I’m 50 years old, I have a great range of motion and flexibility for someone over the age of 35; and I typically surf a 5’10” shortboard, which puts me in the upper 10% of surfers in my age range. I would have to work a lot harder at my flexibility, and I would be having some chronic back problems if it were not for the chirpractic care I get. I know this because back before I started going regularly I suffered chronic back problems on a regular basis. For me, being able to avoid having my lower back lock up for 3 days at a time once or twice a year is all the motivation I need.
I go to a quacktipractor about once a month. Like a lot of surfers, I’ve had some back and shoulder problems as a result of the unbalanced workout and because I don’t live to exercise. I go to keep those problems in check. If I let it go too long the aches pile up. On the other hand, I generally don’t bother going more often because it doesn’t seem to work that much better when I do.
I would never substitute this type of care for medical care not directly related to these muscles and joints, and I have no problem popping a pill if my sinuses are bothering me or if I have a headache. I spend 10 times more for my health insurance – which I never use – than for the quacktipractor that I do use, so in my book it’s time and money well spent.
From my perspective I wouldn’t suggest going to a chiropractor unless you have a specific reason to do so. If you’re just casually experimenting or if you have a known injury that requires surgery then you probably won’t get anything other than the placebo effect anyway. Most chirpractors I know won’t even treat you unless they shoot some x-rays to rule out injuries that are beyond their scope of practice. If you do have a more superficial problem and you’re in pain then one or two visits usually won’t be enough to prevent the problem from recurring. If you’re not interested in addressing the cause rather than the symptom you probably would be better off throwing some hefty pharaceuticals at it and taking it easy.