Why Should I Have Chiropractic Care when I’m Not in Pain?
If I am not in pain, do I still need to see my Chiropractor?
Pain is an excellent motivator for care, but the underlying injury can still be in the healing process even after the pain subsides. At this point, it can be easy to drop out of respect; however, patients will often come back a few weeks or months later with the same pain, setting us back to where we started. This is why we recommend maintenance care, to maintain this initial improvement in the long term and help you be the best, pain-free version of yourself.
What is maintenance care?
Optimum movement and spinal alignment can be achieved with maintenance chiropractic care. Maintenance care is prescribed after the initial/acute phase of care and is often recommended to be 4 to 6 weeks apart. This allows the Chiropractor to check on the injury progression and continue to rehabilitate and treat the condition.
Why is maintenance care recommended by chiropractors?
Prevention is the best cure – Getting ahead of any injury before it becomes painful and serious will reduce pain. Headaches, neck pain and low back pain are persistent in nature and respond well to regular care. This is because many musculoskeletal complaints arise from the patient’s ergonomics, lifestyle, occupation, or hobbies. As such, unless these can be changed, regular care is necessary, in combination with exercise, to maintain the injury at bay. This is why maintenance care is used as a long-term strategy to prevent their return or decrease their overall impact on the patient’s lifestyle. For example, low back pain recovers quickly initially; however, it has a high recurrence rate and presents a long-term burden on a patient’s daily life and overall health (1). Ongoing check-ups are therefore vital for reoccurring injuries like back pain.
What does the evidence say?
Evidence for maintenance care remains relatively new, and it is still an area that requires further attention. However, more studies have investigated its use and effects over the last decade or so.
Studies have suggested that when a patient has a good response to their initial course of treatment, maintenance care should be recommended to continue the benefits of care in the long term. A 2018 study following over 300 subjects aged from 18 to 25 years old found that the total number of days in pain over a year was significantly reduced in patients receiving regular chiropractic care compared to patients following “symptom-guided” treatment (2).
Another study from 2011 with 60 subjects found that after 10 months, patients receiving maintenance care had decreased pain and disability scores compared to patients who only received the initial phase of care (3).
Is maintenance care for me?
If you have had benefits from chiropractic care in the past and suffer from a chronic/recurrent condition, we highly recommend maintenance care. At Spine & Sports Centre, we are familiar with the natural history of musculoskeletal conditions and make recommendations on care based on
this knowledge as well as your individual presentation. We can’t wait to see your improvements in the long term and help you be the best, pain-free version of yourself.
References
Da Silva, Tatiane, et al. "Risk of recurrence of low back pain: a systematic review." journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy 47.5 (2017): 305-313.Eklund, Andreas, et al. "The Nordic Maintenance Care program:
Effectiveness of chiropractic maintenance care versus symptom-guided treatment for recurrent and persistent low back pain—A pragmatic randomized controlled trial." PloS one 13.9 (2018): e0203029.
Senna, Mohammed K., and Shereen A. Machaly. "Does maintained spinal manipulation therapy for chronic nonspecific low back pain result in better long-term outcome?." (2011): 1427-1437.