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 general phases of chiropractic care . . .
Phase 1: Relief Care
If you are in pain when you come into our Hillsboro chiropractic clinic, 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, the number of treatments during the acute phase can vary. Often treatment plans begin with more frequent visits to address the immediate pain, inflammation and begin healing.
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 care is to help bring your body back to pre-injury condition or maximum medical improvement. Care typically involves not only chiropractic adjusting, but often in this phase Pacific West Chiropractic includes physical therapy style treatments as well. It is typical to need chiropractic care or adjustments less frequently than in phase 1, reducing to a few times a month, depending on your overall health and the severity of your problem.
Phase 3: Wellness Care
Once your body has fully healed and you are no longer experiencing pain or other symptoms, it is suggested to come in for periodic chiropractic care to avoid further problems in the future. Usually, this phase of chiropractic care only requires a limited number of visits over the course of a year to assess function and stability, progress of exercise/rehab plan, as well as addressing any new issues before they become chronic. A persons age, overall health, lifestyle, and goals can dramatically influence the frequency and necessity of wellness visits.
