If you have recently decided to seek out chiropractic treatment, you have made the first step to an all-around healthier body and state of mind. However, visiting your chiropractor is only the first step. In order to maintain back health and overall wellness, there are several steps you should take in the days, weeks, and months following your first chiropractic appointment.

In the Days Following Your Chiropractic Appointment

When you receive a chiropractic adjustment, you’ll want to take care and pay attention to a few crucial things afterwards. As a general rule, we recommend taking the following steps for the first few days after your first chiropractic appointment:

Take time off of other treatments

It is very common for people to schedule their first chiropractic treatment within days of other forms of treatment, such as a reiki session, or massage therapy. However, in order to assess the impact of the treatment on your nervous system, it is better not to mix healing treatments together, so that you and your chiropractor can evaluate improvement from your first adjustment alone.

Pay close attention to changes

It is normal for spinal adjustments to affect how you feel, your muscle sensations, your posture, your respiration, and your mental and emotional states. Pay more attention to your body in the hours and days following an adjustment. Do you feel as if your innate posture has changed? Maybe you are standing taller, or sitting differently in your car. Your body will be positioning you differently as it re-organizes itself, and it is common for a person to notice changes immediately following an adjustment.

Drink plenty of water

Drinking plenty of water is always a good idea, but it is more important than ever to stay hydrated after a chiropractic adjustment. Drinking water after your adjustment will help nourish the discs between the vertebrae, keeping your spine supple and flexible. As a good rule of thumb, you should drink half your bodyweight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 220 pounds, drink 110 ounces of water every day.

In the Weeks After Seeing a Chiropractor

At this point, you should have become adjusted to the changes your chiropractic treatment has made to your body. In order to sustain them, it is recommended that you follow several steps:

Avoid sitting for long periods of time

Try to keep your spine in motion as much as possible, as this will help your body settle into the changes and keep your spine in proper alignment. If you have a desk job, try to stand up, stretch, or just walk around the office every 30 minutes to an hour.

Mind your posture

When you are sitting down, make sure that you are sitting with correct posture. To check yourself, always: Distribute your body weight evenly on both hips. Bend your knees at a right angle. Keep your knees even with or slightly higher than your hips. Keep your feet flat on the floor. At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work. Rest your elbows and arms on your chair or desk, keeping your shoulders relaxed.

Exercise regularly

It is important to not overexert yourself while you are under treatment for an accident or injury, as this could lead to increased pain. However, light exercise that strengthens your back and core muscles will help the body stay balanced after an adjustment. Yoga, long walks, and daily stretching are all great options.

Continue to visit the chiropractor

While the length of time between chiropractic appointments will be different for each individual based on their needs, it is recommended to not go longer than 3 weeks in between each adjustment.

In the Months Following Your Chiropractor Appointment

By now, you and your chiropractor should have an individualized plan in place, and you should be on a regular chiropractic schedule and exercise plan. Other suggested tips to follow include:

Improve your sleep

Do you sleep on your side or back? If not, you may want to begin. Now is a great time to invest in a pillow that conforms to the shape of your spine, as this will help your spine maintain the healthy curve your chiropractor has helped you achieve. We have many types of pillows available to help improve your sleeping position. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule as well, if you have not done so already after your first chiropractic appointment. This means going to bed and waking up at similar times every day.

Follow your chiropractor’s recommendations

Each time you visit your chiropractor, he or she will most likely ask you about your progress, and give you their recommendations to improve your condition and overall health. To obtain optimal results from your adjustments, it is vital that you follow your chiropractor’s recommendations and adjust your lifestyle and habits accordingly.

It may sound like a lot of work to keep your body in optimal shape, but the benefits of chiropractic adjustments not only make good sense, they also make for a healthier, happier life.

Spinal Health is Essential to your overall Health and Well Being

With yet another lockdown in place, and the added stress of the many unknowns we’re all facing, it’s all too easy to let our preventative health practices fall by the wayside, including our regular chiropractic adjustments.

Spinal health is essential to overall health and immune function. Chiropractic is one of the ways that we assist our nervous system to function optimally. If there is interference to the nervous system such as compression, degeneration, misalignment, or subluxation, then it needs to be corrected—and kept corrected.

Routine chiropractic adjustments safely remove the interference that is inhibiting the nervous system. When the spine is healthy, so is the person’s overall health. 

A healthy spine also influences many factors of health, including our mental and emotional disposition. When we are feeling better, moving better, we are more likely to make better choices when it comes to our diet, exercise, and outlook on life. 

In short, we are happier and ready to pursue our full potential, even in the face of challenging times. 

While the length of time between chiropractic appointments will be different for each individual based on their needs, it is recommended to not go longer than 3 weeks in between each adjustment.