Your body will need time to return to normal after being subluxated for some period of time. At first, it will be inclined to return to the subluxated state it is used to and you will most likely not hold your adjustments very long. Typically, the first month or two after beginning chiropractic care are required for balance and stability to return. This is only natural and is nothing to worry about. It is rather like a spring attempting to return to its basic shape after being stretched or compressed.

Depending on your age, the length of time you were subluxated, and the severity of that subluxation, you will need a series of corrective adjustments over several weeks to stabilize the spine and keep it in alignment. After stabilization is achieved, we suggest that you continue to have your spine checked on a regular basis. At first, this might be every month or so, but many patients hold their adjustments for considerable lengths of time. It is not unusual to hold an adjustment for several months once spinal stability and balance are restored.

These follow-up adjustments are much simpler than your initial consultation. We’ll check the equality of your leg lengths and whether your hips and shoulders are remaining level. When we think you’ve reached a reasonable degree of stability, we’ll test the muscular activity around your spine with the SEMG again. Just as with the before and after X-rays, you’ll be able to see for yourself the progress you’ve made. When necessary, we’ll adjust you, but you may go several visits without needing an adjustment.

Think of all this follow-up care as simple maintenance in much the same way as you visit the dentist for regular checkups. The idea is that prevention is cheaper—and, of course, healthier—than a crisis. At Peak Performance, our focus is on creating the condition for you to naturally maintain your health through your own body’s innate healing ability. We know that it is easier for your body to do that with free and clear communication between your brain and body through an unobstructed nervous system.

Peak Performance suggests that once stability has been achieved you continue to have your spine checked for balance every few months. The three “T”s, Trauma, Toxins, and Thoughts, will continue to stress you. No one holds an adjustment correctly forever. Making sure that your spine is kept properly aligned will help prevent future crisis and support optimal body function. Because you do not have pain receptors in your spinal cord, by the time you feel symptoms, you have already been out of alignment for a while. And, remember, when you are out of alignment, your body cannot function at its natural peak performance.