Chiropractic Adjustments as 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 treatments address many common reasons why people experience pain and other health issues. If something is not right with your body’s foundation, then that needs to be addressed before true health can be achieved. With chiropractic treatment, your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three general phases of chiropractic care: relief, corrective, and on-going wellness care.

Phase 1: Relief Care

If you are in pain when you come into our Denver-Area chiropractic office, our first objective will be to help reduce your pain levels so you can start feeling better as soon as possible. Depending on the severity of the underlying condition which is causing your pain, our team may recommend chiropractic adjustments two to three times per week for four to 12 weeks.

Phase 2: Corrective/Restorative 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 treatment is to help bring your body back to 100% functioning. It is typical to need chiropractic adjustments about four to eight times per month for six to 24 months, depending on your overall health and the severity of your condition.

Phase 3: Wellness Care

Once your body has fully healed and you are no longer experiencing neck and back pain or other pain symptoms, 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 one to four times per month, based on your lifestyle and goals.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these individual phases of chiropractic care.

Phase 1: Relief Care

Thumbs Up to Relief

Many people go to a chiropractor because they are in pain. In this first phase of care, the main goal is to reduce your symptoms. Sometimes this will require daily visits, or two to three visits per week for a time.

Most people are under the assumption that there is nothing wrong with them if they don’t feel any pain. Unfortunately, pain is a very poor indicator of health. In fact, pain and other symptoms frequently only appear after a disease or other condition has become advanced.

For example, consider a cavity in your tooth. Does it hurt when it first develops or only after it has become serious? How about heart disease? Regardless of whether you are talking about cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stress, or problems with the spine, pain is usually the last thing to appear. When you begin chiropractic treatment, pain is also the first symptom to disappear, even though much of the underlying condition remains.

Phase 2: Corrective Care

Teaming Up for Optimal Health

Most chiropractors regard the elimination of symptoms as the easiest part of a persons care. If all that the chiropractor does is to reduce the pain and stop there, the chances of the condition recurring are much greater. In order to prevent a rapid recurrence of symptoms, it is necessary to continue receiving chiropractic adjustments even though your symptoms are gone.

During the corrective and restorative phase of your care, you will not have to receive adjustments as often as you did during the first phase of care and, depending on your particular circumstances, you may begin doing exercises and stretches either at the center or at home to help accelerate your healing.

Do not be discouraged if you have mild flare-ups in your symptoms on occasion. This is normal. Flare-ups are bound to occur during this phase because your body has not fully healed. Depending on the severity of your injury or condition and how long you have been suffering from it, this phase of your care may last anywhere from a few months to a couple of years.

Phase 3: Wellness Care

Maintenance is Key to Healthy Living

Once your body has fully healed, routine chiropractic care can help ensure your physical problems do not return and keep your body in optimal condition. Just like continuing an exercise program and eating well in order to sustain the benefits of exercise and proper diet, it is necessary to continue chiropractic care to ensure the health of your musculoskeletal system.

When you make routine chiropractic care a part of your lifestyle, you avoid many of the aches and pains that so many people suffer through, your joints will last longer, and you will be able to engage in more of the activities you love.

Are you ready to learn more about whether or not you could benefit from chiropractic treatments? Contact our Denver chiropractic office today!


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