I feel terrible. My neck and back hurt, my head aches, and I’m constantly tired. My adult children want me to see their chiropractor. I’d rather just wait and see if it goes away. What’s the best thing to do, really?

The first step may be to see your primary care physician for a check-up. It’s possible you have a medical problem that requires treatment. As is always the case, early diagnosis helps avoid complications and leads to a better end-result. This is true with both chiropractic care and traditional medical attention.

If it turns out you have a true musculoskeletal problem, then chiropractic care may be a good option for you. Studies show that patients with neck pain who see a chiropractor can get better. But the sooner you go, the better your chances are for a positive result.

There are some markers to help chiropractors determine who will improve with spinal manipulation. These are called predictive factors. They can be used to predict a positive result or a negative outcome.

Pain is one important factor, but so are the social variables such as level of education and work status (workers’ comp or sick leave). Patients with neck pain lasting less than three months seem to have the best results with chiropractic care. Patients with the worst perceived general health also seem to have good positive results of chiropractic care. This may be because they notice the improvement so much more than someone with mild symptoms.

But before your health declines any further, take steps to find out what’s wrong and seek treatment.