If you are waiting for pain to dictate how often you should see your chiropractor —or whether or not to see one in the first place — you’re waiting too long. Without a spinal check, you simply don’t know if your spine needs to be adjusted as there is no other reliable way to truly know.

Spinal misalignments often crop up and cause little to no pain. And while this might not seem like a big deal, it is then that you realize that these off-kilter vertebrae are slowly sapping the health of the body by robbing its effectiveness to function correctly.

Pain usually does indicate a spinal adjustment is needed; but in all likelihood, it’s been needed for much longer than you realize. Our bodies have an amazing capacity to adapt and will compensate like a game of “Spinal Jenga” to handle the minor misalignments that come our way. These compensations that will likely skate under the pain radar for some time.

As a matter of fact, most people who show up in a chiropractor’s office are showing up with bodies that have been chronically compensating for years. Now, picking that sock up off the floor becomes the last straw— the straw that the body is no longer able to compensate for, because the body is simply done compensating.

While getting an adjustment at this stage in the game might seem like good timing, as it will undoubtedly make things feel better, it really misses the point of true chiropractic and the amazing potential that it has to offer. It’s kind of like having an “Eureka” moment that you should call a termite inspector as the beam that once supported your roof comes crashing down and now lays on the floor in an insect-infested heap.

Pain, at best, is a crude and misleading indicator that far too many people rely on to seek help, and who can blame them? It’s how our society has been conditioned, and frankly, it’s the business model that insurance companies utilize.

True chiropractic takes a different approach. Rather than asking what pill you can take to improve your health, or what organ needs to be removed so true health can be regained, chiropractic looks to reenergize the body’s own inborn healing ability. Our bodies are self-healing and self-regulating. When the vertebrae of the spine become misaligned this process is interfered with and subdued as the delicate nerve tissues that course through the openings at each level becomes pinched and irritated, leading to a “short” in the electrical, master control system of the body.

Chiropractic in its purest sense is not for back pain, headaches, neck pain, or any other symptomatic malady. It is a form of health care that looks to empower the body to express its own inborn ability to heal and regulate at a more optimum level. In other words, if you are suffering from a spinal ache or pain, especially if it’s chronic, there is a good chance that your body’s self healing and regulating capabilities are operating at sub par levels, and have been for a while. When our bodies are vibrant and healthy, they are able to adapt and operate effectively in the midst of the ever encroaching physical, emotional, and chemical demands that we face everyday.

A healthy nervous system, brought about by a well aligned spine, is able keep our bodies strong and able to stand up to the storms of life. But you won’t know if it is need unless you are getting your spine checked. Stop setting yourself up for your body to fail by waiting for pain. Instead, start taking proactive, intentional steps so your body will not only succeed, but thrive.

Thomas R. Lamar is a chiropractor at Anchor Chiropractic in the Health Services Center and is the host of SpinalColumnRadio.com.