Quick or Slow – How Long Will Treatment Take?
Alongside ‘How often will I need treatment?’ people often ask how long is it going to take to feel better? As you can see in the FAQs, how long it takes can be influenced by MANY factors. One of them, that can’t be predicted, is whether you’re a quick or slow responder. And by that, I mean how your body reacts to anything that is thrown at it. In the Clinic, that’s how you respond to treatment.
There are times when I (and I assume my practice member) border on becoming frustrated that things aren’t progressing. I question myself and my treatment, of course… but usually things turn a corner soon after that frustration (Phew!)!
Other times practice members respond REALLY quickly. And any improvements I’m expecting to see after 3 or 4 treatments, happens after just 1 or 2.
In either scenario I ask how quickly they recover from cuts and grazes, sprains or illness. Do they get over it quickly, or does it stick around for a while?
What this tells me is how quickly YOUR body responds. Neither is better than the other, but it can help with your treatment plan, understanding quite how to treat you and giving you relevant pieces of advice.
Slow Responders
The frustrating one (for me at the very least) is a body that responds slowly. I can see someone 5 or 6 times, occasionally even more, without any obvious improvement.
This doesn’t sound like a very nice way for your body to be, does it? But in fact, it’s not bad at all. The reason for that is that although it takes a while for your body to take on the ‘good’ stuff, it also takes a while to take on the ‘bad’ stuff.
So, things like sleeping in a poor bed, sitting wrong at the computer or slouching on the sofa aren’t going to be taken on so quickly either. Even that slip down an unseen rabbit hole on a walk with the dog, isn’t going to give you too much bother. At least, the first time. ?
Quick Responders
So, these must be the unlucky guys then, right? I mean, every time they slip or sit wrong, their body takes on that stress really quickly? But you’d be wrong!
If your body is a quick responder its Great in Clinic because you feel better, quicker. Although, on occasion, the first treatment can be over-zealous for your body and cause some discomfort. Sorry!
What difference does it make to treatment?
As mentioned above slow-responders need a little more patience with seeing the benefits of their Chiropractic care. They’ll need to come in more frequently at the start of their treatment. But once they feel better, their appointments space out quickly. And they often don’t have any related problems for quite some time.
Quick-responders on the other hand can feel better after a handful of treatment sessions, but because their body will
quickly take on the ‘bad’ stuff, they’ll be in with other problems more frequently. So, looking after themself and their posture in any situation can really make a difference.
So, as you can see, neither is better than the other. And, unfortunately, as yet I’ve been unable to predict which kind you are when you first come to see me. But it can be useful to know. And, most things aren’t quite that black and white, more like a shade of grey.
So, do you think your body is a quick or slow responder?
Give us a shout with any questions.
