If I go to a Chiropractor for my neck pain, will I have to keep going forever?

I get asked this question and ones like it a lot; the short answer is YES.
You probably did not expect me to say that did you? Probably if I was smart, I would come up with some compelling reasons why this is not true, but what can I say, the answer is YES.
Let’s look at this a little more closely, and I will explain. First of all, NO, you don’t really have to keep going to a chiropractor forever if you go once for neck pain, low back pain, headaches, or anything else like that. You don’t have to do anything except pay taxes (or something like that). However, there are three basic reasons that people tend to return to a chiropractor after going once. Let’s talk about them.
The first reason is a really bad reason, and I would advise you to make sure that you don’t keep going back to a chiropractor for this reason. Reason number one: you get told that if you don’t keep coming for a long time that you will end up having surgery, or being paralyzed, or something even worse. This is not true, but some chiropractors out there still insist on feeding their patients this line of bull. The real reason here is that it works out well for the Chiropractor’s pocketbook. If you hear something like this, run!
Reason number two: Many patients do not realize how bad they are hurting, or how bad it is affecting their lives until they start feeling better after getting adjusted by a Chiropractor. They may go through the normal period of corrective care (usually a couple of months) and for the most part feel normal again. Here is the kicker though, after you have been adjusted by a good chiropractor and your body really begins to feel great, you want to keep it that way. Also, you are now much more aware of what your body is supposed to feel like, so when it begins to feel just a little bit off, you want to get back to normal, quick! Hence the frequent return to the chiropractor for “maintenance” adjustments.
Ok, the final reason: Can you ever stop eating? Can you ever stop breathing? Sleeping? You get the point, something are necessary for life. Are Chiropractic adjustments as important as eating and breathing? Of course not! Think about this though, let’s say you are 75lbs overweight and you have horrible eating habits and you don’t exercise. Now, go on a diet and start working out at the gym. For the sake of our example we will pretend that in 16 months you have lost the 75lbs, are eating great, and exercise regularly. What is going to happen if you all of a sudden stop? What if you go back to your old habits? Will you keep the weight off, or will you end up right back where you were? The same is true with Chiropractic adjustments. In order to keep the spine as healthy as possible you have to keep up healthy habits, like getting adjusted on a regular basis.
Now we have covered why a person might keep going to a Chiropractor “forever.” Does that mean that if you go to a Chiropractor for a specific problem that you absolutely have to go back forever? No, it is still a free world. A good Chiropractor is going to explain the importance of “maintaining” a healthy spine however, and whether you choose to listen or not, is entirely up to you.