Patients should be careful if a chiropractor recommends an extended chiropractic program after only 1 or 2 visits, for example, 3 months or more. Most patients will find significant pain relief within a few weeks of treatment. People with more serious injuries can expect longer recovery times. Usually, people with broken bones or fractures will see a healing time that ranges from 5 to 6 weeks.
If the result of the injury was a ligament or tendon tear in the spine, improvement may take 6 to 8 weeks. The longest recovery time will be for an injury related to the discs and cartilage of the spine, which could take 3 months or more. To achieve maximum benefits, most types of injuries and pains will need between four and twelve sessions. Ongoing maintenance is used to prevent pain from returning and to prevent further injuries from forming due to misalignment of the spine.
Usually, patients tend to start getting pain relief after the first few visits. I always tell patients, before adjusting for the first time, that 60% of patients get some pain relief after their first adjustment, while another 30% feel better after two or three visits. The other 10% generally respond a little slower. Chiropractic adjustments are often referred to as chiropractic manipulations, manual manipulations, back adjustments, or spine adjustments.
While a chiropractor is an important part of your healthcare team, there are situations that are not for chiropractic care. As you can see, there are a number of factors that play a role in determining how long you will be under chiropractic care. The reason some healthcare providers don't understand a chiropractic visit is that they are trained to make the doctor visit an “event,” a one-time visit to treat a symptom. Preventive chiropractic care can help address this before you realize you lose three days of work because you can't sit at your desk without severe back pain.
One of the common misunderstandings about chiropractic care that leads to frustration is that its intention is to “cure someone in the same way that antibiotic treatment will rid them of an infection. Regular chiropractic care helps maintain natural body alignment through spinal manipulations and other therapies that provide lasting natural pain relief. Chiropractic care is effective in relieving pain in the same way aspirin, ibuprofen, or another anti-inflammatory drug works to relieve symptoms, only it's done naturally rather than with the help of prescription or over-the-counter medications. If you lead an active lifestyle that involves exercising regularly, you'll most likely respond to chiropractic care faster than someone who doesn't exercise and leads a sedentary lifestyle.
If you have chronic pain or want to better maintain your health and well-being, chiropractic care may be the solution you are looking for. If you have a chronic problem that has been there for years, it will generally take longer to achieve results with chiropractic care. My passion for providing quality chiropractic care is equally matched by my love for educating ALL patients on how their bodies work and what they can do to keep their bodies functioning optimally. Your chiropractor may advise you to wait until you have healed or the inflammation has subsided before attempting chiropractic care.
Chiropractors are trained and licensed to apply various techniques to provide individualized chiropractic care. In addition to additional sessions being needed for maintenance, one of the main reasons people often need several sessions in advance is that they don't seek chiropractic care until they have symptoms, which means they already have pain. .
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