Maintenance Care Plan Details

 After completing your initial treatment plan and achieving your health goals, your chiropractor may recommend maintenance care—periodic adjustments to help sustain your improvements and prevent future problems.

  Maintenance care consists of regular chiropractic visits scheduled at longer intervals (typically monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly) after your primary symptoms have resolved. These visits help maintain proper spinal alignment and joint function, similar to how regular dental checkups maintain oral health.

Maintenance visits are typically shorter than initial treatment visits and focus primarily on areas prone to misalignment based on your history. Your chiropractor will develop a personalized schedule based on your specific needs, health goals, and response to care.

Remember that maintenance care is preventive in nature—it's designed to help you maintain your improvements and prevent problems before they develop, rather than treating acute symptoms.

 Research from the Nordic Maintenance Care Program shows that maintenance care provides several important benefits:

• Reduces frequency and intensity of pain episodes
• Decreases need for pain medication
• Improves long-term functional capacity
• Helps prevent recurrence of previous conditions
• Maintains mobility and range of motion
• Supports ongoing spinal health

A landmark study published in PLOS ONE found that patients receiving maintenance care experienced an average of 19 fewer days with low back pain per year compared to patients who sought care only when symptoms returned.

While maintenance care is beneficial for anyone, it is particularly beneficial for:

• Patients who experienced significant improvement during initial care
• Individuals with recurring or chronic conditions
• People with physically demanding jobs or activities
• Those with previous history of back or neck problems
• Athletes seeking to maintain peak performance
• Anyone wanting to be proactive about spinal health