You visit your primary care physician, dentist, and eye doctor on a regular basis. These healthcare professionals help you take care of various parts of your body. Your back is an important part of your body, which contains your spinal cord as well as many muscles and nerves. A chiropractor can help you take care of your back, but simply visiting a chiropractor once won't allow you to maintain optimal back health. Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of your chiropractic care:

1. Visit your chiropractor at least once a month.

Some people with back issues should visit a chiropractor once every few months. However, people with more significant stiffness or back pain may find that they're better served by having a chiropractic appointment twice a month. Your chiropractor can fix spinal misalignment, but prevention is better than a cure. Routine appointments can keep you feeling good by preventing serious alignment issues.

2. See your chiropractor if you suffer any serious injuries.

If you get into a car accident or fall down the stairs, visiting an urgent care clinic should be the first thing you do. It's important to have a doctor rule out serious injuries like internal trauma and broken bones. Once you're cleared by a doctor, you should schedule an appointment with a chiropractor. Traumatic injuries can pull your spine out of place, which can cause back and neck pain. Whiplash is a common injury sustained during car accidents, and your chiropractor can help you feel better. Turning to chiropractic care can help you require less addictive pain medication.

3. Stretch in between chiropractic appointments.

While you should leave spinal adjustments to your chiropractor, who has the necessary skills to do it safely, you can practice self-care at home. Take care of your back by stretching in between chiropractic appointments. Sitting or standing all day can compress the vertebrae in your spine, which can lead to pain.

At least once an hour, take the opportunity to stand up and reach up as high as you can to stretch your arms and back. Next, bend forward and try to touch your toes. Don't force yourself to bend all the way to the ground, and stop if you feel any pain. The objective isn't to touch the floor but to stretch your spine and work out any tension and stiffness. You may notice less day-to-day pain if you do these stretches between visits to your chiropractor.