Taking extra care with injured patients

Patients seek out instrument adjusting treatment for a variety of reasons. In some cases, it might be due to longstanding pain that has slowly gotten worse or in an effort to regain lost functionality. Others may see a DC as part of a regular wellness routine.

Every client is different, and some, like those who have been injured, will require special care.

What makes injured patients different?

Perhaps the biggest difference between patients suffering from pain due to injury compared to others is that the onset of pain was most likely severe and immediate. Unlike those who may have pain that has slowly worsened over time, injured patients are in need of more immediate relief.

Unfortunately, as a result of this immediate, severe pain, potential patients may be very leery of chiropractic, for fear it will make the injury worse. It is a natural human instinct to flinch at pain, and injured patients are no exception.

They may have already undergone an uncomfortable series of examinations, tests, and other treatments before coming to a DC for help. Obviously, a patient who is already full of fear and stress due to the injury will be far more difficult to treat than one who is confident that chiropractic can help.

To help ease that stress, DCs may take extra care and time to explain how chiropractic works, specifically how adjustments can decrease pain associated with the injury.

Charts, graphics, and other visual aids are great tools to help the patient understand how the treatment can benefit them.

Why instrument adjusting is a better choice for injured patients

The same factors that make instrument adjusting preferable to manual adjusting in any other type of patient most certainly apply to those patients who are injured.

Because an instrument adjustment can deliver the same amount of thrust as a manual adjustment, but with much less force, this means far less wear and tear on a patient who may already be feeling less than optimal due to injury.

A good example of this is treatment for a whiplash injury following a car accident. Cervical adjustments can be very tricky and doing so on an injured patient is even more complicated.

Here, an instrument adjustment may be the best choice. It will be gentler on the injured neck area than a manual adjustment, thus causing less fear and stress for the patient.