CONTINUED CARE
Phases of Chiropractic Care
1. Acute care to relieve pain
2. Corrective care to increase or optimize physical function
3. Long-term wellness care that includes activities, services, and guidance.
Phase 1 Care: Acute Pain
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.
As a chiropractor, when treating patients with acute pain, our goals will be a combination of reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and restoring the normal range of motion to the affected joints.
Phase 2 Care: Corrective
As a Doctor of Chiropractic, sometimes we 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 physical exam and history.
In the corrective phase of care or 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.
Patients may 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.
Phase 3 Care: Long-term Wellness
Some people refer to the long-term wellness phase as the preventative phase or maintenance phase of chiropractic care.
We help our patients who are in the long-term wellness phase to:
Stay well
Prevent injury’s
Enhance performance
Optimize the body’s regulatory systems
Boost the body’s ability to self-heal.