At Body Logic, nearly all chiropractic care follows an order of treatment that includes three phases: relief care, corrective care, and maintenance care. This protocol helps to alleviate pain, establish correct biomechanics, and maintain improvement long-term, respectively. Although many patients feel better after graduating both relief care and corrective care, not everyone continues with regular maintenance care. This typically happens because a patient is feeling better and doesn’t think there is a need to return for more visits. In reality, maintenance care has its place as part of a healthy lifestyle by retaining improvement from treatment, preventing future injury, and limiting the recurrence of former symptoms.
To better understand why someone would want to spend more time and money to go see a chiropractor when nothing appears wrong, consider your vehicle. Throughout the vehicle’s use, wear-and-tear occurs over time on the external and internal machinery, prompting the need for regular maintenance care. The care helps repair small mechanical issues and fine-tune individual pieces even when the vehicle seems to be running just fine. Everything from changing the oil, replacing filters, and doing tire rotation at regular intervals can extend the life of your vehicle while keeping it working at its best.
Similarly, our musculoskeletal system functions much like your vehicle and is prone to breakdown over the years from injury, aging, and repetitive activity. Therefore, our mechanical structures (including joints, muscles, ligaments, and other supporting tissues) require regular maintenance care in order to stay healthy and perform at an optimum level. Chiropractic care is a practical and affordable way to fulfill this need by servicing these mechanical pieces before bigger problems arise. We strive to prevent the need for orthopedic care and possibly surgery. Although chiropractors have a conservative focus of treatment and do not handle invasive care (such as a joint replacement), the care they render helps to extend the longevity of our structures at almost any stage. Having joint manipulation performed periodically, for example, is analogous to doing a wheel alignment. It helps to significantly reduce the stress on joints that can lead to earlier onset of degenerative joint disease. Other chiropractic services can support this effect by reducing muscle tension, removing fascial restrictions, and correcting faulty ergonomics and movement patterns through rehabilitative exercise/stretches.
A common question that it asked by patients is “how often should I see a chiropractor for regular maintenance?” It is suggested that even in the absence of symptoms, a person should return every 4-6 weeks for an adjustment. However, higher frequency of care is sometimes advised if multiple, chronic issues are present. If you have ever been to a chiropractor or if it’s been awhile since you were last treated by one, it’s always recommended that you be treated as soon as pain develops… just like your “check engine” light coming on in your car! Give us a call today at (757) 427-0355 to schedule a tune-up for your body so that you can Move Better, Feel Better, and Live Better!