Aka: receiving care when you’re in pain versus without pain.

in 16 years I’ve been practicing, I’ve met many different personality types. There are two types of care seekers that come in to get body work for me. Those that understand the need for comprehensive corrective and maintenance care and those clients that only address symptomatic dysfunction only when it flares up. The text below was partly taken from a brochure I read and have modified the info somewhat. It sums up an idea I have been explaining to clients who only come in when “it” hurts for years. It took the words out of my mouth.

What ls Relief Care?

Relief care is that care necessary to get rid of your symptoms or pain, but not the cause of it. It is the same as drying a floor that was getting wet from a leak, but not fixing the leak.

Corrective Care

Corrective care differs from relief care in that it’s goal is to get rid of the symptoms or pain while correcting the cause of the problem as well. Corrective care varies in its length or time, but is more lasting.

Why choose only Relief Care?

Many times a person chooses relief care ONLY due to failure to understand the benefits of corrective care. Corrective care can cost less over time while leading to a more permanent result. For some people, however relief care may be the unavoidable choice of care due to financial circumstances or personal priorities.

Maintenance Care

Keeps the body moving forward and prevents problems from reoccurring when symptoms ameliorate. Even if you feel better, prolonged sitting, repetitive motion and improper form while exercising can bring about new dysfunctions or stir up old issues that weren’t considered a big deal in light of the issue that brought you in for care in the first place.
People always ask how many sessions they “need”. I submit that such a perspective is short sighted and that one must decide what works best for them based on the treatment plan set forth by the person you are working with while taking into consideration your real world concerns such as time and expense incurred. Maintenance care is something like the word diet. People usually think of the word diet as meaning a strict plan to lose weight but actually It simply means the food that you eat. Think of maintenance massage and exercise as self care that like a yearly physical or dental appointment for cleaning your teeth. The more you’re on top of it, the less likely you are to develop problems or to have conditions worsen. Don’t sell yourself short now knowing that you get out of it what you put into it.