In order to fully understand the goal of chiropractic care, it is important to understand what true health is. At first glance, we may think being healthy means not feeling sick or unwell, or not having any symptoms. But is health merely about the absence of symptoms, or about flourishing and feeling at our best both physically and mentally? Can we do all the things we would like to, like run 5km without difficulty, play a full round of golf without crippling back pain, or climb the three flights of stairs in the office with that annoying knee pain? This is the goal of chiropractic; first getting you out of pain, then improving your function, then helping you stay at your best. This describes the phases of chiropractic care.
First Phase: Addressing The Symptoms
Naturally, most people visit a chiropractor with a particular problem, like back pain, neck pain or headaches. Once we have done a thorough consult and physical exam, we can determine where the problem is coming from. The most important aspects are finding where there are joint restrictions in the body (where the movement is blocked) and what muscles are involved. Muscles tend to become tight and weak around joints that have restricted movement. These areas of joint restriction and muscle tightness are typically sore to touch.
It is sometimes the case as well that the problem is in a different area to where the pain is. For example, hip and knee pain often come from the pelvis and shoulder pain is often associated with restriction in the neck and upper back.
In the first few sessions of treatment most people will begin to feel the symptoms improve, corresponding to better movement in the spine and less muscle tension. Generally speaking, chronic issues that have been there for a while will take longer to resolve compared to a more recent onset.
Second Phase: Addressing The Underlying Problem
There is an expression that says ‘symptoms are often the last thing to show up and first thing to go’. This means that by the time your symptoms develop, you’ve likely had the issue for some time (unless of course you’ve had an acute injury), because the symptoms develop to tell you that something is wrong. This same principle applies when the symptoms start to clear up. It demonstrates that the function is returning, but it is not necessarily a full indication that everything is healthy. Using our testing and precise protocols, we can determine how well the joints and muscles are functioning, even when pain is not particularly present.
Is it important to realise the goal is to get your body functioning at its best. We are not treating the pain or any other symptoms, but the dysfunction that has caused the pain to develop.
As the pain starts to resolve, we can suggest exercises to help in the rehabilitation, such as stretching and back exercises.
Third Phase: Helping You Function At Your Best
As we progress with the phases of chiropractic care, the stiffness, restrictions and tight muscles should progressively drop away until we reach a point where very little loss of function can be found. This truly represents health and wellness; not only are there no symptoms, but the body can move freely, there is no excessive muscle tightness or weakness, and you no longer have to compensate to avoid triggering the pain. Often patients feel other benefits, like improved sleep, posture, and feeling more relaxed.
Once we reach this stage we recommend wellbeing care. This is typically once a month or perhaps a little longer. Wellbeing care is so we can help keep you at your best, prevent the symptoms from returning and allow your body to perform optimally. Living an active lifestyle with regular exercise, eating well and looking after your mental happiness will all contribute to your health and wellbeing.