How to Get the Most Out of Your Chiropractic Adjustment

By Dr. Molly Casey

Is going in regularly and getting a chiropractic adjustment enough to create optimal health? Look at the following example and then you tell me; more important, you tell yourself.

When you decide you want to get fit, increase your strength and/or your endurance, you create and implement an exercise routine, then you hit the gym or the track or the private club. You have to perform this routine with regularity and vigor over a period of time if you want to achieve results. You’ve done this before, right? I know I have.

A few months pass and you assess how well you’ve adhered to the program and what the current results show. You’re not where you want to be even though you’ve been consistent and strict with your adherence to the plan. The results aren’t there or they’re trickling in at a raindrop rate; you honestly believe the progress should be further along. Sound familiar?

What do you do next? Assuming the actual exercise programming is on point (and you can access a professional to help you assess this if you’re unsure), it would be wise to look at your life outside of the gym, track or walls of the private club. We know exercise in and of itself is still imperative for your health even if you aren’t seeing the exact results you desire. Your life outside the exercise arena is either supporting your effort or, in this case, working against it.

The exact same is true for the chiropractic adjustment.

In the Office

While you’re in the chiropractic office you can be present and engage in behaviors that will support your adjustment and promote your overall health journey. I recommend my patients take the small amount of time in the actual office and use it to their greatest advantage. Put the phone away. Engage with other upbeat patients who are looking to better their health and lives; this includes the office team members, other patients, and the doctors. Positive human interaction is good for your spiritual, mental and physical health. Basing this interaction around the common subject of natural health is even better for you. And listen.

One purpose of being adjusted in an open room environment is that education is freely flowing. You will hear doctors teaching others about better ways to operate; absorb that information and apply it appropriately to your body and life with regard to your health. Just because you may not have thought of the question does not mean the information doesn’t apply to you. Soak in the education.

Ask questions. Learn about different elements of health or natural living. Learn. Laugh with others. Engage with the kids. And relax. Relax while waiting. Relax while on the table. Take a few deep breaths as you lie on the adjustment table and let the doctor do their work. Take a few deep breaths after they finish before you get up. Then leave refreshed and with gratitude.

Outside the Chiropractic Office

The adjustment removes interference so the communication system can function optimally. For the greatest results, I recommend taking a whole view of your health by assessing the primary categories of your life -- spiritual, mental/emotional, physical, and community, which includes partnership/parenting, family/friends, money/business, and service.

Ask yourself two simple yet profound questions in each category.

• What is the biggest thing that interferes with my a) spiritual, b) mental/emotional, c) physical, d) community aspects of health?
• What are one or two steps I can do to feed that category of my life?

This does not need to be overcomplicated. Stress is one of the main players in most chronic conditions. If you’re overly stressed and do nothing about it no matter how often you get adjusted, then your life outside the office will ultimately be working against you. So ask yourself, “What interferes with my spiritual or mental health most significantly?” Perhaps your answer is excessive worry and anxiety. Then ask yourself what would one or two things be that you could do to feed a calm, healthy, robust spiritual mental health state? Your answer might be three minutes of meditation three times daily and an afternoon walk outside of the office.

The answers above may seem outrageously simple. I contend though that the majority of fixes that must occur to best support your body and the adjustment on the journey of health start 1) with the removal of things, and 2) very small minor adjustments done with ridiculous consistency.

Another key element is you pay attention to, and operate with, as much proper form throughout your day as humanly possible. This means asking your chiropractor about proper posture both while moving and how it pertains to work, such as if you’re at a desk all day. Then practice it religiously. Ask your chiropractor about proper lifting and bending and apply these techniques in your daily life while doing dishes, cleaning, driving, and every other activity. Lastly, make sure in your gym and exercise life you are remembering that proper form matters and is most important -- 15 push-ups with proper form is better than 50 without proper form. You will get stronger faster, you’ll build your endurance quicker, and your results will be more significant. Form matters, likely more than you know.

There are a multitude of ways that you can support the benefits of your chiropractic adjustment both inside and outside of the chiropractic office. Some ways are unique to you so be sure to stop into The Joint Chiropractic and ask your doctor of chiropractic what you can do to better the results of your chiropractic care. The options are endless.

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this page are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this post is to promote broad consumer understanding and knowledge of various health topics, including but not limited to the benefits of chiropractic care, exercise and nutrition. It is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your chiropractor, physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this page.