Laying the Foundation
Think of chiropractic care like building a house – certain things have to be done in a specific order for your body to be strong and work correctly. If you were trying to build a house and you tried to put the walls up before setting a strong foundation, the walls would be weak eventually leading to a collapse. The same problem would occur if you put your roof on before the walls were secured properly. The same is true for your body. Your body must go through a specific plan of care to repair itself fully and correctly. There are three common phases of chiropractic care . . .
Phase - 1
RELIEF CARE
PHASE - 2
CORRECTIVE CARE
PHASE - 3
WELLNESS CARE
PHASE – 1 : RELIEF CARE
Relief is Nearby!
Many people see a chiropractor because of pain. In phase one, our main goal is to reduce our patients symptoms. Occasionally this requires daily visits, or two to three visits per week for some time.
Most individuals assume that if they are not feeling pain they don’t have anything wrong going on – that they are healthy. Unfortunately, pain is not an indicator of health. In reality, pain and other symptoms often only begin after a disease or other health condition has advanced.
As an example, think about a cavity in your tooth. When does the tooth begin to hurt? When it first starts or after it is more serious? What about heart disease? Whether we are discussing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stress or problems with the spine, pain is typically one of the last symptoms people notice. With that being said, pain is usually the first symptom to disappear with chiropractic care, even though the underlying cause of the symptom is still there.
PHASE – 2 : CORRECTIVE CARE
Working Together for Better Health
Most chiropractors believe eliminating symptoms is the easiest part of care. If a chiropractor only focuses on stopping pain and does not correct the underlying condition (subluxation), the patient’s condition is likely to recur. To prevent the symptoms from rapidly recurring, patients must continue receiving care even after their symptoms are relieved.
During the corrective phase of care, patients do not need to receive adjustments as often as during the first phase of care. Depending on your specific circumstances, you might begin preforming stretches and exercises at home to help speed up the healing process.
During this phase, don’t be discouraged if you experience mild flare-ups on occasion. This is normal. Flare-ups are bound to happen in the corrective phase because your body is not completely healed. Depending on the seriousness of your condition or injury and how long you have been experiencing it, the corrective phase of care can last from a couple to several months.
PHASE – 3 : WELLNESS CARE
Maintenance is Key to Healthy Living
When your body has completely healed, maintenance chiropractic care can help prevent your health problems from returning while keeping your body in optimal condition. Just like an ongoing exercise routine and maintaining a healthy diet to sustain optimal health, continued chiropractic care is necessary to maintain the health of your musculoskeletal system.
When maintaining chiropractic care is part of your lifestyle, you avoid the aches and pains that many people suffer, you will be able to engage in more of the activities you love because your joints will last longer.