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Number of treatments will vary from person to person and from condition to condition. Typically, newer injuries will require less treatment, and as long as there is no severe tissue damage, a good improvement will often occur with 4 - 6 treatments. Further treatments, with increasing time intervals between them, may be required to maintain improvement and prevent reoccurrence of the problem.
A recurrent condition, or one that has been present for 3 months or more, will often take longer to successfully treat. This is an important point to remember if you are waiting for a problem to go away on its own.
At the initial consultation, your chiropractor will be able to give you a clearer idea of how many treatments you will need, based on your condition, its severity and your lifestyle.
Whether you decide to return for more regular chiropractic treatments is always up to you. Because of the physical stress of their job or other activities, for some people it is beneficial to get a check-up every few months.
Manipulation is when a specific thrust is delivered to a restricted or fixed joint. This is usually done by hand. The thrust is very quick and targets the restricted joint, restoring motion to it. This has the effect of decreasing pain and increasing the range of motion.
When a chiropractor manipulates a joint, you may hear a “popping” or “cracking” sound. This is nothing to be concerned about. The sound is in fact bubbles of gas within the fluid of the joint popping as motion is restored.
The main problem with cracking your own back is that it is very unspecific. There is no way you can target the specific restricted joints that are causing the pain. What you may in fact be doing is cracking those joints that have normal movement, thereby increasing the laxity of them, which may cause a degree of instability, which has its own problems.
Chiropractors are very skilled at manipulation. The forces are directed at individual joints in order to improve mobility in one area without disturbing or straining another.
The main difference between chiropractic and physiotherapy is a chiropractor’s skill and ability in manipulation, of both the spine and extremities, which is learnt over the course of 4 years.
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