Good health is like having a toolbox that allows you to make the most of your life. One of the most powerful tools in the box is chiropractic care.
It provides a range of benefits for your body and mind, but understanding the three phases of chiropractic care can help you unlock these benefits to the fullest.
In this blog post, we’ll cover the three key phases of chiropractic care—assessment, adjustment, and maintenance—and show you how they can help you live a healthier, happier life. So, without further ado, let’s get into it! Whether you were injured in an auto accident, or suffered from a work-related or sports trauma, read on to find out how chiropractic treatment can relieve pain and let your body heal.
Initial Visit and Consultation and Assessment
The first phase of chiropractic care is the initial visit and consultation. This phase aims to evaluate a patient’s condition or injury, such as a car accident or work-related trauma, and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
During a consultation, a chiropractor will ask questions about the patient’s medical history, current symptoms, and lifestyle habits. The consultation also includes taking vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse. In addition, the chiropractor may do an initial assessment or physical examination to identify any issues that need treatment.
A key component in this stage is gaining trust between the patient and the practitioner. This involves open communication between both parties to ensure the patient receives the best care for their needs.
A chiropractor will also provide further education about the goals of chiropractic and what benefits it can bring to the patient’s overall health.
Ultimately, this initial visit and consultation are essential for understanding a patient’s presenting problems and formulating an effective treatment plan. Being informed about your health condition can be empowering, allowing patients to be involved in their care decisions.
With this collaboration between doctor and patient, both parties can work together to achieve better health outcomes for the patient.
Now that we have gained knowledge about what happens during the initial visit and consultation, it’s time to move on to understanding another important aspect of chiropractic care—the chiropractic examination process.
The Initial Chiropractic Examination
The initial chiropractic examination is crucial in evaluating and diagnosing one’s condition. After the initial consultation and assessment, a chiropractor will thoroughly examine the patient to understand their condition better. This comprehensive examination can involve postural and functional analysis, neurological testing, palpation of problem areas, imaging of the spine (if warranted), and other specific tests as needed. This detailed testing helps the chiropractor differentiate between conditions that need to be referred to another specialist and those that can be managed with spinal manipulation or other treatment methods.
The purpose of this examination is for the chiropractor to review all available information about their patient to create an effective plan for care. The evaluation should be thorough in order to ensure accuracy in diagnosis as well as effectiveness in treatment. It is crucial for patients to take part in this process by providing honest answers and any relevant information regarding their past medical history. In addition, it is vital for patients to ask questions if something doesn’t make sense or if they do not understand something explained during the examination.
Once the initial chiropractic examination has been completed, it’s time to start creating an individualized plan of care that focuses on healing rather than just symptom relief or temporary repair. It is up to the chiropractor – with input from the patient – to determine how best to establish long-term therapeutic success and provide sustainable relief. Through careful consideration of the evaluation findings and collaboration with the patient, a custom treatment plan can be tailored specifically for each individual’s needs and goals.
Identifying Goals and Creating a Plan of Care
Once a chiropractor has completed the initial examination, it is important to identify the patient’s goals and create an individualized plan of care. Patients often visit chiropractors with various conditions or issues, ranging from musculoskeletal system problems, and acute pain to chronic stress. In order to determine the best course of action, the chiropractor must address any unaddressed issues while letting the patient understand what they can expect as they engage in treatment.
At this point, the doctor outlines their recommended chiropractic treatment plan, which may include manual adjusting techniques, massage therapy, lifestyle changes, and more.
The doctor should also discuss any risks associated with those treatments, so the patient does not feel misled. Additionally, the chiropractor should provide information about scheduling follow-up visits for further treatment or potential maintenance care.
Discussing both short-term and long-term goals is important when creating a plan of care. One session can make a world of difference for a patient experiencing acute pain; however, addressing underlying issues such as postural habits, muscle tension, and diet can help ensure problems do not continue to come back over time. Retrospective evidence shows that chiropractic care can benefit long-lasting pain relief when established short-term goals are linked to longer-term objectives.
To ensure patients achieve the desired results, ongoing communication and adjustment of the chiropractic treatment plan may be necessary. A plan of care should always work towards helping patients reach their individual goals while taking their lifestyle into account to see any real benefits.
With proper identification of goals and agreement on a plan of care between patient and doctor, patients can begin partaking in manual adjusting techniques – phase one of treatment – to start feeling relief from their symptoms.
Phase One – Manual Adjusting Techniques
The first phase of chiropractic care is manual adjusting techniques for spinal manipulation. Practitioners use their hands to apply controlled force while considering the structure and function of the spine to get the desired results. By moving and manipulating the joints in predetermined directions and angles, mechanical stresses can be relieved, thereby providing relief to the patient’s pain.
Manual spinal manipulation and adjustment rely on trained practitioners’ palpatory skills to find areas of stiffness and misalignment. This requires significant training, practice, and experience, as well as an intimate knowledge of anatomy.
These spinal manipulative therapy techniques can be very effective for pain relief.
In general, chiropractic care involves much more than just manual chiropractic adjustments, so their efficacy should not be solely judged on whether manual manipulation works. In fact, studies have shown that those who receive regular chiropractic treatments are likely to have better outcomes than those who do not use such treatments.
This suggests there may be more benefits to chiropractic care than just manual adjustments alone.
Regardless of which perspective you agree with, manual adjusting techniques remain an important part of chiropractic care and one of its initial steps in helping individuals relieve pain after an accident, injury, or illness.
To get closer to unlocking the benefits of chiropractic care, practitioners are now looking at taking further steps beyond manual manipulation. The next phase involves utilizing different tools and technologies for adjusting techniques focused on vertebral re-alignment.
Phase Two – Adjusting Techniques Using Vertebral Re-alignment
Phase Two – Adjusting Techniques Using vertebral re-alignment continues patient care beyond the manual adjusting techniques used in Phase One. These additional adjustments involve using specialized tools for precise and accurate manipulation of the spinal vertebrae.
This type of treatment is called “Spinal Manipulation Therapy” or “Chiropractic Adjustments,” both of which involve applying steady pressure at specific points on the spine to realign and re-balance the vertebrae to reduce spinal joint abnormalities and any associated discomfort.
It is important to note that chiropractors first use an X-ray or MRI to identify the exact location where adjustment is needed before any manipulation is performed.
Advocates of this approach argue it can provide long-term relief from neck pain and lower back pain, as well as decrease inflammation and improve overall muscle strength and flexibility. Some research has even suggested spinal manipulations can reduce post-surgical complications for spinal surgery patients.
That being said, research generally supports using these techniques when administered by a facility-trained and experienced practitioner who understands the anatomy of the spine.
Phase Three – Ongoing Lifestyle Practices
The third phase of chiropractic care is the adoption of ongoing lifestyle practices to ensure the continued health and well-being of the patient. This includes such things as nutritional support, increased physical activity, stress reduction, proper rest and sleep habits, relaxation exercises, ergonomic education, and smoking cessation. The specific lifestyle changes a patient should make are tailored to his or her individual medical history and needs.
There is a debate over whether or not these lifestyle practices truly contribute to the overall benefits patients receive from chiropractic care. Some believe lifestyle practices can help significantly reduce the recurrence of spinal problems and chronic back pain and improve overall health and well-being.
Evidence suggests that when it comes to neck and back pain it is important to take a comprehensive approach instead of focusing on just one treatment area. This is because the spine affects so many aspects of movement and activity that if one does not treat all facets of the problem, he or she may never experience complete relief from the issue.
Ergonomics, nutrition, posture, strength, endurance, and flexibility all play a role in spinal health. By supporting each of these areas and using specific adjusting techniques during chiropractic treatment sessions, patients are more likely to enjoy longer-lasting results and an overall improved quality of life.
Find Relief from Chronic Pain, Book your Appointment at Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care Today!
Are you tired of living with pain? Our chiropractic services can help! At Quantum Physical Therapy & Chiropractic Care, PLLC, we offer professional chiropractic care to help you find relief from your pain.
Our experienced chiropractor will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan for chiropractic adjustment that addresses the root cause of your pain.
Our doctors accept workers’ compensation, no-fault, PIP, and other health insurance plans.
Whether you’re dealing with back pain, neck pain, headaches, or any other type of pain, we can help you feel better. Don’t let pain hold you back any longer!
Call us today at (631) 591-2293 to schedule a chiropractic consultation and take the first step towards a pain-free life.