In the August 15, 2011 edition of Spine, an article by two medical doctors, Dr. Mohammed Senna and Dr. Shereen Machaly, concluded that spinal manipulation is an effective modality in chronic nonspecific low back pain. Furthermore, those patients who maintained spinal manipulation treatment maintained their good results while those patients who did not maintain their spinal manipulation returned to their pre-treatment levels of pain and disability (Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Aug 15;36(18):1427-37).
Therefore, after chiropractic treatment had resolved the low back pain, having maintenance treatment of once a month is a good way of keeping your spine healthy. A spine is made up of many joints. After about age 12, blood supplies going to these spinal joints (disc) are gone and the only way the discs get their nutrients is by motion. The old cliché “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is true for all joints. Monthly adjustment will keep the disc moving properly and, thus, a healthier spine.
Even if your back feels fine now, if you suffer from periodic low back pain, perhaps it is time to visit your chiropractor.