I received this question from a former student of mine. This is also something I come across a lot in practice. After asking my patient how she is doing, I'll occasionally get the response, "Not well or I wouldn't be here." Now, I'm more than happy treating your pain. In fact, chiropractors are very well equipped to get their patients out of pain. But, did you know, pain is a fairly poor indicator of health? And chiropractors can offer so much more than just pain relief. Let me break it down for you. Do you know anyone who was diagnosed with cancer, had a heart attack or stroke or was diagnosed with diabetes and someone says, "But, he was so healthy!" Ughhh....nope. Clearly not. Or I'll get a patient who says, "I just woke up and my shoulder hurt. It must have been the way I slept." Well, maybe, but probably not. Or when I get a patient on my adjustment table and she says, "I didn't even know it hurt there!" Pain is one of the last symptoms to show up (if it does at all) and the first to go away. I've written on pain before. When your body finally decides to send you pain signals, it means something seriously needs to be taken care of. Unless you were in an acute accident (car accident, fall, hit by a pole, etc), pain just doesn't all of a sudden appear. It's typically the result of days, months and years of wear and tear that haven't been properly addressed or allowed the ability to recover through an anti-inflammatory diet, proper movement, adequate sleep and therapeutic care.
Let me ask you a few questions. Would you not eat healthy unless you were sick? Would you not exercise if you weren't trying to lose weight?
Chiropractic doesn't just address pain. It's about so much more than that! I check my patient's posture, range of motion, balance, eye movement and spine from top to bottom. I ask them questions about their stress levels, past injuries, diet and lifestyle. I palpate and mobilize and find dysfunctions that you probably didn't even know exist. So, do you have to have pain to benefit from chiropractic care? Nope, not at all.