What is Chiropractic Maintenance, And Do Maple Grove Residents Need It?
Chiropractic maintenance. Though different types of back pain and injuries require different modes of treatment, they often share one thing in common: post-treatment care. It's an essential step for any form of rehabilitation. You need physical therapy to rebuild and retrain atrophied muscles if you break a bone. You need help slowly stretching the inflamed muscles back to their original mobility if you slip and sprain your ankle. Spine-related issues are no different. First, you'll receive "acute" chiropractic treatment, then chiropractic maintenance to prevent similar injuries in the future. Plus there are a number of chiropractic benefits beyond only pain relief.
Many of the Maple Grove patients we treat at Total Spine Health & Injury Center are eager to return to their "normal" lives. Back to the way things were before their injury. "Why are chiropractic maintenance sessions necessary when the pain has subsided? I've made a full recovery!" Chiropractic maintenance care is far more critical than most people realize. Let's dive into why that is.
How Does Chiropractic Maintenance Work?
To answer this as clearly as possible, we must first define "acute care" (sometimes referred to as "urgent" or "reparative" care). Chiropractors administer acute care to address an injury or issue causing persistent and noticeable pain or discomfort. Suppose you're suffering from a slipped disc, and your chiropractor is working through a treatment plan to remedy the issue. That would mean you are in "acute care."
"Maintenance care" (sometimes referred to as "preventative" or "wellness care") is what comes after the pain or discomfort from your injury has mostly subsided. Maintenance care ensures that you preserve the strength and mobility improvements you gain during acute care. Chiropractic maintenance is essential regardless of if your issue is lifestyle related or accident related.
"Tech neck" is an excellent example of maintenance care's long-lasting benefits. Repetitive stress, such as looking down at a phone or laptop screen, isn't going to be fixed with a closed-loop treatment plan. It takes time to break the habits and damage created by repetitive stress. Chiropractic maintenance ensures that your spine is strong and healthy, so the injury doesn't flare up in the future. Maintenance care also reveals and helps prevent emerging issues before they evolve into significant problems.
Is Chiropractic Maintenance Care Optional?
The choice ultimately lies with you. If the time commitment or financial burden is too heavy, prioritize acute care. However, we highly recommend continuing maintenance care for those who can manage it. Here are some of the benefits of on-going care that Maple Grove patients often overlook:
Better-than-baseline improvements
While most people feel better after just a few sessions with their chiropractor, that doesn't mean they've healed completely. After an injury has healed and acute care wraps up, patients may be able to improve beyond their pre-injury baseline.
Injury prevention
Sports injuries and work injuries can have far-reaching impacts on a patient's spine. Compromising the vertebrae, muscles, and nerves in ways that increase the chances of another injury. Regular maintenance visits to the chiropractor address this problem by keeping the spine strong and healthy.
Improved overall wellbeing
Spine-health impacts almost every part of the body. Misalignments can negatively impact joints, muscles, nerves, and even mental health. Regular and ongoing chiropractic sessions promote a holistic and whole-body approach to healthy living.
Cost savings
Acute chiropractic care is usually more expensive than maintenance care. Spend a little on prevention now to save a lot on urgent care later. Beyond avoiding future injuries, chiropractic care, as a whole, reduces a patient's dependence on pain medications and traditional medical treatments, which can add up quickly and cause other costly health problems over time.
Will Insurance Cover My Chiropractic Maintenance Care?
Unfortunately, the answer to this is usually no. Most insurance policies will only cover acute care treatments. Once you shift to maintenance care, you'll have to pay for it out of pocket. But we're hopeful that insurers will update their protocols to cover it as more medical research verifies the value of chiropractic maintenance care.
If you live in Maple Grove and are interested in maintenance care, but your insurance doesn't cover it, our cash rates are typically $45-65 per adjustment. In fact, it's often more cost-effective to pay cash rates even if your provider does cover wellness care.
Is Chiropractic Maintenance Care Really Worth It?
Absolutely. Ongoing care provides pain relief, improved overall health, and injury prevention. You'll be more energetic, joyful, and motivated at work and home.
Research has proven time and time again that chiropractic care delivers quality-of-life improvements without relying on toxic — and frequently addictive — pain medications. Safe, effective, and compassionate care — these are what chiropractic care is all about. Schedule a consultation today to get started.
