Some people stop going to their chiropractor when their back pain stops because they think their problem is all gone and needs no more care.
Given the shoddy, limited coverage offered by most of the local hmo’s and managed care insurance plans to the people of the Hudson Valley - this is almost understandable.
The near-sighted thinking of insurance is: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.
But, just because it’s not causing you to be in excruciating pain - doesn’t mean all is fine.
Consider this: Heart disease typically feels just fine... You'd never think there was a problem right about up to the point that the guy falls down dead...
What do you think? Do you suppose the guy was really "fine", in perfect health, up to that point? Or is there some small possibility that things were maybe going wrong for some time before that, or ...maybe for several years before that???
A man can have prostate cancer for a long, long time before it even has him getting up 10 times per night to pee, let alone causes him any discomfort.
Same thing for breast cancer. Too bad for way too many women to have absolutely no clue there’s something going wrong until it’s almost too late to help.
How many people are shocked to find out they have diabetes - because they have no pain?
An interesting analogy: If you broke your leg we can all agree - it will hurt (for a week to 10 days), then it starts to not hurt so much and then after 2-3 weeks it’s not hurting at all.
Are you gonna take the cast off then?
If you "buy" into the insurance thinking - it’s time to take it off.
If it’s not hurting... treatment is over, right?
So the thinking: "If It’s Not Broke - Don’t Fix It" worries me.
How do you KNOW it's not broke? What tests are you using to come to that conclusion?
The "pain test" clearly has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. The presence or absence of pain is a totally unreliable indicator of whether or not you have a problem that needs care.
I think it's the precise recipe for the mess this country's general health care system is in right now.
The Answer? Get checked and tested properly by a trained expert / someone with a degree in the field concerning your possible problems.
Hint: The Insurance claims "reps" are not experts in anything but denying claims.
If the test is negative (ie.:normal) that’s great news and you can rest assured - you have a clean bill of health. If it is positive (meaning you have a problem), It’s not great news but at least you can take care of it early when it is manageable and inexpensive to do so.
Are you concerned that your back problem may turn into arthritis? Let us check it and we can advise you what the proper steps are to prevent it from starting or getting worse if you already have it.
If you call before New Years and refer to this blog and say: "It’s not hurting but I want to find out if there is a problem"...you will qualify for ½ off of the initial consultation / examination fee.