I feel it’s a good time to acknowledge an elephant in the room.

Probably one of the most common criticisms of chiropractors is “once you go, you’ll have to keep going”. Please hear out this entire article, because this statement is worth addressing thoroughly! While you don’t have to keep going, we recommend that you regularly maintain your chiropractic care for a number of reasons. But the bottom line is that you don’t need to be in pain for your body to need some attention.

This year my wife and I have been toilet training our toddler. Those of you who are parents would understand how tricky this can be with the last minute “I need to go” situations and occasional accidents that arise as we work through this process. As adults, we have become aware of the early signs of our body saying “I need to go” and we also have better control of our body’s mechanisms for avoiding accidents. But children must be taught these skills in awareness and control, as well as how to clearly communicate when their body says “I need to go”. Otherwise they remain oblivious to the small warning signs, or don’t tell us as these signs build, until eventually they are ready to burst. Through the process of toilet training, my wife and I can help our toddler learn how to be more aware of what his body is telling him, communicate clearly when his body has needs, and also have better control over his body’s functions. It takes perseverance and eventually you get there! This scenario is a great illustration of how chiropractic care is a training process for the brain and the body’s communication, helping the brain and body learn better connection and control over time.

We want you to stay well, that is our ultimate goal here at Precision. It’s for this reason that our practice offers patients a Protection Programme. We don’t force this on you, it’s simply there for those who understand the benefits of making regular chiropractic care part of your wellness routine. If you’ve taken the time to have an initial problem or injury corrected, then we want to help you protect the investment you’ve made in your health. Or if you don’t have any apparent symptoms, it’s available to maintain optimum wellness and equip your body to handle unexpected injury or crisis. That’s why I get checked regularly, my kids and wife are checked every week, and let’s not forget our wonderful staff who are also checked weekly – we find our bodies just perform better and heal faster!

Research supports the view that chiropractic has a profound effect on your brain’s understanding of your body [1]. It also suggests that a structural shift in your joints and muscles (particularly those of your spine) away from their normal position can cause your brain to misunderstand what your body is doing and put strain on your nerve system [1]. This means simple tasks that your brain completes may not be performed accurately when your spine is not in its ideal structural alignment. It’s with this in mind that we encourage you to have regular visits to stay on top of anything that may be affecting your body’s ability to function at its best. Because your brain and nerve system controls EVERYTHING, a simple (even painless) structural imbalance could give you a large range of secondary conditions; from lower back pain to migraines, digestion problems, bed wetting…the list goes on. At regular chiropractic visits we check for these imbalances, and help your body better understand its needs before symptoms or secondary problems arise. But like a toddler and their occasional accidents, if your body does end up injured or in crisis, if your nerve system is already functioning well from regular care your body is much better equipped to immediately focus on healing that specific need.

Want to learn more about staying on top of your health or our Protection Programme?  Our Complimentary Chat is a great way to sit down with a chiropractor (obligation free) and talk about your options!

1. Lelic et al. (2016). Manipulation of dysfunctional spinal joints affects sensorimotor integration in the pre-frontal cortex: A brain source localisation study. Neural Plasticity, vol. 2016.