Is Chiropractic Forever?

Like anything worth having, chiropractic is not a quick fix, but rather an investment in your ongoing health. Because injuries happen regularly (big or small) and habits are formed day-to-day, it’s important to keep your chiropractor appointments regular to address specific issues or keep your body aligned through health maintenance check ups.
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Happy Shephard Clinic patient

Once A Chiropractic Patient…

Chiropractic is lifelong–or at least it is for those who want to maintain their health. From your first adjustment, it’s a step in the right direction to keep your body tuned up and working properly. The spine impacts the nervous system. The nervous system impacts your body’s organs. Your body’s organs must function well to help with your immune system’s function. When your body is aligned with chiropractic, everything works better, including your flexibility, and your range of motion.

 

The 3 Stages of Chiropractic Care

There are three stages of chiropractic care. Patients usually make their first appointment when they are in a significant amount of pain or discomfort, and want to get back to their daily activities. Because of this, we go through the following stages of chiropractic care:

  1. Relief: Our goal is to get the patient feeling more comfortable and lessen and/or manage their pain. When the patient is in pain, their body is under stress, and their muscles are tense, not allowing the body to give into healing. Massage and gentle instrument manipulation are key parts of this stage.
    Example: A patient in an auto accident may be in a lot of pain – the daily visits will help with pain management.
  2. Correction: Next, the structure of the body can be more thoroughly addressed. Pain is often a result of a misalignment within the body, causing opposing muscles to overcompensate and become overworked. When realigned, the muscles and skeletal structure can become balanced again, and allow the body again to focus on regular functions. Correcting posture and retraining muscles through physical therapy and at-home exercises is also vital in this stage.
    Example: An auto accident patient may visit 2-3x/wk after the pain is more manageable to help realign their body.
  3. Strengthening: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right? When the muscles are strengthened and your posture is fixed, your body is ready to focus on the task at hand (regular functions!) and not how to manage your pain.
    Example: An auto accident patient can come 1x/month after pain is intermittent and their body is mostly re-aligned. The chiropractor will help them strengthen muscles and keep them from re-injury.

 

How do Chiropractic treatment plans work?

We customize our treatment plans to your needs. We do our best to work within the bounds of your insurance and schedule, while still putting your health and healing first.

Some of our patients do not require a high frequency of appointments and move to the maintenance (once monthly) appointment more quickly. If the patient is in pain, however, we will recommend daily visits for pain management and relief. When they are feeling less pain, we’ll move to 2-3 visits per week, and later 2-3 visits per month. The ultimate goal is to get your body strengthened so that it requires regular maintenance rather than immediate intervention.

 

How Chiropractic Works

Chiropractic works by actively adjusting your body’s misalignments, whether it’s whiplash from a car accident or a little neck pain from too much office work. When adjustments are partnered with home care instructions to prevent further injuries, you’re able to take a more active role in your healing process. Note: If your body will not benefit from a chiropractor because of substantial injuries, we will refer you out to a qualified specialist who will take excellent care of your condition.

 

When to Begin Chiropractic

Wondering when you should start seeing a chiropractor? That’s completely up to you. Patients of all ages can benefit from our gentle adjustments and attentive care. We’re here to serve you and help your body both improve and maintain its strength and structure.

You go to the dentist to keep your teeth healthy. You go to the gym and eat nutritious foods to give your body the fuel and strengthening it needs. You even bring your car in to the mechanic to have the tires replaced, rotated, aligned, and the oil changed. Without these regular check-ups or adjustments, you can’t expect your car to work as well as it’s supposed to. Treat your body better than your car—you can’t go get a new one. See a chiropractor today to start actively and regularly maintaining your health instead of waiting for your body’s “check engine” light to come on. You only have one neuro-musculoskeletal system, and it requires upkeep! Enjoy the benefits of good health for as long as you keep up your visits.

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