One of the most common questions we get at Superior Spine Care is "how often should I see a chiropractor?" And believe it or not, the answer is almost always: "it depends." So we're going to devote a three part series to the question to try explaining why the answer is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
When a patient is first visiting the chiropractic care clinic they typically have pain, a loss of function, or a sports injury or strain has left them feeling restricted in performance levels. In these cases our primary objective is to use chiropractic care techniques to relieve the pain, improve movement or regain performance levels. At that point when a patient asks "how often should I see a Chiropractor?" the answer depends on the extent of pain, injury or loss of function and we put together a plan during the initial examination.
Now let's fast forward, the patient has been effectively treated with chiropractic care, their pain is under control, their range of motion, or function, has been restored to normal use and the chiropractic treatment plan we recommended after the initial consultation has been achieved. Now the question is about "maintenance care."
What is Maintenance Chiropractic Care and is it Important? (3 Part Series)
In chiropractic care your visits are typically going to fall into one of three categories: relief care, corrective care and maintenance care. Maintenance care is the final stage that monitors and strengthens the health and condition of your spine with occasional evaluations and chiropractic treatments.
Whether you suffer from a chronic problem, have periodic flare ups, or just like to stay in peak form, you may be considering adding chiropractic maintenance care into your overall health program and in this three part series, Dr. Neil will outline the main reasons why maintenance care is so important for his patients.
- Part One discusses Pain Relief
- Part Two considers Function and Movement
- Part Three explores Peak Performance
Part 1: Chiropractic Care for Pain Relief
Pain is the biggest reason many patients seek out Chiropractic care. It’s estimated that at any time, 31 million Americans are having back pain. When it keeps us from working, enjoying our favorite activity, or simply becomes too much to bear, we seek a solution. Most of the time, we can help you through this acute episode and get you feeling better. But when you’re feeling better, should you keep receiving treatment?
This is a decision most of our patients have to make at a certain point. Some patients decide it is not worth their time to continue treatment, and simply wait until the next time they have a flare up to resume treatment. These patients wait until the pain returns and come back into our office for episodic care, or relief care. Usually these episodes will continue to worsen over time, and over the years, the condition may deteriorate to the point that it stops responding to chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic Maintenance Care to Reduce Episodes of Back Pain
On the other hand, many of our patients who elect to receive chiropractic maintenance care report fewer episodes of back pain. They also notice that when they do have an episode of back pain, the intensity is not as severe, or the duration of the episode is much shorter. Back pain does often return, and while we can’t prevent that from happening, regular treatment seems to soften the effects of those flare ups.
In the end, it’s up to our patients whether they decide to continue receiving the regular benefits of chiropractic care. Learn more from our patients by reading our patient reviews or contact Superior Spine Care with questions regarding chiropractic maintenance care, other chiropractic treatments or to set-up an initial patient evaluation.
In Part 2, we will look at other factors our patients look at when considering maintenance care, beyond simple pain relief.
