What Is Retracing and Why Is It Important for Your Healing?

The term retracing means following a path back to its origin: retracing your steps, retracing your family history, etc. In chiropractic, retracing means having to re-experience older symptoms during the healing the patient from the negative conditions that reduced their quality of life and health. In this article, we will detail why retracing is important and why it is a sign of progress, not regress of your health condition.

Retracing May Be Perceived as Getting Worse

Many people stop their chiropractic treatments when they start experiencing some negative symptoms. They are not new – in fact, the patient believed to have got rid of them. They feel that whatever the chiropractor is doing is actually making their condition worse.



In reality, what is actually happening is that the patient is on the path to healing. The body is retracing its condition back to full health. But, in order to do so, it must experience all the stages of the illness or trauma, in reverse order.



You must remember that your body is not a computer. You cannot simply press the Reset button and make a fresh start. Chiropractors do not have this special button. The adjustments they perform are not sending secret signals to your brain and nerves to heal overnight. Thus, even if you believe that you are getting worse during chiropractic therapy, you are actually returning to full health – slowly but surely.

Understanding the Process of Retracing

The nervous system is your true essence. Every movement you make, every thought you have, and every decision you make are all born in and coordinated by the brain and the nerves. These nerves descend from the brain through the spinal cord and spread out throughout your body.



You have nerve endings everywhere:

•    In your fingers and toes

•    Around major organs

•    Along main muscle groups.



And these nerves, especially the spinal cord, are subject to a lot of stress every day. From poor posture to a slip and fall, from stress leading to muscle tension to poor diet – all these things cause your spinal vertebrae to become very slightly misaligned and your nervous system to stop working properly.



As the chiropractor identifies and resolves these misalignments, the negative process that impacts your health is reversed:

•    Muscles and ligaments regain their natural function

•    The elements of joints are restored to their normal position

•    The messages from the brain start flowing normally through the body.



The body has to relearn how to work properly. This is what retracing is all about: relearning to be healthy. But, in order to do so, you have to re-experience the stages of not being fully healthy.

Why Does My Usual Doctor Know Nothing about Retracing?

Unfortunately, Western medicine believes in masking symptoms. You just need to stop the pain – this is the basic philosophy. This is very much like killing the messenger that bears bad news.



Pain is a symptom that something is wrong in the body. It must not be made to go away, but investigated until you reach the root of the problem – what causes the pain. This is how chiropractors approach every new case and every patient.

How Long Does Retracing Take?

Since each patient is unique, everyone experiences retracing in a different way. It does not always last as long as the negative symptoms since their health started deteriorating. Patience is crucial during retracing. It is a challenging time for each patient, but the end of the road brings them back to full health.



Chiropractic takes time, but the outcome is having your health restored, not simply masking your symptoms. Retracing is a difficult process, but the chiropractor will always be by your side. Find an experienced chiropractor near you in our online directory and get all the answers you need about your healing during the first appointment!