Four Phases of Chiropractic Care

Are you trying to get healthier and stronger? While it’s fantastic that you are trying to be active, working out can be exacting on your body, and the older we get the more we experience aches and pains. There are four phases to chiropractic care which are very important to help ensure that you get the right treatment you need so that you can maintain your healthy, active lifestyle.

The four key phases of chiropractic care are:

1. Relief

Goals

• Reduce Pain
• Reduce Nerve Irritation
• Reduce Tissue Inflammation
• Increase Flexibility

Generally patients visit a chiropractor when they have an ache or pain. The main objective in this first phase of care is to relieve or reduce your discomfort and stabilize your condition as soon as possible. Though we are able to reduce the pain and discomfort relatively quickly, getting to the root of a long-term problem takes longer to correct. Several visits may be required to achieve the best results.

Though you’ll be feeling better at this point, long-term changes to muscles and tendons are normally not achieved at this point. In order to prevent a relapse we need to retrain supporting muscles, improve biomechanics, and stabilize your spine.

2. Corrective Care

Goals

• Reposition Joint to Restore Structure
• Heal Nerve Root
• Increase Range of Motion
• Restore Joint Function
• Restore Function to Muscles

The objective of corrective care is to improve flexibility and strength and to improve neuromusculoskeletal function. Depending on the progress you have made in phase one, the frequency of your visits is reduced.  At this stage care may be supplemented by rehabilitation exercises and a modification in your daily habits.

3. Strengthening

Goals

• Rehabilitate Muscles
• Enhance Strength
• Strengthen Joints
• Reeducate Neuromuscular Function
• Increase Muscular Endurance

Once your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints are functioning correctly, you need to be strengthened and stabilized to make this last. Correcting these problems is a rehabilitative process and understanding that it takes time to correct these conditions is a great help.

4. Wellness

Goals

• Maintain Structural Integrity
• Reduce Muscular Stress
• Maintain Nutritional Balance
• Achieve Physical & Emotional Well-Being

The wellness phase is designed to maintain not only your improved health, but also to encourage normal spinal function and prevent the original condition from returning. A personal wellness program designed specifically for you will teach you how to incorporate exercise habits and good posture into your everyday life, so that you can enjoy life to its fullest.

See your local chiropractor at Innovative Chiropractic in Mill Creek to learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness.