Why Chiropractic Maintenance Care Matters for Long Term Spinal Health
Most people think of chiropractic care as something you only seek when pain becomes severe. However, many spinal and musculoskeletal problems develop gradually over time due to repetitive stress, poor movement habits, prolonged sitting, physical workloads, and everyday lifestyle demands.
This is where maintenance chiropractic care may play a role.
Maintenance care refers to ongoing chiropractic treatment after the initial symptoms have improved. Rather than only focusing on short term pain relief, the aim is to help support spinal function, joint mobility, posture, and overall movement quality over time.
What Is Chiropractic Maintenance Care?
Maintenance chiropractic care is typically recommended for patients who experience recurring episodes of neck pain, back pain, headaches, postural tension, or spinal stiffness.
Treatment frequency varies depending on the individual, their lifestyle, previous injury history, work demands, and overall health goals. Some patients may benefit from periodic reviews every 3-4 weeks, while others happy with 6-8 weeks.
Chiropractic care may include:
- Spinal adjustments
- Soft tissue therapy
- Dry needling
- Rehabilitation exercises
- Postural advice
- Mobility and stretching programs
The goal is to help improve spinal movement and reduce ongoing mechanical stress that may contribute to recurring discomfort.
What Does the Research Say About Maintenance Chiropractic Care?
Research into chiropractic maintenance care has grown significantly over the past decade.
A large randomised controlled trial from the Nordic Maintenance Care Program found that patients receiving scheduled maintenance chiropractic care experienced fewer days of bothersome low back pain over a 12 month period compared with patients who only attended when symptoms returned (Eklund et al., 2018).
The same research group later reported that maintenance care appeared to be particularly beneficial for patients with recurrent or persistent low back pain patterns, helping some patients experience more pain-free weeks throughout the year (Eklund et al., 2020).
A systematic review published in The BMJ also found that spinal manipulative therapy may provide similar outcomes to other recommended treatments for chronic low back pain, supporting its role as one option within evidence-informed musculoskeletal care (Rubinstein et al., 2019).
While outcomes vary between individuals, these studies suggest that ongoing chiropractic management may help some people better manage recurrent spinal pain and maintain function over time.
Who May Benefit From Maintenance Care?
Maintenance chiropractic care is commonly used by people whose lifestyles place repeated stress on the spine and surrounding muscles.
This may include:
- Office workers
- Parents lifting young children
- Tradespeople
- Healthcare workers
- Drivers
- Athletes and gym-goers
- People with previous back or neck injuries
- People with chronic pain or poor posture
- People with scoliosis
Many patients choose maintenance care because they notice their symptoms tend to return when spinal stiffness, postural tension, or reduced mobility gradually build up again.
A Long Term Approach to Spinal Health
Spinal health is influenced by many factors including movement habits, physical activity, posture, stress levels, sleep quality, and occupational demands.
Maintenance chiropractic care is not about creating dependency on treatment. Instead, it aims to support long term spinal function and help patients manage recurring mechanical stress before symptoms become more significant.
At Lakeside Chiropractic in Joondalup, our team provides personalised chiropractic care tailored to each patient’s goals, lifestyle, and presentation.
Book an Assessment
At Lakeside Chiropractic, we are committed to providing personalized care tailored to your specific needs. Our experienced team employs evidence-based chiropractic techniques to ensure optimal outcomes for our patients. If you’re dealing with neck or back pain that just won’t ease up, book in for an assessment to find out what might be the causes behind it.
📍 Find us in Joondalup
📅 Book online: https://lakesidechiro.au1.cliniko.com/bookings#service
While outcomes can vary, many patients find this multi-modal approach helps improve over time. If you are having back pain or any pain in general, feel free to contact us on 9300 0095 to see how we may be able to help, or visit our website for more information.
📍 Serving the Joondalup & Northern Suburbs of Perth Lakeside Chiropractic is central to the northern suburbs of Perth, located in the City of Joondalup. If you are in the surrounding suburbs such as Yanchep - 6035, Tapping - 6065, Carramar - 6031, Currambine - 6028, Wanneroo - 6065, Heathridge - 6027, Edgewater - 6027, Gnangara - 6077, Mullaloo - 6027, Padbury - 6025, Kingsley - 6026, Woodvale - 6026, Banksia Grove - 6031, or Duncraig - 6023, our team is here to assist you.
References
Eklund A, Jensen I, Lohela-Karlsson M, et al. Does chiropractic maintenance care reduce the number of days with bothersome low back pain? A randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2018. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0203029 Eklund A, Hagberg J, Jensen I, et al. The Nordic Maintenance Care Program, maintenance care reduces the number of days with pain in acute episodes and increases pain-free weeks. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2020. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7171853/ Rubinstein SM, Terwee CB, Assendelft WJJ, et al. Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain. BMJ. 2019. https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l689
