The hardest patients a doctor has to deal with:
Ever wonder who your doctor has a tough time dealing with?
– It is not the extreme back pain so bad the patient is crawling into the office.
– It is certainly is not the overweight, out of shape patient that has multiple issues.
– It is not even the stressed out, ultra concerned mother who brings her children in for care.
I recently had a new patient who woke up with extreme neck pain and difficulty turning her head in any direction. She had several young kids and could not afford to slow down in her physical activity and responsibilities. She was thrilled to be seen at our office and we were confident after an extensive exam she would get great results from our care.
I presented her my recommendations for 12 chiropractic visits in order to get her back on track to sleeping well, improved neck motion and able to pick up her kids without discomfort.
Instead of being thrilled by this news, she appeared extremely skeptical.
Her first question was, “What if I don’t get better?”
Of course no doctor can guarantee a cure for any condition, illness, or pain. However, based on experience with many similar cases we give recommendations that we feel will best treat the patient. If things do not progress accordingly during those visits we will modify and refer to the appropriate health care providers if necessary. She seemed quite satisfied by that response.
But then she asked, “What if I get better?”
My jaw dropped. Well that’s what we want, what we strive for, our ultimate goal is for you to get better. I guess I was confused by the question. So I replied that if we get you better you get to do what you want, chase after those kids, get restorative sleep. It will be great!
“But if I get better then I don’t have to finish coming in for the rest of my treatment plan?”
So then I understood what she was really asking. She wanted to get out of pain, which is our first goal, but she did not know what it means to be better.
She woke up in extreme pain a week ago. She believed it happened overnight. However, stress, degeneration, trauma, and overuse had caused that pain a while ago and it was now causing her symptoms. She was not healthy the day before this happened. She was probably not healthy several months before this happened.
So if she stopped treatment the day she felt better, she might wake up with this exact same issue tomorrow and then have to start all over again. Feeling better and actually being better are not the same thing. The human body takes time to heal long after the pain subsides. And that is a good thing, otherwise you would be in pain for a very long time!
Chiropractors set treatment plans that based on experience of how long the body takes to heal in similar cases. Completing that plan is ESSENTIAL for getting you well. Some of the hardest chiropractic patients are the ones who want the quick fix. The body does not work that way…
– You cannot lose weight overnight.
– A cut takes several days or weeks to heal.
– Athletes take years to perfect muscle memory.
Chiropractic is an AMAZING tool for many health conditions, if you trust your doctor to give you recommendations that will treat your body right. Patients that follow through with treatment plans get BETTER results long term. The patients who are not committed to fixing the problem keep coming back with the same issue weeks and months later, and then wonder why they are not getting better.
If you know of anyone who is suffering please let them know we can help. You can trust our office to give recommendations that are customized to getting you well.