Almost every one goes to see a dentist. Most of us go for routine check ups every 6 months to ensure that our teeth are clean and that we do not have any new cavities. This raises the question, why don’t more people go to a chiropractor for routine checks of their spine? Spinal misalignments, what chiropractors refer to as subluxations, are very similar to cavities and should be treated with the same importance.
First, both subluxations and cavities occur slowly over time. Much like you don’t get a cavity immediately after eating a piece of candy or drinking a soda, subluxations do not occur spontaneously. Subluxations are the result of repetitive actions over time. Also, when we have a cavity, we usually do not notice pain right away, it usually takes time for the decay to set in before we notice any discomfort.
Likewise, subluxations can exist for an extended period of time before we notice any pain. Just because you are free of pain doesn’t mean that you do not have any cavities or subluxations.
Once a spinal misalignment exists, it will continue to progress until it is corrected. It will not go away on its own. Cavities are much the same way, once they occur the decay will worsen and spread until treatment is taken. If not fixed in a timely manner, the treatment becomes much more complicated and may involve a root canal or extraction of the tooth. Similarly, the longer a spinal misalignment goes without treatment, the longer the treatment will take and may even require more invasive treatment, such as surgery.
The good news is, like cavities, subluxations can be corrected. However, like only dentists can fill cavities, only chiropractors can fix subluxations. They have been trained to locate and treat spinal misalignments accurately and effectively. The easiest and quickest way to treat a subluxation is by locating them before they cause pain. Once pain is present, the treatment will take longer since the problem has existed for a longer period of time.
As you can see, cavities and spinal misalignments have a lot more in common than you may have originally thought. They both occur slowly over time and continue to progress until they have been fixed. Although they may exist without pain for a period of time, eventually pain sets in and will not improve until they have been fixed properly. Now that you know the similarities, consider making an appointment with a chiropractor for a spinal evaluation, you may have “cavities” you didn’t even know about.