While I completely understand that your initial motivation for choosing chiropractic care is for the relief of pain, my focus is on the restoration of movement and function.

It’s important to understand that chiropractic care is like building a house – certain things have to happen in a particular sequence 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.

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. Chiropractic care, like healing and recovery is a process and not an event, so often this takes time.

This is also a process that I like to measure objectively so my technique is based on functional neurology which allows me to assess your progress accurately and advise care appropriately.

There are three general phases of chiropractic care . . .

RELIEF CARE or Acute phase

The first objective of this phase is to help you feel better by restoring normal movement and alignment as fast as possible. This phase of care is designed to improve the motion and flexibility of the fixated segments or vertebrae of your spine as well as working on the supporting soft tissue.

During this phase, with improved joint mobility, there you will experience decreased swelling, inflammation and muscle spasm, leading to decreased pain.

I prefer to be fairly intense with patients in this phase as the quicker I restore function the quicker the body recovers and heals. As a result, and depending on the severity of your problem, it is typical that patients need care 2-3 times per week for 2 to 3 weeks.

STABILIZATION PHASE

Once I have restored proper movement and alignment to the involved vertebra and your symptoms have improved, the frequency of care decreases to once a week for approximately a month depending on the severity of your condition.

During this time, you’ll receive advice around ergonomics, stretches or postural exercises or lifestyle tips that will support your recovery fully and help prevent recurrence.

MANAGEMENT OR MAINTENANCE CARE

Health care focuses on proactively taking care of the body so that problems, symptoms, or diseases never arrive.

Sick care kicks in after a sickness, symptom, or disease begins to attack the body.

Chiropractic falls into both categories but provides the unique ability to proactively improve the body’s health and function while preventing degeneration by restoring spinal alignment, movement, and nervous system function.

It’s for these reasons that I strongly recommend a Maintenance or Management Care Program. This varies from patient to patient depending on lifestyle habits and stress levels but on average this takes place once a month.

The goals of this phase include locating minor problems before they become serious thereby minimising possible arthritic changes that occur because of lack of movement within the joints but also reducing the likelihood of flare-ups.

It also maximises the quality of your life by maintaining mobility as you age but also making sure that your brain and nervous system remain functional.