Acute Care Plan Details

Acute care focuses on reducing pain and inflammation, restoring joint mobility, and beginning the healing process. This approach aims to rapidly reduce pain, control inflammation, and initiate the recovery process through a comprehensive treatment protocol.  This is typically done with acute and/or simple conditions.

Treatment will begin with 3 visits per week for approximately 2-4 weeks*. This frequency allows us to make consistent progress during the acute and early rehabilitative phases. We will reevaluate your condition after 2 weeks or when relief is obtained and adjust the plan as needed.

 *The thrice-weekly schedule provides consistent intervention during the critical acute phase.  Benefits of this approach include:

• Shorter overall treatment duration
• Fewer total visits (up to 50% fewer visits based on studies)
• More sustained pain relief
• Faster functional improvement
• Reduced risk of regression between visits
• Better long-term outcomes

As your condition improves, your chiropractor will recommend decreasing visit frequency. This progressive approach helps ensure lasting results while minimizing the total number of visits needed to resolve your condition.

 Your treatment will consist of a combination of the components below.  More specific and detailed explanations of your recommendations are below.  

• Chiropractic Adjustments:  Spinal and Extremity adjustments coupled with soft tissue techniques to improve mobility and reduce pain.
• Manual Therapy: Soft tissue techniques such as trigger point therapy, myofascial release and PNF stretching to reduce muscle tension,  improve mobility and reduce pain.
• Passive Modalities:  Therapies such as Electric muscle stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, mechanical traction or hot / cold therapy for pain and inflammation management. 
• Therapeutic Exercise:  Customized progressive exercises beginning with gentle range of motion exercises to maintain mobility.  Gradual introduction of strengthening exercises to increase stability as tolerated.
• Education: May include items such as ,activity modification guidance to prevent exacerbation, proper body mechanics instruction for daily activities, and home pain management strategies.

• Rapid pain reduction and inflammatory control
• Prevention of compensatory movement patterns
• Restoration of basic functional mobility
• Progressive increase in activities of daily living
• Transition to less frequent care as acute symptoms resolve
• Foundation for subsequent rehabilitative care