Finding the Right Chiropractic Schedule for Your Body
Feeling better after your first couple of adjustments? That is a great sign! It means that there are immediate changes to the mobility in your spine and a decrease of interference in the nervous system! Experiencing improvements in how you feel is the easy part! Now if you’re wondering when and if you should continue treatment, the answer is dependent on each individual’s needs and goals.
Factors That Determine Frequency
- Acute Pain
This is considered a newer issue, typically occurring within the last 6 months. These issues usually require more frequent visits in the beginning to allow the body to adapt to the treatment. Once inflammation is reduced and movement is restored, the visit frequency starts to lessen. - Chronic Pain
These are issues that typically have been going on for years and come and go frequently. This is when ongoing treatment is likely the best approach to manage any flareups and prevent the problem from progressing. - Lifestyle and Daily Stressors
Maintenance care is very beneficial for those who have demanding jobs, such as law enforcement, fire fighters, or any sort of manual labor. This is also true for people who do daily computer work and athletes. Daily stressors that effect posture and the activity level of the individual will dictate the frequency of maintenance they will need.
Common Care Phases
Phase 1: Relief Care
The focus of this phase is to reduce pain and inflammation in the body.
Frequency of visits: 2-3 times per week is common initially
The goal of this phase is to get the patient feeling better
Phase 2: Corrective care
The focus here is to both stabilize and strengthen the spine to build a stronger and more resilient body that does not continue to break down.
Frequency is typically a continuation from the relief care phase, in which 1 to 2 times per week is common.
The goal is to prevent flare-ups
Phase 3: Maintenance Care
The focus is to maintain proper movement of the spine and prevent any setbacks.
The frequency here depends on the daily demands that are put on the body of the individual person. Typically bi-weekly or once per month is beneficial.
The goal is long-term wellness for the patient and to keep the nervous system healthy and free of interference.
A common misconception is that once you start to see a Chiropractor, you must keep going for the rest of your life. The goal of Chiropractic is to get you feeling and moving better and become more independent so that you do not need to rely on any outside factors. Most people choose to continue seeing a Chiropractor as part of their routine, such as they do with seeing their dentist or going to the gym. Being a regular at the Chiropractor is not to “fix” a problem, but rather to maintain a healthy spine, improve joint mobility and flexibility, and to prevent any possible reoccurrence of pain.
How Care Plans are Created:
Recommendations for care are based on a few factors:
- Findings from orthopedic exams
- Posture, range of motion, and gait patterns
- How a patient is responding to care
- Patients schedule
- Individual goals
Re-examinations are continually performed to see how the patient is progressing through treatment and then modifications are made based on findings.
Chiropractic is not only beneficial when you are in pain, regular treatments help to maintain a healthy spine that both moves well and assists the rest of the body in functioning well. Make sure to schedule a consultation and exam with your Chiropractor to get more information on frequency of care and what fits best for you.