Phases of Care

Laying the Foundation for Total Health

In some ways, one could say that chiropractic care is a bit like building a house - certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work together correctly. When building a house, if you tried to build your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually may even collapse. If you tried to build your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. These concepts apply to your body as well, and chiropractic care addresses many common reasons why people experience pain and other health issues. If something is not right with your body's foundation, than that needs to be addressed before true health can be achieved. With chiropractic care, your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three phases of care, acute care, corrective care, and maintenance care.

Acute Care

If you are in pain when you come into our chiropractic office, our first objective is to help you reduce pain and start feeling better as soon as possible. Depending on the severity of the underlying condition which is causing your pain, it is typical for a patient to need chiropractic care or adjustments 2-3 times per week for 4-12 weeks. Some ailments only need one or two adjustments (example- you just slept in a bit differently and are sore) We promise to educate you on what is going on with your body and and give you honest advice.

Acute pain often occurs suddenly as the result of some sort of injury or a specific disease. Some people refer to this phase as relief care. In 2017, the American College of Physicians published new guidelines advising those with acute or subacute low back pain to choose non-drug treatment options first, such as chiropractic, yoga, tai chi, and massage therapy.


Corrective Care

During the corrective phase of chiropractic care,muscles and other tissues are allowed to heal more completely, which helps prevent further injury or pain. The goal of corrective or restorative chiropractic care is to help bring your body back to 100% functioning. This stage is similar to needing a retainer after having braces, the hard work is done, the pain may be gone, but the body is not quite stable and progress may be lost if care is discontinued before the doctor releases you from this stage of care. 

We sometimes discover that a patient’s acute or chronic pain is the result of a condition that’s existed over a long time. This is typically found through the chiropractor’s comprehensive physical exam, which includes taking – and evaluating – a patient’s complete medical history.

In this corrective phase of care, also known as rehabilitative care, the chiropractor is already addressing any acute care needs first. The chiropractor is then working to correct health issues that are contributing to chronic pain conditions.

We might find that patients need corrective care that includes:

  • Correcting hip, gait, and foot problems
  • improving flexibility, stability, balance, and coordination
  • Recovery from of work-related muscle and joint injuries
  • improving function from joint irritation and muscle tension
  • improving the ability to perform activities of daily living.

Maintenance Care

Once your body has fully healed and the Doc tells you your spine is stable, it is important to come in for periodic chiropractic adjustments to avoid further problems in the future. Usually, this phase of chiropractic care only requires a quick visit to the chiropractor 1-2 times a month, based on your lifestyle and goals. For those who have a strong core and fit body, some people can go as long as 8 weeks between adjustments. Our goal in this stage is to keep your nervous system running optimally to keep your immune system strong and prevent future injuries and pain. In the end, committing to regular wellness care saves you money and suffering and allows you to maintain your mobility as you age. Studies show that regular chiropractic care reduces your chance of a nursing home stay up to 30% in your elderly years! 

Some people refer to the long-term wellness phase as the preventative phase of chiropractic care.

We work to help patients who are in the long-term wellness phase to:

  • Stay well
  • Prevent injury
  • Enhance performance
  • Optimize the body’s regulatory systems
  • Boost the body’s ability to self-heal.


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