Maintenance
It is not necessary to get to the point where you body is in pain. If the spinal balance is restored and then maintained, pain can be avoided all together. A chiropractor is trained to correct subluxations of the spine through a process known as the chiropractic ADJUSTMENT. Often after an adjustment, immediate relief can be experienced. If the underlying imbalance has been there for quite some time, it can sometimes take longer. The question arises, "Why, once I'm adjusted do I have to keep getting adjusted?" To answer this, here is an analogy: When a person's teeth are crooked they get braces. After the teeth have straightened out, the orthodontist puts in a retainer. The reason that the retainer is used when the teeth are already straight is because the canals that surround the teeth are still crooked. It takes time for these retaining elements (the tooth canals) to straighten out. The spine also has the retaining elements. In the spine however, these are not canals but are muscles, ligaments and tendons. When proper mobility and balance is restored to the vertebrae, it must now be retained so that the muscles, ligaments and tendons can compensate themselves back to normal. Because of incorrect posture and uneven muscle use, these retaining elements are usually also out of balance and may take longer than the vertebral joints to return to normalcy. Often after spinal balance has been maintained for long enough, a Doctor of Chiropractic will give certain exercises to help to maintain the balance of the retaining elements. It makes good sense to keep the spine maintained instead of allowing it to degenerate to the point of being painful. It's even more fun to get adjusted when you are not in pain.
