Chiropractic Phases of Care
/Different Phases Means Different Treatment
There are certain myths about Chiropractic that result in people not going to seek treatment. It is unfortunate as like most myths, they are misunderstood or incorrect.
I am referring to the thought that ‘If I see a chiropractor I have to go for the rest of my life.’ No you don’t, but you may want to!
Phases of Care
This can be explained by discussing the different phases of care.
Acute care and maintenance care
People may initially come to see a Chiropractor in different phases.
Acute Phase – there is an injury and it is severely causing dysfunction in the patient’s life
Maintenance Phase – the acute injury has healed and now trying to keep the patient out of that acute phase again
Acute Care
When someone comes in and is experiencing acute pain, it frequently takes a few more treatments closer together to address the complaint. I normally recommend two times a week for two weeks for an injury. Occasionally it may be three times a week if there was increased dysfunction. The reason I suggest that is because within four to six visits, there should be relief, and if there isn’t then a new approach should be taken.
After the acute phase has been dealt with, treatments are normally scheduled with more time in between them. If the patient is doing well with a week between treatment, then go to two weeks, and so on until we reach the appropriate maintenance care schedule.
Maintenance Care
The maintenance care phase is very important. When someone has an injury to an area, they are more likely to re-injure that area. With the maintenance care, we try to decrease those flare-ups.
Sometimes when symptoms are gone, patient’s discharge themselves from treatment. They will often return when symptoms return. That can be seen on the picture posted above with the relapse in injury when treatment is not continued.
Often injuries are more repetitive in nature and add up until the dysfunction occurs. If nothing has changed in your life to stop the repetitive strain, it makes sense that the injury will likely recur without intervention.
So do you have to see a Chiropractor for the rest of your life? Definitely not … but you might want to for preventative and maintenance care. This is very similar to seeing the dentist, medical doctor, massage therapist, or taking your car in for regular maintenance.
So book a check-up today to decrease the chance of injury tomorrow!