By Dr. Trina Ting
Going to get help for your health can be confusing. Chiropractor, physio, or sports doctor? Then let alone understanding the treatment plan and getting your issues fixed. I’ve written before about when to see a chiropractor, now I’ll break down exactly what chiropractic care can offer in terms of the different types of treatment plans and which one could work for you.
“Every person is different”: this is obviously very true, and so a treatment plan may differ from person to person. However, we do see the same types of spinal issues among a broad range of people, and so know which treatment plans can work for that particular condition. It can then vary depending on the person.
So what are the most common types of treatment plans we usually prescribe?
In short, it’s based on several things: your personal health goals, the details and your experience with this condition, and your mindset. Here are some of the most often prescribed treatment plans as they seem to suit the majority of patient needs:
Short-Term Care: This is actually our least often prescribed plan, and the typical patient who needs treatment from 1-4 weeks in duration is typically someone who has suffered recent onset of the symptoms, has never had it before, and has no complicating factors. While this is not a guarantee, simple cases may only need a few weeks of consistent chiropractic care to feel better. It is definitely possible!
4-12 Weeks of Consistent Care: This is the most common duration of treatment plans. We tend to see patients who typically have had pain for weeks, months or years, and their spinal issues are more deep rooted. We work with these cases to get to the source of their problem, and get them functional: meaning, better sleep, more mobility, and removing pain from the forefront of their every day life. These are the cases I personally love to treat as it is why I went into chiropractic care: to make a significant change in someone’s health and the way they live their life.
Supportive Care: When initial treatment plans have been completed, but the patient finds they need care to prevent symptoms from returning. The frequency can vary, anything from weekly to every 3-4 weeks. This differs from true maintenance care in that if treatments are missed, the patient feels worse and their symptoms regress.
Maintenance Care: Similar to supportive care in that when your initial treatment plans have been completed, but you are pain-free, fully functional and would like to keep it that way. The reasoning for maintenance care is to treat asymptomatic areas of the spine: the parts of your back that don’t hurt. You might also have some tight spots in your neck and back that don’t show up until we examine you. It’s similar to finding a cavity: you want to find that cavity before you actually start to feel the pain from it. We all know that when a cavity in your tooth starts to hurt, that’s when you’re in trouble! Some of our patients come every two weeks or every six weeks, but by far the most common frequency is every four weeks. The goal is not to treat pain but to keep your spine and joints running smoothly, like a great tune up on a car.
Whatever your needs are, we are happy to modify these plans to fit your individual needs. You may bounce between these different types plans throughout your care at our clinic over the years, and that’s also very common. We are here to support you in whatever you need, for now and in the future. We strive to have open and honest communication about how your care is going with us, so please feel free to ask if a different type of care would help you.
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