We want you to get better as quickly as possible. In order to fully maximize treatment, we believe that understanding your injury and the components of your treatment will provide you with strong peace of mind that you’re doing what is best for your body. The information below will help you understand the ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of your treatment. We also want to provide you with helpful tips and reminders to make your path to recovery as smooth as possible!
In The Beginning, Why Do We Recommend Treatment Twice A Week?
In the early stages of treatment, frequent sessions are important because your body is in its most adaptable phase for recovery. The timeline for healing provides specific windows of opportunity where the tissues are most readily affected and injuries are most changeable. Here are some examples of those ‘windows’:
(1) The Tissue Healing Window: In the first 3 weeks post-injury the body is forming new collagen and blood vessels to support healing. This new collagen is like threads loosely spun together, and it is very receptive to the ‘instructions’ we give it through movement and specific therapeutic interventions. Frequent, intentional inputs foster collagen that aligns in neat, parallel bundles and becomes strong. Complete rest, or irregular movement allows collagen to align in a tangle which leads to stiffness and weakness.
(2) The Strength Preservation Window: Muscle atrophy(weakening) starts almost immediately with disuse. Even small amounts of activation early-on help preserve muscle fibres which makes re-building strength in later stages of treatment much quicker!
(3) Pain Sensitization Window: Regular, positive movement experiences early on can normalize pain thresholds and prevent long-term hypersensitivity (which happens when the nervous system keeps firing pain signals even without tissue damage). This has the biggest impact when treatment starts within the first 3 weeks of injury.
(4) Remodelling Window: When we introduce proper movement patterns early, they stick more easily. If we wait too long the brain cements negative compensations (ie – limping, poor posture) that are harder to undo later.
Is Treatment Done When My Pain Is Gone?
No. Pain is not the be-all-end-all of recovery. Dysfunction can still exist even when pain is gone. While the absence of pain is a great milestone, and typically signals that we are nearing the end of treatment, it certainly should not signal the end of treatment.
Tissues are often weaker post injury and therefore more vulnerable to re-injury. In order for treatment to be most effective, and limit the chance of reoccurrence, treatment should be tapered off gradually to allow for maximal response to treatment!
Maintenance Care
What happens when your original pain is gone, function has been restored and life has returned to normal? That is up to you. Some of our patients choose to be done with treatment and are discharged at that point. Some patients choose to remain an active patient and receive maintenance care. Maintenance care involves receiving treatment once every 4-6 weeks to address small aches/pains/stiffness as they arise. Maintenance care helps prevent problems from snowballing. Maintenance care is also an excellent option for undoing the problematic, hard-to-avoid postures of desk work, sport, care-giving etc! The choice of receiving maintenance care is yours!
What To Expect After Treatment
Post-Chiro Care
If you are new to chiropractic, or if it’s been a while since your last adjustment, you may find heating and/or icing the manipulation sites beneficial. It is not required that you ice after every adjustment, but some people find it provides a better result. If you are being treated for an injury that is causing you substantial pain, icing post treatment is recommended.
Post Shockwave Care
If you received shockwave therapy as part of your treatment, we recommend that you ice afterwards. The shockwave is a highly effective modality that helps to break up tight muscles, scar tissue and promote blood flow. Icing after shockwave helps to ensure that you are not sore from the inevitable temporary increase in inflammation that occurs as a result of shockwave treatment.
Post Acupuncture Care
After an acupuncture session, its recommended that you drink water to help flush any released toxins. A glass or two will do. Heavy physical activity may be contraindicated following an acupuncture treatment. Dr. Jenn will specify if this is the case for you.
Exercise and Stretch Prescriptions
The stretches and/or exercises that are prescribed as part of your treatment are carefully chosen to assist in your recovery. These at-home programs should not cause any increases in pain or discomfort outside the normal feeling of stretching a tight muscle, or slight tenderness of muscle activation. If any of the stretches/exercises in your home program seem to be increasing your pain you should stop the offending activity until your next visit. The home programs are meant to speed along recovery! We do not want any of the prescribed activities causing you increased discomfort!
Follow Up Appointments
We know that your time is valuable. We also want to provide you with the best possible care. Our clinic prides itself on running on time. We know waiting in a doctors office is frustrating, and we do our very best to get you into your appointment at your scheduled time.
In order to help the clinic flow, please be on time for your appointments. If you are running late, let us know. You can reach us on the phone, via text or by email. This way, we can make sure that we will be able to accommodate you while providing you with the time you deserve for each treatment.
Running late with no advanced warning may result in shorter treatment times.
Appointment Confirmations
The day before your appointment at 12PM reminders go out for the following day. These reminders come via text. In order to help us keep our schedule running on time, please reply ‘C’ to confirm your attendance!
Re-Assessments
If there has been more than a 3 month break in treatment, a reassessment will be required in order to resume treatment. The reassessment fee is $95 and will include treatment.