The concept of chiropractic maintenance care has evolved significantly. Initially seen as a method for managing chronic pain, it now includes a broader range of patients and focuses on overall wellness.
Modern maintenance care aims to keep patients healthy regardless of their symptoms or history, alleviating and preventing pain through regular, prolonged care. This approach is largely preventive, serving as both secondary and tertiary care.
Studies show maintenance care often includes diverse treatments such as manual therapy, stress management, nutrition advice and more, with flexible intervals typically around three months. This evolution underscores the importance of evidence-based, individualized patient care.
This article shares the evolution of chiropractic maintenance care, looks at what a modern maintenance care appointment can include and explores best practices for DC maintenance care in 2024.
Evolution of chiropractic maintenance care
Knowledge of chiropractic maintenance care has evolved over the years. In the past, maintenance care in the chiropractic world was often viewed as a way to keep patients going; particularly those suffering from chronic conditions that needed routine care for pain management and prevention.
In the last several years, maintenance care has changed; no longer does it only involve pain prevention and management for those with chronic conditions. It now encompasses all sorts of patients; no matter their history, symptoms or reasons for seeking a DC.
Chiropractic maintenance care in 2024
What is maintenance care?
According to a research article and systematic review in the National Library of Medicine, modern chiropractic “maintenance care” had been traditionally defined throughout the profession as continued care that goes above and beyond simply reducing symptoms.
This review aimed to define the concept as well as establish the prevalence, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these kinds of appointments.
According to this systematic review, maintenance care is a broader scope of care focused on:
- Keeping patients healthy regardless of symptoms or patient history
- Alleviating and preventing pain
- Prolonged care delivered at regular intervals
- Preventative approach aimed at maintaining improvement (second and tertiary prevention)
- Serving as a holistic wellness approach
According to the systematic review, it’s suggested that maintenance care is primarily seen as “secondary or tertiary preventative approaches” used in a variety of ways.
What DCs should know
It’s an ongoing evolution consistently updated through evidence-based research: Chiropractic maintenance care and how DCs define it has changed substantially over the last 10 years. Because much of it is subjective and based on patient and DC needs and preferences, there’s not a profession-wide standard for what maintenance appointments look like.
Every patient’s care is going to look different: An interview study of Danish chiropractic care showed maintenance care sessions included a range of treatment modalities, including manual treatment and ordinary examinations alongside multiple packages of holistic additions, like stress management, diet, weight loss, advice on ergonomics, exercise and more. In other anecdotal accounts, maintenance care seemed to follow a more traditional guideline of lower back pain management and adjustment. The study hypothesized that maintenance care could also help patients from a knowledge perspective, stating, “DCs could obviously play an important role here as ‘back pain coaches,’ as the long-term relationship would ensure knowledge of the patient and trust towards the DC.”
The spacing is flexible: Researchers found that three-month intervals were the most common spacing of maintenance care treatments for patients. Most commonly, patients sought or scheduled chiropractic maintenance care over the course of one to three months.
Final thoughts
Chiropractic maintenance care has evolved past simply being a method of ongoing chronic pain management. Today’s patients want to achieve overall wellness, and regular trips to their DC can become a part of that if you work to transition patients into a wellness plan after their acute phase of care is over.
For more updates, studies and news from the world of chiropractic care, we highly recommend subscribing to Chiropractic Economics magazine. We share evidence-based research, important industry knowledge and relevant studies that can elevate the way you care for your patients.
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