In chiropractic in Salt Lake City, Utah, there are a few different stages of care that a
patient may go through. The stage that most often brings in new patient's if
the relief care stage. Relief care is where the focus is on relieving the pain
that brought the patient in. Depending on the amount of pain, 0-10 on the pain
scale, and the type of pain, sharp, dull, burning, tingling, or numbness, it
can be a quick stage, as in a day or two. Or it can be multiple days, weeks or
even months. Some patient's may not even be able to advance to the next stage
because they neglected there health for so many years. Even with these
patients, we are usually able to help the pain decrease, even if we are not
able to get the pain all the way gone. Some patients decide for themselves that
this is the only stage of care they desire. When I see a patient that hasn't
been adjusted in a few years & I ask why they haven't come in, many times
they tell me, "I haven't needed it." These are the people that are
under the impression that if they aren't in pain, they must be healthy. I sure
hope they don't take the same thought process with brushing their teeth or
putting gas in their car.
As we progress and start to get the pain under control, we are
then ready to move into the next stage of chiropractic care. The next stage is
Corrective care. Corrective care is when we start to focus more on making a
lasting change in the body. As I have wrote about in the past, the body is
amazing and will adapt or compensate so it can still function. This compensation
cause changes or habits in the spine. The joints and tissues around it get used
to being misaligned. When we go in and adjust the joints to a better position,
the tissues around the joint aren't used to that and quickly go back to their
compensation pattern. During this stage, the pain is on the low end or even not
there. This is the stage where we institute better "habits" of spinal
alignment. This stage usually takes a few weeks to a few months, depending on
the patient's condition and how long they've been misaligned, along with what
they are currently doing that is counterproductive to the chiropractic
adjustment. This is the stage where I've seen the best results with seeing the
patient about once per week.
The third and final stage is maintenance care. This is where we
see what frequency the body needs to be adjusted to keep the optimal
functioning of all its systems. We start to spread out the frequency of visit
and see where the body responds the best. This is the best stage because the
patient isn't in any pain, the visits are quick and don't take much time, so
you can get back to life.
As a Salt Lake City chiropractor, I will always give my recommendations of what
your body needs in each of the three stages, but it is ultimately up to you to
decide how much you will benefit from chiropractic care. Just know that we have
very convenient hours and we are open seven days a week to help make it more
convenient for you and your health.
To Your Health,
Dr. Tuft
