Is whenever a patient quits care. Fortunately, it does not happen often, but when it does…understandably the staff and I are sad.
Patients stop care early-on in their treatment plan for two main reasons… either they have experienced significant relief and they are feeling great or because they are experiencing little to no changes in their symptoms.
If they have experienced significant relief…
One would think that for the first scenario, where our new patient was feeling great, that we would celebrate their return to a normal pain-free state, and we certainly do. The unfortunate part about this is that we know we did not fix anything. Yes, we may have taken the pressure off of nerves and/or off pain sensitive joints, and we may have allowed muscles to relax, but oftentimes we did not fix anything. We know, however, that sometime down the road, sooner rather than later, the pain will return, oftentimes with a vengeance.
If they are experiencing little to no changes…
As much as we are concerned about the patient who quits after finding great relief, we are even more concerned about the patient who quits because of a slow response to care. There are two obvious possibilities to consider here. One, this patient’s condition has progressed so severely that it may take an extended amount of care, and while we may achieve a modicum of relief, we may never see a complete return to normal.
Progressive improvement takes optimism and a commitment to both passive & active care!
Passive Care = care we provide for you
Active Care = care we recommend you do for yourself
(such as stretching, exercise, diet, and supplements)
The second possibility here is that the patient’s condition has progressed past the point of no return. There are likely serious degeneration and bony spurs that are impacting the joints and nerves as they exit from the spine. Chiropractic care often provides miracles, but make no mistake about it, conditions do progress to the point that another, perhaps more aggressive and invasive procedure may be necessary.
It is all about the stress we are exposed to & no one is immune.
We are all exposed to stress that impacts our spine and nervous system, which results
in a progressive degeneration.
Our greatest sadness is that chiropractic care is a secret in the care and prevention of this progressive degeneration. We would love to see you before you passed the point of no return. If we have never seen you or if it has been a while since your last visit, we would love the opportunity to evaluate your spine for the presence of this progressive disease. It is a quick-painless exam. Call us today and we’ll get you in this week. Mention this article and that you want to be evaluated for spinal degeneration, and we won’t even charge you.
For Better Health, Naturally!
Peter A. Holst, D.C.