Symptom, Corrective & Maintenance Care in Boulder

The short answer

There are three ways people use chiropractic care. Symptom care is short-term and aimed at getting you out of pain. Corrective care goes further and works on the mechanics that produced the pain. Maintenance care is periodic care afterwards, to hold on to what you gained. We give you a recommendation after your exam, and which route you take is your decision.

Most people book because something hurts, and that is a perfectly good reason to come in. What is worth knowing before you start is that it is not the only option. These are not three competing products; they are stages, and you can stop at any of them.

Symptom care: getting you out of pain

Pain is usually the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave. Symptom care works with that. The goal is to get you comfortable and moving again as quickly as care reasonably allows, without setting out to change anything deeper.

Because the aim is short-term relief rather than the mechanics behind it, it usually takes fewer visits than the other two. It suits people who want the problem quietened down and are content to leave it there. Plenty of people start here, feel the difference, and then ask what else is possible.

• The quickest route back to comfortable movement.
• Fewer visits than a corrective or maintenance plan.
• A sensible starting point when you are not sure how far you want to go.
• Straightforward to build on later if you decide you want more.

Corrective care: working on what caused it

Corrective care, sometimes called rehabilitative care, aims at the mechanics rather than the symptom: restoring movement and stability to joints that were not doing their share, so the same problem is less likely to keep returning.

The part that surprises people is that it usually carries on after the pain has gone. Symptoms leave early, and that is often where the useful work begins. It continues as long as re-examination shows you are still making progress, which is also how we know when it is finished.

• Aimed at the mechanics behind the pain, not only the pain.
• Often continues after symptoms settle, which is when much of the work happens.
• Guided by re-examination rather than a fixed number of visits.
• Chosen by people who would rather not treat the same problem twice.

Maintenance care: keeping what you gained

Once you have got as far as care is going to take you, maintenance care is the periodic visit that protects it. It is also called wellness care, and it exists because the strain that caused the original problem usually has not gone anywhere: the same job, the same desk, the same miles.

How often you come in is a clinical judgment. Most people find that monthly visits are the most beneficial for maintaining their progress, while others may benefit from coming more or less often depending on their individual needs, work, activity level, or sport. We’ll let you know what we recommend and revisit it as we go.

How do people move between them?

A lot of people book because something hurts, get relief under symptom care, and then decide they would rather deal with what caused it. Others finish a corrective plan and want to hold on to the result. Whatever course of care you choose, the decision is always yours, and we are here to support you and help you get the most out of your care.

What does it cost, and do you take insurance?

Insurance generally covers care for an active problem, which is where symptom care and corrective care usually sit. Ongoing maintenance visits are more often out of pocket. We will go over the numbers with you before anything begins, whichever route you take.