The Stages of Chiropractic Care

There are a number stages of chiropractic care that are followed in order to ensure that the patient receives the proper treatment sufficient to cure the problem, rather than simply deal with the symptoms or effect temporary relief.

Chiropractics is a hands-on healthcare discipline, addressing biomechanical aspects of the musculoskeletal structure of the body and associated neurological problems. An example of the former would be a herniated vertebral disc, and of the latter would be a form of sciatica caused by that herniated disc pressing against a root sciatic nerve as it passes through the vertebrae on its way to the leg.

Such conditions have been found to be more effectively treated by means of chiropractics than by surgery or other invasive or semi-invasive techniques.  In fact IDD Therapy, for example, is reported to have an average 86% record of success in permanently resolving herniated and bulging disc conditions – significantly higher than any other form of treatment.

The stages involved in chiropractic care are:

1.  The Examination

The Doctor of Chiropractics will first examine you in order to ascertain the cause of your condition.  It is important that the root cause is determined, because simply treating the symptoms will not cure the condition. This will involve an interview and physical examination, possibly supported by laboratory investigations and X-rays. You will be asked questions about your condition, your general health, diet, stress levels and anything else the chiropractor believes relevant to the condition.

The objective of this is to determine first of all your musculoskeletal structure, and then determine any factors that could be affecting your condition. You can frequently give the doctor important information that an examination might not show up, such as any injuries you have sustained in the past, or the fact that you were once a useful athlete with a strict training regime. These factors can affect skeletal problems later in life.

2.  Symptomatic Relief

Many people who visit a chiropractor do so because they are suffering pain:  that might even be the primary reason.  They want relief, even if they don’t know what is causing that pain.  In this phase of your care the objective of the chiropractor will be to make you feel more comfortable, and sometimes they will be able to do this quite quickly. This will normally be achieved without conventional drugs.

You will likely find that you progress fairly quickly during this stage of chiropractic care, but don’t be fooled into believing that your condition is improving. It is not – it is only the painful symptoms, and the time spent on this stage will depend on your condition.  It is important that during the main phase of your care that you are relatively pain free, or muscle spasms and other symptoms of pain might interfere with the treatment.  The length of time involved in this phase will depend upon the individual condition.

3.  Treating the Cause

During this stage of your care the root cause of the condition will be tackled. There might be more than one cause, and there might be other medical conditions involved, and sometimes chiropractic care is used to support medical treatment of other conditions.

The fundamental cause of the problem is resolved, such as curing a herniated disc using IDD Therapy, or freeing a trapped nerve, and the functioning of your neuro-musculoskeletal system is improved - often to prevent the condition recurring. Any of a number of possible non-invasive techniques can be used to correct any skeletal problems such as bone misalignment and also to strengthen your muscles.  This phase of chiropractic care can last up to 6 weeks since many treatments require a number of slight changes made over a long period in order that the changes are permanent.

4.  Lifestyle Management

The objective of this phase of your chiropractic care is primarily to prevent a recurrence of your condition, and to make you feel fit and well again. You will be given diet and exercise advice to enable you to live a healthy life, and encourage a normal spinal function. This will be designed specifically for you and your chiropractor will keep an eye open for any minor problems and remedy them before they can grow into something more serious.

During this phase advice will be given to you on how to change your lifestyle, if necessary, in order that your cure is permanent. You would not be obliged to take your chiropractor’s advice, but would be well advised to.

Each of these phases has a specific objective in mind, and chiropractic care is more than just the treatment of your condition.  It also involves after-care that is intended to improve your lifestyle so that your condition is less liable to recur, and that you can keep well and live a pain-free life. It might take time, but it will be well worth it in the end.