Why see a chiropractor when you’re not in pain? The absence of pain does not mean the absence of biomechanical dysfunction. The body is an expert at compensating for its short-comings. Unbeknownst to you, you may at present be making small adjustments to the way you move for the sake of protecting another body part experience undue stress. If left untreated, these compensations may mature into more sinister and painful conditions. Consulting with a health professional on a regular basis may be the difference between breaking down, or maintaining fighting form.
Traditionally, people only seek physical treatment once they’re in pain. Pain, for most people, is the only sign that something is wrong. There are, however, many other signs of poor or compromised health unnoticed by the average person. These include: reduced flexibility in muscles, changing posture, weight gain/loss, muscle wasting; imbalance; weakness or tightness, poor co-ordination, clumsiness, and tiredness in performing normal daily duties.
Even if these signs are noticed, you might only act on them once they’re really bad. The point is that the absence of pain does not necessarily denote the absence of a problem. This is why patients of health practitioners, particularly chiropractors, sometimes don’t understand why they are either being treated, or returning for more treatment.
Most people accept that acute injuries have their respective timeframes for treatment and recovery. Once pain subsides however, patients struggle with the concept that further treatment is necessary to maintain health, or prevent further injury. You may have heard some of these phrases being used, ‘maintenance care’, ‘performance care’, or ‘tune-ups’. These are terms used to encourage patients to return for more treatment within a certain time frame to prevent further injury and ensure on-going good health. Whether an individual chooses to visit a health practitioner on a regular basis or not, is a question of how much importance that individual places on their health.
Good health is essential to elite athletes as much as it is to an office worker. The challenge lies in establishing a synergy between doctor and patient. The doctor must be competent, honest and trustworthy, and the patient must be motivated, hard-working and committed to rehabilitation. In this way, the doctor strives to get you better as quickly as possible, while you adhere to the treatment plan and home therapy techniques.
There are too many cases where patients have felt they have been over-scheduled by their health professional, and hence, cease treatment. Similarly, patients won’t show any progress if they choose to ignore good advice with regard to scheduling, activity modification and exercise prescription. To ensure you are not over-scheduled, make sure your health professional can justify the frequency of your visits, and endeavour to hold your end of the bargain by completing your assigned home exercises.
People should recognise we are creatures of habit. Every so often, our bodies become fed up with our monotonous ways, at which point, you could benefit greatly from physical therapy. There is not so much a feeling of pain as there is widespread discomfort, or a sense of misalignment within the joints and muscles. This generalised feeling comes at different times for individual people. It may be monthly or bimonthly. It largely depends on how active or inactive you are, and the physical forces your body is subjected to each day.
Preventing injury relies on finding the ideal balance between work, exercise and appropriate physical treatment. As everyone works and exercises in different proportions, it is essential that health professionals tailor their treatment somewhat to allow for more versus less active individuals. In short, some patients need more, others need less, but everyone can benefit physically by having someone monitor their physical condition on a regular basis.
So why see a chiropractor?
*DISCLAIMER: This discussion does not provide medical advice. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this discussion are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this discussion is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this blog.
