Levine Chiropractic in Farmington Hills, MI, offers chiropractic care that includes three distinct phases of care. Each phase has a particular role in reaching your specific health goals. Keep in mind that we are treating the root cause of your problems so that they truly heal.
Chiropractic care is like building a house - certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly. When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. Your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully. There are three general phases of chiropractic care.
Lack of pain doesn’t mean all is well:
Most people are under the assumption that if they don’t feel any pain that there is nothing wrong with them – that they are healthy. Unfortunately, pain is a very poor indicator of health. In fact, pain and other symptoms frequently only appear after a disease or other condition has become advanced.
Pain usually comes late:
For example, consider a cavity in your tooth. Does it hurt when it first develops or only after it has become serious? How about heart disease? Regardless of whether you are talking about heart disease, a toothache, stress, or problems with the spine, pain and symptoms are usually the last thing to appear.
When you begin chiropractic care, pain is also the first symptom to disappear, even though much of the underlying condition remains.
During your first visit, our Doctors of Chiropractic examine your body to determine the root cause of your problems and determine the best process to relieve initial pain. Most patients start with an intensive treatment because it helps relieve symptoms of the underlying problems. Essentially, phase one focuses on immediate care.
The goal is to start feeling relief and returning to normal activities of daily living. Depending on the severity of the pain, expect multiple treatments per week during this period. However, your doctor will give you a personalized follow-up plan.
Objective of Relief Care: To alleviate immediate pain and discomfort, decrease inflammation, and improve mobility.
Phase 2: Corrective/Restorative Care
Once you have completed Relief Care, we always suggest undergoing Corrective Care to finish addressing the root cause of symptoms.
The elimination of symptoms is actually the simplest part of an individual’s care. If all that the chiropractor does is to reduce the pain and stop there, the actual cause of the pain can still linger beneath the surface. To prevent a recurrence of symptoms, it is necessary to properly restore and correct your biomechanical instability.
For example, if your pelvis is unleveled and you have resultant lower back pain, you may have relief after only a few adjustments. But to actually balance the pelvis and create long term changes takes much more than only a few adjustments.
During the corrective care phase, we aim to correct the initial underlying spinal injury as well as strengthen the muscles, improve spinal function, and provide optimal healing of tissues and organ systems.
Visits occur at reducing frequency and care is supplemented by custom tailored rehabilitation exercises and modification of your home and work habits. Remember, many of the conditions for which people seek chiropractic care have developed over many years and therefore, it takes time to correct these conditions. The duration of this phase all depends on the extent of your spinal misalignments, the severity of your condition and the length of time you’ve had it, as well as outside factors such as occupational postures and other stressors.
Realigning the spine takes time, so be patient with your body as it heals.
Objective of Corrective Care: Correcting the underlying cause of your pain and restoring your body to full function (not simply the lack of symptoms).
Phase 3: Wellness Care
When you reach Phase 3 at Levine Chiropractic, it’s cause for celebration. You’re fully healed and feeling well.
Once your body has fully healed, it is important to come in for periodic adjustments to avoid problems in the future and maintain the health of your spine and nervous system. Think of your teeth, when the dentist tells you that your teeth look great, you don't just stop brushing and flossing.
Phase 3 consists of brief visits to ensure that your spine is properly aligned and to correct any misalignments before they cause you any pain. That’s right. We can treat your headache or back pain BEFORE they even hurt.
Your spine houses your nervous system, the mastermind of the body that controls the functions of all other systems. Our spines hold us upright, allow us to move, and are vital for ALL daily activities. It is so important to show it some love and keep it aligned.
The ultimate goal for chiropractic care in phase 3 is you living your healthiest life.