Overview
Chiropractic treatment is an effective non-surgical way of resolving musculoskeletal and nervous system problems. The efficacy of chiropractic care depends on various factors, which also determine its continuation, alteration, or cancelation.
A chiropractor will design a treatment plan specifically for the patient. After critical re-evaluation of patients’ symptoms every few weeks, a chiropractic practitioner will make an educated decision to continue or stop the chiropractic treatment. This re-assessment is key to chiropractic care.
Read on to know more about when to stop chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic Treatment Plan
A chiropractic care plan involves spinal mobilization and joint manual therapies to restore range of motion, reduce pain, and align your body.
Many chiropractors include other manipulative and physical therapies in their treatment plans. Your chiropractor treatment care program may also suggest specific practices to avoid future problems; these include:
- Exercise and Stretching Program
- Ergonomics
- Posture
- Use of Orthotics
- Diet
#1 Common Treatment Program Questions
It’s better that you ask your chiropractor questions about the treatment plan. You may want to know about the following things:
- Chiropractor’s treatment pattern
- Services that Chiropractor is offering
- Chiropropractor’s Recommendations and Referrals
- Side effects associated with the chiropractic treatment (if any)
#2 Potential Red Flags Regarding Chiropractic Treatment Plan
Some aspects of the chiropractic treatment programs may seem questionable. For instance:
- Manipulating areas of the spine that are symptoms free
- Treating all patients with the same program
- Long-term treatment plan
You have to exercise your judgment to choose a good chiropractor; it is crucial for your health and money— as visiting the chiropractor can cost you some money. If you opt for a chiropractor that doesn’t have a good and effective treatment plan, your condition won’t get better, and you’ll have to stop the treatment.
#3 When Chiropractic Care is Not Working
Sometimes patients are not getting pain relief after the first few weeks, even though the treatment plan seems perfect.As each individual is different, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work on every patient. After re-evaluating, a chiropractor may tweak the treatment plan a bit. These common changes may include:
- Changing the treatment technique and frequency
- Taking x-rays
- Co-managing with other healthcare providers, like osteopaths, orthopedists, and physical therapists.
- Referring to an integrated spine clinic
Do Chiropractic Adjustment Work?
The chiropractor uses hands to manipulate the spine and joints by applying precise pressure, restoring the normal range of motion, and relaxing the tightened muscles. Chiropractic adjustment can effectively treat low back pain, headache, sciatica, neck pain, and neurological conditions.
Not everyone responds to these adjustments, and it depends on your situation. If your symptoms don’t begin to improve after several sessions, chiropractic adjustment might not be suitable for you. In addition, you should not see a chiropractor if you have herniated disks, bone fractures, or during pregnancy.
How Long Do Chiropractic Adjustments Take?
A personalized treatment plan for addressing a particular injury takes two to four weeks. The frequency of visits to the chiropractor depends on the severity of your condition. For instance, if you have back pain, it will commonly take around 12 sessions with a chiropractor over six weeks for back-pain relief.
Generally, most sessions will take around 10 minutes. However, the first adjustment takes longer and could be as much as a half-hour.
Why Do I Need to Follow Up Chiropractic Adjustments?
After the adjustment, though rare, there is a possibility that your joints may return to the misalignment as they were for a long time. Therefore, your chiropractor wants more visits until your body can hold your joints in the correct position.
When to Cancel Chiropractic Treatment
The general rule to stop chiropractic care is if any of the following is true:
#1 Increased Pain
After the first visit, it is common to experience discomfort for a day or two. However, if the patient still has severe pain, even after two days, the chiropractor needs to stop the treatment then and there.
#2 No Progress
For conditions like neck and back pain that haven’t improved after 2 to 4 weeks of chiropractic adjustment, other treatment options need to be explored.
#3 Symptoms Improved
When you start to feel normal—pain symptoms relief, better movement, and posture— it’s time to cancel the chiropractic treatment. Though your chiropractor may ask for maintenance manipulations, the recurrence of the pain is pretty rare.
FAQs
Can One Session Make a Difference?
Yes, but it is not valid for every person or injury. Though you can get pain relief in a single session, it wouldn’t last for too long, and you have to take more sessions for maximum results.
What are the Signs of a bad chiropractor?
If you’re getting chiropractic care and wondering if my chiropractor is legit and isn’t scamming me, then you should look for these signs:
- Long Term Treatment Plans: If your chiropractor pushes for a care plan costing a lot of money while lasting up to several months, look for the new one.
- Ask for the Second Visit: If your chiropractor doesn’t treat you in the first session and asks you to come back for the second visit, it’s a sign of an unprofessional chiropractor, and you should find another one.
- Provide Supplements: If the chiropractor focuses on selling pills and supplements rather than assessing your posture or suggesting self-care exercises, he is scamming you.
Can a chiropractor break your neck?
Cervical spine manipulation used by chiropractors is a common method of cracking the neck. It is believed to be not high-risk, and the probability of injury is pretty low.
Wrap Up
Whatever your injury may be, the best course is to talk with your chiropractor and discuss the treatment plan. It will clear out various questions, like how many visits should you get? When to stop the chiropractic treatment? What are the alternatives?
A more customized and personalized treatment program can effectively resolve health complications.