Well, the short answer is, “it depends..”!
For people with recurrent or persistent pain or injury, maintenance treatment can often be a way of managing an issue that does not resolve. It has been shown to be effective in reducing the impact of a musculoskeletal condition on day-to-day functioning as well as in preventing new episodes.
Maintenance treatment is used to keep the alignments and movements of the body in its optimal state. Meaning? The intensity at which maintenance appointments are necessary and how often you would need to attend treatments differs from case to case.
For many people that benefit from maintenance care, there are parts of their life that from a biomechanical point of view are stressful for the body.
These include:
● prolonged postures at a desk
● driving for long periods
● repetitive movements involved in sports and hobbies
For others, there are underlying medical issues (including hormonal issues for women), or high levels of stress which affect the body’s healing potential and so everyday living can become something not tolerated by the body.
One size doesn’t fit all
Everyone is different. And so everyone will have their own unique factors to take into consideration. These can include – work postures and patterns, sleep quality, diet, exercise and stress levels to name but a few.
By assessing these and directing you to our other team members, we can help improve your body’s abilities and therefore reduce the amount of maintenance you need from a chiropractic standpoint.
This is why we value our non-chiropractic team members such as dietitians and podiatrists, and we will recommend consulting them if we believe they will add to your well-being.
Load vs recovery
When planning any treatment protocol we always take into account this equation of load vs recovery. This means we take time to assess your body, its current level of function, any previous injuries, current lifestyle and the demand you want it to meet.
This then gives us an idea of the level that we need to work on to keep you doing all your normal daily activities.
Here’s an example of load vs recovery
Let’s look at a Sunday League footballer compared to one playing in the premiership.
The strength and endurance required for somebody who needs to train four times a week and play two high-speed intense matches a week is significantly more than for somebody who plays only once per week.
The person playing once per week has different needs for the remaining 6 days of the week depending on their occupation and other goals.
In summary
Your maintenance plan will usually commence after your initial reason for consulting us has been treated to its optimal level, and is intended to support those that want and need it.
We usually find that as we start to space out treatment visits after the initial part of your plan has been completed, it becomes apparent that there is a limit to how long you remain comfortable and happy.
For most people, this is between 6-8 weeks, although some may prefer to come more frequently and some may not need to come until 12 weeks.
