I think that this one is my favorite of the myths because I think it is a ridiculous. People who criticize chiropractors often say that once you start you have to continue seeing chiropractor for the rest of your life. While this isn’t true, there are a couple reasons that are typically used. But honestly, think of one service provider that thinks you will never need to see them again… dentist, mechanic, accountant, etc.

Some people say that the chiropractic adjustments are addictive and that is what people come in forever. While people might be addicted to not hurting, having better range of motion and just generally feeling good, chiropractic care is only the means to an end. Once the person has improved and is met goals from their treatment plan, the treatment frequency is reduced. Eventually as a person comes in less frequently for treatment, people will get to the point where they are faced with the choice of whether or not they feel they need continued adjustments.

At this point, people have been weaning off of treatment and they don’t need adjustments like they did at the beginning when they were really hurting. The adjustment is not what is addicting. People just have the tendency to associate getting adjusted with feeling good. I feel that it is my job to make you self-sufficient so that you can take care of minor aches and pains on your own and return to me if you have something that just won’t go away. That is why I will teach people stretches and exercises for them to be a participant in achieving and maintaining better health.

Another implication is that chiropractors have people come back for unnecessary treatment just to line their pocketbook. All professions have their sleaze bags and I’m sure that there are some chiropractors that actually do this for monetary gain. But if it was true in general, then the same should be said about your mechanic & oil changes, your dentist & periodic cleanings and your medical doctor & your statin drug prescription. Don’t just talk about chiropractors doing that because every service professional will tell you that you need to come back.

Like I said before, I have never heard a mechanic tell you that you don’t need to come back for an oil change and I have never heard a dentist tell you that your teeth are clean and you never have to come back. In my opinion, there is value in preventive maintenance whether or not it’s your teeth, your car or your spine. It’s a lot harder to do a major overhaul of your spine, so I do believe that people should take care of it. For some people that means that they get adjusted more often than others.

Now that being said, I do believe that people need to take into account their needs when it comes to chiropractic adjustments. I will never tell a patient that they require chiropractic adjustments for life because that’s not true. I will not tell the patient that their spine will degenerate in the absence of my care. My goal is to continue to be my patient’s chiropractor in the sense that if they have trouble in the future, they will come into me in order to get fixed.

Some people see the benefit in getting maintenance adjustments where they come in for a treatment occasionally (maybe once a month) in order to prevent issues from occurring. Some of my patients just call for an appointment when they’re in pain.

If you’re being treated for a specific condition, your treatment should end when the problem has resolved. If your problem is chronic (you’ve had it for more than three months) or is recurrent and you would like to avoid future flare-ups, then supportive care may be a good idea for you. Remember, it depends on what works for you. The bottom line is that it is your choice.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DR. ROYER

Dr. Bryan D. Royer has been practicing chiropractic medicine in the Toledo area since 2005. He graduated summa cum laude as the class salutatorian from the National University of Health Sciences (NUHS) in 2004. Dr. Royer’s earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology from the University of Dayton in 1999 and another Bachelor of Science with a major in human biology in 2002 from NUHS. He is a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist practicing in the Toledo area and is also a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician^® (CCSP^®). Dr. Royer is the only healthcare provider in the Toledo Area to be certified in Graston Technique^® and he is also a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner^™ (CKTP^™). He is a member of the American Chiropractic Association, the Ohio State Chiropractic Association, the Northwest Ohio Chiropractic Association, the International Association of Functional Neurology and Rehabilitation, the ACA Council on Neurology, the American Academy of Spine Physicians and the Kinesio Taping Association.