posture or flexibility, and relatively pain-free, you don’t need ongoing adjustments. But if you have a condition that flares up from time to time, or are in an occupation or activity that results in repetitive trauma to your back (construction workers, football players, runners, data entry, etc.), regular chiropractic treatment can be a godsend.
Dan Perez, DC
San Francisco Chiropractor
(415) 627-9077
