Rehabilitation is rapidly becoming one of the major trends in health care. No longer is it standard practice to treat a condition only for pain or symptom relief. Patients and insurance carriers expect more from their health care providers. Both patients and practitioners now understand  mere pain relief is often not enough, that functional rehabilitation is critical in order to avoid relapse or prolonged weakness and dysfunction. Government and insurance companies have also begun to see the wisdom of rehabilitation. We now know much of the crippling cost of health care can be controlled by reducing chronic pain and disability. The key to avoiding chronic disability is rehabilitation.

 

Rehabilitation, however, means different things to different people. It may refer to restoration of normal strength and flexibility of a body part or muscle group. The ability to perform normal daily tasks or work duties is often seen as a major element of rehabilitation. Ease of mobility and joint movement is another element. The keystone of rehabilitation, however, is function.

 

In a chiropractic office, once a patient is relatively free of pain they are given the opportunity to begin rehabilitation. As structure determines function, our primary goal of rehabilitation is to restore spinal structure to as close to normal as possible. This is the purpose of a Chiropractic Corrective Care program. Structural improvement enables optimum functional rehabilitation to occur: with correct spinal alignment and positioning, joints are able to move and function as they were designed, discs do the job they are supposed to do, and muscles, ligaments and tendons all have the best opportunity to work normally. So by improving spinal structure we improve spinal function. Better function results in longer lasting relief and less potential of short-term problems becoming chronic. Better function also allows for greater productivity and more fulfillment in all aspects of one's life.

 

Structural improvement, however, also means there is less long term wear and tear on the discs and joints of the spine. In other words, less spinal decay occurs as we age. This enables us to enjoy more mobility, less pain and greater opportunities for recreation, travel and many other pursuits we may desire in the years to come.

 

Drs. Glenn and Christine Foss are the owners of Advance Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy Center in Riverdale.  Both doctors have been practicing chiropractic for over thirteen years and have been amongst the communities leading health care providers. As innovators in health care, they have merged chiropractic and physical therapy services together to enhance the quality of patient care and overall treatment outcome.  If you have any questions for either of the doctors or would like to schedule a consultation please call 973-616-4555.