This is a question that every patient asks. How many treatments do I need? When will I start to feel better? How often do I need to come? Truth is- I don’t know! Every body responds differently to care. On average, I’d say that patients involved in a serious injury (motor vehicle accident, accident at work, sports injury) can take up to two or three months to fully recover. Injuring soft tissue structures (ligaments and muscles) can be extremely painful, and make take some time to heal. It’s important to stick with your treatment plan and be patient.
A good analogy I like to use with my patients is going to the gym/dieting. Something we can all relate to in one way or another, right? Let’s say you want to lose 10 pounds. If you go to the gym once… you certainly won’t reach your goal. Or, if you only change your breakfast from an Egg McMuffin to plain yogurt with fresh fruit… you won’t reach your goal. If you start to incorporate going to the gym regularly and make dietary changes, chances are- you will reach your goal eventually! How soon? We don’t know! It depends on how your body responds to the new foods you are eating and the added on physical activity. Some people may drop 10 pounds in the blink of an eye. Some people may work hard at it for months. Chiropractic care can be similar.
The patients I see with the best responses come regularly- whether they are feeling pain or not. Regularly, for some, means once a month, every other week, every week… it depends on how you feel. I’ve had a patient before that insisted on coming 3x a week because she loved the way she felt. She experienced normal muscle tightness, and was consistent with her gym routine. No significant injuries- just absolutely loved coming in for hydrobed, combo, and an adjustment. I also have patients that come every month- just for maintenance care. Patients that come routinely often suffer from less injuries because they are staying on top of their wellness.
Patients who suffered from minor injury (strained their back gardening over the weekend, woke up with a stiff neck) are recommended to come 2 -3x the first week and slowly taper off. It’s best to tackle the injury immediately and start to decrease inflammation and swelling. I promise to work with you and together, we can determine the right treatment plan.
I know that we have busy lives full of work, kids, meetings, household chores, errands to run…. but your health needs to be your number one priority. Imagine if that tightness in your neck or pain in your low back was gone…! For some, it seems impossible, right? Decreased pain or increased range of motion would certainly make preparing dinner, picking the kids up from school, and sitting through that weekly meeting a lot easier. MAKE TIME FOR YOUR SPINE. MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF!!! Chiropractic care is great preventative medicine. By keeping your nervous and musculoskeletal system functioning at it’s fullest potential, it’s like you are always running on a full tank of gas, 8 hours of sleep, and a constant IV of water and nutrients. Seriously.
I’d love to be a part of your wellness goals or help you recover after an injury. Call us today. Same day appointments- we want to get you out of pain!!
-Dr. ZK