OrthoIllinois Chiropractic Answers "How Long Until I Feel Better?"

Your experience with pain is unique to you, so your relief time is unique to you as well. However, published clinical outcomes can give you insight into what to expect with McHenry chiropractic care.

General Healing Time

• Bones tend to mend rather quickly if they have a steady blood supply: 5-6 weeks.
• Ligament and tendons take a bit longer: 6-8 weeks.
• Discs and cartilage take the longest: 3 months or more.

If you have a combination of these factors, it may take some time. If you smoke, drink alcohol or have a surgical procedure, your healing time may be a bit more time intensive as well.

Disc Healing Time

It takes 3 months to heal a disc before you can expect to go about your activities of daily living like prolonged sitting, bending, lifting and twisting. (1) Like a broken arm that quits hurting after a few days in a cast, you still have to wear the cast for many weeks to allow healing. Your back will also quit hurting early on in the treatment care plan, but you will have to give space for your disc to heal for at least 3 months before challenging it with more demanding activities. "Allowing the disc to heal" chiropractic activities may include simply keeping in mind that you are healing even though you don't experience pain, doing your exercises, avoiding bending/lifting/twisting, not sitting for extended periods of time, etc.

Your Expected Healing Time

Cox Technic chiropractic protocols follow a "Rule of 50%" and emphasize "Control, Not Cure" for spine pain relief:

• At each point that you demonstrate 50% relief of pain (objectively and subjectively -- mind you it may come within the first visit or two), your chiropractic treatment sessions are halved. (ex: If you are seen daily, you would be seen once every two days.) Link to Frequency of Visits
• If you don't have 50% pain alleviation within 30 days of care, you will be referred for more testing or consultation. 91% of patients reported alleviation within 90 days. Link to Expectations
• Cox Technic Flexion Distraction and Decompression protocols also embrace the phrase "Control, Not Cure" when managing spine pain conditions. So often the underlying source of pain doesn't just go away. For example, a transitional segment is with you for life. Cox Technic chiropractic procedures work hard to help your understanding of your pain condition and its triggers in order to avoid pain episodes.