Laying the foundation

Chiropractic care following an injury is like building a house – certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly. When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. 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 . . .

Phase 1: Relief Care

If you are in pain when you come into our office, the first objective is to help you feel better. Depending on the severity of your problem, it is typical to need care 2-3 times per week for 4-6 weeks.  With our advanced healing modalities, however, you may see a vast improvement in your condition within the first visit.  But the body still needs time to heal properly, so we want to give enough time for all the damaged tissues to heal.  The main goal in this phase is to decrease pain and control swelling and inflammation.

Phase 2: Corrective/Restorative Care

During the corrective care phase, muscles and other tissues are allowed to heal more completely, thereby helping to prevent relapses. It is typical to need care once or twice a week for 3-6 months, depending on your overall health and the severity of your problem.  It is during this time when you begin to feel good again.  Your tissues have healed, but they're still fragile (caution: wet paint!).  The goal during this phase is to re-establish proper motion in your joints and improve your postural alignment. 

Phase 3: Wellness Care

Once your body has fully healed, it is important to come in for periodic adjustments to avoid problems in the future. Usually, this only requires a quick visit to the chiropractor 1-4 times per month, based on your lifestyle and goals.  The goal of this phase is to "maintain" what was implemented during the corrective and restorative phase.