Preventive Chiropractic Care: What to Know

Some patients keep coming in after the pain is gone. Others wonder if they should. Here is what the research can and can't tell you.

What the review found

The best source we found is a 2019 systematic review by Axén, Hestbaek and Leboeuf-Yde in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. It included 14 original research articles on what it calls maintenance care: ongoing chiropractic visits after an episode of pain has settled. The authors describe maintenance care as "an evidence-based method to perform secondary or tertiary prevention" in patients with previous low back pain episodes who respond well to initial treatment. Secondary and tertiary prevention mean limiting recurrence and the effects of a problem that has already happened, not preventing a first episode.

They also say "these results should not be interpreted as an indication for Maintenance Care on all patients" who receive chiropractic treatment.

What the review does not show

The review has limits. The authors did not consider the methodological quality of the studies they reviewed. Four studies had "disparate results on pain and disability of neck and back pain," and only one used all the existing evidence when choosing study participants. That one study found that patients on maintenance care had fewer days with low back pain than patients told to return "when needed." No cost-effectiveness studies were found. The abstract does not report on side effects.

So the honest summary is that there is some evidence for maintenance care after low back pain, from a small number of studies of uncertain quality. We did not find a source that shows chiropractic care prevents other problems, or keeps healthy people from developing back pain. Claims that regular adjustments boost your immune system or overall health are not supported by robust evidence either.

What else the evidence supports

The NHS (a UK source) adult guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week, and breaking up long periods of not moving. The World Health Organization says all age groups should limit sedentary time and cites the same 150-minute benchmark.

Is ongoing care right for you?

That depends on your history, your response to treatment and your goals. It should be a decision you make with your chiropractor, with a plan and a reason for each stage, not an open-ended schedule. You can ask at any visit how long a plan should last and what progress it is based on.

Next step

If you want to talk through what makes sense for you, book online or call 484.455.4664. Keep It Kinetic Chiropractic is at 3254 W Ridge Pike, Suite 202, Pottstown, PA 19464.