On the journey of life, we have obstacles. When we encounter those obstacles, we need to be aware that there will always be steps required of us to recover. We also need to be aware that if we don’t take all those steps, in the correct order, we will wind up back at the beginning, as if we never took any steps at all. Many of these obstacles in life create pain for us whether it is from a car accident, sports injury, home remodeling mishap, or simply the hassles of every day life. It’s during the first phase, after that obstacle, that we look for relief – specifically pain relief. Why? Because living with pain is hard to do. And given the choice, people prefer to live pain-free, right?

Phase 1 involves choosing to receive chiropractic care because of pain. Pain can be a powerful motivating force. Yet, it is common knowledge that a vast majority of the population is aware of chiropractic care, but have yet to see a chiropractor. It isn’t until the pain pushes us to try uncharted territory that we make the choice to see a chiropractor. Pain relief can be rather quick or gradual with each visit depending on a variety of factors such as age, lifestyle, and type of injury. But the bottom line, a person feels much better at the end of this phase.

During phase one, the visits occur much more frequently. In fact, they can be several times a week until pain relief has been achieved. This is the acute phase where a person needs the pain to stop before anything else can be done. Unfortunately, sometimes a person mistakenly believes that because the pain is gone, treatment can stop. However, this is when we have a relapse because the cause of the pain must still be addressed. With a relapse, people begin to think that chiropractic did not help. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s like thinking a wound is healed because it has scabbed over. Yes, the bleeding has stopped and you no longer need to wear a bandage, but underneath the scab is still a recovering wound.

The next blog post will discuss Phase 2 which addresses the root of the problem. This phase works to ensure that the pain does not return by strengthening the body to fully restore function.