Stages of Chiropractic Care

At Park Bench Chiropractic we feel it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest research regarding chiropractic care. That is why our Stages of Care are similar to those recommended by a panel of health experts. This is the most efficient and accurate way to manage patients' concerns.

Care of Acute Conditions

• Medically necessary care of acute conditions is care that is reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with a health concern and for which there is a therapeutic care plan and a goal of functional improvement and/or pain relief.
• The result of the care is expected to be an improvement, arrest or retardation of the patient’s condition.
• Initially, the care may be more frequent, but as levels of improvement are reached, a decrease in the frequency of care is to be expected.
• A patient may experience exacerbations of an acute injury/illness being treated that may clinically require an increased frequency of care for short periods of time.
• A patient may also experience a recurrence of the injury/illness after a quiescence of 30 days that may require a reinstitution of care.

Care of Chronic/Recurrent Conditions

• Medically necessary care of recurrent/chronic conditions is care that is provided when the injury/illness is not expected to completely resolve after a treatment regimen but where continued care can reasonably be expected to result in documentable improvement for the patient.
• When functional status has remained stable under care and further improvement is not expected or withdrawal of care results in documentable deterioration, additional care may be necessary for the goals of:
  • supporting the patient’s highest achievable level of function
  • minimizing or controlling pain
  • stabilizing injured or weakened areas
  • improving activities of daily living
  • reducing reliance on medications
  • minimizing exacerbation frequency or duration
  • minimizing further disability or
  • keeping the patient employed and/or active.
  Chronic/recurrent care may be inappropriate when it interferes with other appropriate primary care or when its benefits are outweighed by its risks (psychological dependence on the physician or treatment, illness behavior or secondary gain).

Care for Wellness

• Achieving wellness requires active patient participation.
• Wellness is a process of achieving the best health possible, given one’s genetic makeup, by pursuing an optimal level of function.
• “Optimizing levels of function” may include a combination of health care strategies such as:
  • chiropractic adjustments
  • manipulative therapy
  • manual therapies
  • exercise
  • diet/nutrition counseling
  • lifestyle coaching.