What about “Maintenance Care” that Chiropractors can provide?

Many patients of chiropractors elect to receive periodic “maintenance care”. This offering from chiropractors has caused some to misunderstand and get the impression that – “Once you go to a chiropractor – you can not stop”. Well, I just have to laugh and say it like it is – that is too funny! Of course, a person can stop going – and no a chiropractor does not cause anything to happen to you to cause your back to need another treatment. The truth is, many chiropractors know and many patients have discovered that a periodic “adjustment” can keep your body balanced and help the body to do what it wants to do – that is, to get well. Chiropractors try to help patients see the healthy things that they CAN do to make a difference in their health. Changing habits and crossing over to the side of Real Health Care – something that focuses on doing healthy things – what most people believe is not only just common sense, but is the answer to rising health care costs. Understanding what Real Health is and where symptoms really fit into the equation is very important.

I came across a study that looked into the maintenance topic. Please see the summary of it below.

This 10-month study compared two groups of patients who both initially received a one- month phase of intensive chiropractic treatment (12 visits) for low back pain. One group received one further treatment in the subsequent nine months, while the other group of patients continued to receive “maintenance” spinal manipulation every three weeks for the 9-month follow-up period. At 10 months, levels of pain were similar for both groups, however disability scores returned to pretreatment levels for the “no maintenance” group, while they stayed level for those patients who continued to receive “maintenance” care. Most chiropractors believe that ongoing follow-up care after an initial treatment course can be used to minimize recurrence of symptoms and disability. This study appears to confirm that paradigm.

Descarreaux M, Blouin JS, Drolet M, Papadimitriou S, Teasdale N. “Efficacy of Preventive Spinal Manipulation for Chronic Low-Back Pain and Related Disabilities: A Preliminary Study.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2004 Oct;27(8):509-14.

Submitted by:
Robert B. Sheely, D.C., F.I.C.C.
Trenton, Ohio