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What are the Phases of Chiropractic Care?

Phases of Chiropractic Care

How long your decide to benefit from chiropractic care is always up to you.

Decision Point

There are 3 Phases of Chiropractic Care.

Phase 1 – Initial Acute Care

In the first stage of care we aim to relieve pain. Initially your muscles may be in spasm, and your joints may be inflamed. Your chiropractor’s focus is to reduce pain with gentle manipulation, and aftercare home advice (sometimes ice, or rest is needed). Depending on your age, overall health condition, level of  joint degeneration and lifestyle, some return visits may be necessary to reduce or eliminate your initial presenting symptoms.

Phase 2- Subacute Care

In this next phase your chiropractor will focus on rehabilitating and restoring joint function.  Muscle and other soft tissue damage can often persist after your initial symptoms have subsided, so we check to make sure the trigger points are releasing and becoming less active. We also assess your range of motion and give stretching and strengthening exercises to restore the correct function to the areas involved.  We will encourage you to supplement your care with exercises or other self-care procedures you can do at home to try to prevent further relapses. 

Phase 3 – Future Follow-up Care

Sometimes more chronic musculoskeletal conditions will require some longer term care from time to time to help manage the pain and symptoms. For example, chronic low back pain is very common, and whilst we are able to help with some immediate relief, at times we may need to educate you on how to be more aware of your body and the signs that there may be a problem starting. We aim to try to help you manage your condition by looking at lifestyle, posture and other stressors in your life that could possibly be modified. This may involve follow up at the first sign of a symptom you are aware of is a precursor to your condition. Feeling pain, stiffness, or discomfort for example are a good reasons to come back for follow up care. All of this is dependant on each individual case.

Combining Chiropractic with other therapies such as Massage.

Remedial Massage Compliment Chiropractic

Sometimes Massage compliments Chiropractic care really well, along with other musculoskeletal therapies such as Dry needling and Acupuncture. We often recommend patients have a massage first before we adjust, especially if there is a strong muscle component to their condition. Often the combined soft tissue and joint treatments enable an improved outcome to care. Remedial Massage can help reduce tension in the supporting muscles of the spine allowing for increased mobility and range of motion.

Massage helps to prepare the muscles for the joint manipulation or chiropractic adjustment by allowing greater range of motion within the joint, and hopefully less involuntary tightening that can sometimes occur before a chiropractic adjustment (reflex). As a result we feel your adjustment may be enhanced due to the extra relaxation.

Do you have a Private Health Fund or Medicare Enhanced Care Plan?

North Brisbane Chiropractor
Private Health Funds & Bulk Billing

Medicare Bulk Billing

We offer No Out Of Pocket BULK BILLING under certain circumstances* for Chiropractic & Clinical Psychology only.

*There is no out of pocket fee for Enhanced Care Plan patients for Chiropractic Care and  Mental Health Care Plan clients for Clinical Psychology. Please note that only your GP can approve these types of bulk billed visits on Medicare, and your referring GP will be in direct collaboration with your allied health provider regarding your condition.

Below is a link to Enhanced Primary Care Plan referral form with our details inserted (PDF) for easy reference.

enhanced-primary-care-referral-form

GP Referral for Enhanced Care Plan
GP Referral for Enhanced Care Plan

Additionally, we treat those holding a Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) Card with the relevant referral from a GP , and clients that have an approved Work Cover. 

Private Health Funds

We offer rebates on all Chiropractic, Remedial Massage, Psychology, Dry Needling, and Acupuncture appointments using your Private Health Card and our HICAPS machine.

If you expect financial assistance from certain Private Health Fund insurance plans, some policies dictate that you take certain approval steps before commencing care, such as waiting periods. We are a Medibank Private Member’s choice provider.

On the Spot Claims

We are able to use our HICAPS machine to enable fast and easy claiming on the spot. First, remember to bring your private health fund card with you for each appointment. Then, with each visit we swipe your card, and your fund will pay a certain amount of the total consultation fee, leaving a gap fee. Ultimately, the amount of the fee is determined by how much coverage you have for a particular service. Additionally, you can always check this by calling your private health fund and letting them know the service you have booked for.

No Private Health?

You don’t need a Private Health Fund, a Bulk Billing referral, or permission from anyone to see a Chiropractor.  If you don’t have a private health care card, you can check out our fee structure on our website. Be careful that you don’t allow your health to be compromised. It’s your body, your health, and your future. We do offer pensioner/ concession card/ student fees and are happy to discuss your situation.