Should I Continue with Regular Maintenance Visits?

The question is often asked whether or not you need to continue to see your Chiropractor after your symptoms have resolved. Aside from spinal manipulation (SMT), Shelton Sports & Spine also offers massage, acupuncture, nutrition, and functional assessments. Spinal manipulation is a common treatment for low back pain, and studies show how effective it can be even when you're not symptomatic. Based on studies, patients who followed-up with their Chiropractor for evaluations and treatment showed more improvement in pain and disability scores.

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​SMT is effective for the treatment of chronic nonspecific LBP. This technique requires the use of the practitioners hands or device to apply a controlled thrust (that is, a force of a specific magnitude or degree in a specific direction) to a joint of your spine. The amount of force can vary, but the thrust allows the joint more mobility than it would on its own. Spinal manipulation is different from spinal mobilization, which doesn’t involve a thrust (and is performed within a joint’s natural range of motion and can be controlled by the patient).

​According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, spinal manipulation (which also can be performed by an osteopathic physician) was used for the following wellness reasons:

• 43 percent used it for general wellness or disease prevention 
• 25 percent used it because it focuses on the whole person—their mind, body, and spirit 
• 16 percent used it for improved energy 
• 11 percent used it for better immune function 
• 5 percent used it to improve memory or concentration.

Spinal manipulation is safe when performed by a trained and licensed practitioner. The most common side effects of spinal manipulation are temporary muscle soreness, stiffness, or a temporary increase in pain. In a 2017 clinical practice guideline, the ACP suggested that spinal manipulation remains a recommended treatment option for chronic low-back pain, due to evidence of effectiveness. Don't wait until your symptoms become bothersome.


Call our office today at (203) 842-8631, and together let's continue to achieve your best at our multidisciplinary clinic. 

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Information provided by PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.
Website: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Aug 15;36(18):1427-37. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181f5dfe0.
Does maintained spinal manipulation therapy for chronic nonspecific low back pain result in better long-term outcome?
Senna MK1, Machaly SA.