“I’ve heard that if you see a chiropractor they will tell you that you have to go for the rest of your life.”
I am a chiropractor, and this is a very common fear that patients have when experiencing chiropractic for the first time.
I always address this concern in the same way. You can choose to use chiropractic care in any way you wish, it is completely up to you.
What I find interesting, and this speaks solely to the chiropractic professions failure to educate the public, is that if a dentist told someone the same thing, “You need this the rest of your life”, most people would understand. Because people value dental hygiene.
When I tell a patient that I recommend some form of maintenance care after helping them get out of pain, I am doing so because I know with certainty how important the spine is. I have seen over and over what happens to people who neglect their spine. I hear over and over again how someone wishes they could tell their younger self to see a chiropractor all those years ago.
Lifetime care recommendations come from a place of genuine concern for a patient’s well-being over the long haul.
I’ve heard people say, “Chiropractors just want you to keep coming back so they can keep taking your money.”
Honestly, I make less money on my wellness patients, than I make on patients in acute pain. Wellness care is not about money. It is about educating generations of people to care for their spines and practice wellness and prevention care instead of sickness and disease care.
In my office, you will always have a choice, and I will support your choice, whatever it may be. Just know that I will always recommend that you take care of your spine the rest of your life. Whether that is something you are interested in or not is ok. Either way, I will give you the very best chiropractic care I can….. On your terms.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Ben Fonke