Chiropractic Maintenance, How Frequently Should You Go To Your Chiropractor To Avoid Throwing Our Your Bad Back?

Great question and there's not one schedule that fits all situations. That said, I wanted to bring up the importance of chiropractic maintenance. Yes, you're not a car or a house, but when you have a bad back, you might as well think of it that way.

Oil changes, driveway sealing, gutter cleaning, new tires, and chiropractic adjustments! That's right, lump them all together into a maintenance bucket. If you avoid maintaining any of these items, you will not end up in a good place. Your car will fail, your driveway will crack, and YOU WILL THROW YOUR BACK ONCE AGAIN, and maybe worse then you ever have. (Do I sound like I'm talking from experience?) You bet. Case in point, a few months ago.

I was working on a great new project at work and I thought I was too busy to go to Dr. Pagano. How long did I avoid going to the Chiropractor? 3.5 months! That's right, I felt invincible again...bad move. Although my back felt great, I was jogging a lot, lifting weights, lifting my kids, etc. All of that activity slowly wears down your bad back until...you can't walk! That's right, I threw out my back so badly that I could barely walk. I actually had to go to the emergency room it hurt so badly.

So, I crawled into Dr. Pagano's office, explained what I did and let him do his magic. It didn't get better overnight, but 2 weeks later I felt 1000 times better. Seriously, he had fixed me once again.

What I did wrong:
I didn't go for monthly chiropractic adjustments. Boy, that was stupid. "I'm too busy....I'm working too much..." That's ridiculous. I ended up having to go more when I got hurt than if I went for monthly adjustments in the first place!

The point of my post: You probably take care of your car and house, right? So take care of yourself for crying out loud!

Thank you Dr. Pagano for fixing my back once again. I promise I won't avoid my chiropractic maintenance ever again. I'll be in next week.

The Patient

A Year Without and Then With a Chiropractor, What a Difference a Year Can Make!

As I begin 2008, I can’t help but think about how different this year is starting than last year. In December of 2006, I was in desperate need of help for my lower back. I threw it out once again, and this time…it was really bad. I could barely walk. It was the beginning of December 2006 when I decided that I’d had enough and I started looking for a chiropractor. If you’ve read my posts since then, you can see the outstanding improvement that I’ve made after going to Dr. Pagano for the past 13 months. I can tell you that it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. How good of a decision? Read on.

Here is a quick comparison of December 2006 and December 2007:

Last December – I could barely walk.

This December – I just ran 4 miles yesterday. :-)

Last December – I could barely get my Christmas tree in the door and into the stand. You would have thought I was lifting a car…

This December – I grabbed the tree off of my car, pulled it into the house, lifted it into the stand, and without any pain at all. Take that Mr. Grinch.

Last December – I took a 5 hour flight for a business trip and was in pain the entire flight… I was stretching in the airport after the flight since it hurt so bad! Literally.

This December – Although I didn’t have any flights to take, I did take the train numerous times (for over 60 minutes per ride), and I can tell you that I felt no pain at all. Bring on the 5 hour flight!

Last December – I couldn’t pick up my daughter during the holidays…even when she was excited about her gifts. I tend to joke around a lot, but this one is no joke at all. If you have kids, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

This December – I easily could pick up my daughter (and now son) without any pain at all. And for Christmas, you bet I was carrying her down the steps to see what Santa brought! Again, if you are a parent, you know how good this made me feel. :-)

Last December – I couldn’t exercise at all. Working out is part of my life…it really makes me feel lousy to take off from running, lifting weights, etc. Looking back, though, I was more worried about serious, long-term back pain than working out…so I shouldn’t complain too much.

This December – I worked out regularly without much pain at all. Every now and then my back gets sore, but sore is nothing compared to not being able to get out of bed! I run, lift weights, circuit train, etc. Thank you Vito Pagano. :)

So, as you can see, what a difference a year can make! If you are experiencing back pain and not sure if a chiropractor can make a difference (like I was thinking), then I believe you should at least give it a try. That’s unless you want to drag a Christmas tree in while holding your lower back and singing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year…” Believe me, it’s not a pretty sight. :)

The Patient