Articles

Teaching Activity Modification Requires Constant Reinforcement

Humans are largely creatures of habit. It can be difficult to influence people to change the way they do things, particularly when they have years of a under their belts.

Chiropractors often experience this challenge with patients who require activity modification to prevent pain and amplify healing due to an injury or chronic condition. Enforcing non-damaging movements in patients outside the chiropractic office can be difficult.

This is why the team at Ideal Spine suggests chiropractors practice constant reinforcement when it comes to activity modification – particularly for patients with chronic problems in which harmful motions may cause lasting damage.

What is activity modification?

Activity modification represents a temporary change in the way everyday activities are performed. This is usually necessary to prevent future or further injury of the spine and nervous system following the identification of an injury or weakness.

Teaching patients about activity modification also helps them continue moving, in spite of fear of pain. It is an important aspect of at-home care. Patients should learn which movements to avoid, as they can put additional stress on the injured area, and ways to accomplish similar tasks without the added stress or pain.

Activity modification will not cure the patient’s ailments, but it may result in a reduction of symptoms – sometimes this reduction can be significant enough that the patient feels like their condition is gone. The goal is to help the patient to live as free of pain as possible and allow the body to heal.

During activity medication, patients should stay active to maintain adequate function and range of motion. Activity modification does not require complete rest or inactivity. In fact, too little activity may result in a worsened condition or the development of another problem, such as muscled degradation.

However, slight changes in movements to accommodate for symptoms may help the body heal from its injury and naturally ease symptoms over time – particularly inflammation.

Reinforcing modification methods to patients

Activity modification is usually only recommended for short periods of time – it is not a necessary life-long adjustment. However, this short timespan can work against patients who forget to make the modifications and instead continue to engage in potentially painful or damaging movements.

For patients with chronic problems, such as osteoarthritis, activity modification may need to be a more long-term care strategy.

Because activity modification is largely an at-home treatment method, chiropractors must work with their patients to reinforce the modifications during their appointments. The use of in-office demonstrations, pamphlets, videos, and discussions may help influence patients to use the modifications in their day to day lives.

It may help to provide patients with an approved list of motions and exercises they should focus on to maintain mobility. Emphasizing routine completion of the correct motions may overshadow the warnings against improper ones and successfully influence the activity modification.

Without the adequate completion and reinforcement of activity modification, patients may continue to do actions that worsen their injuries and prevent the body from healing completely.

Of course, activity modification is just one aspect of a much larger treatment plan for a variety of musculoskeletal problems. The team at Ideal Spine helps chiropractors implement the holistic treatments of Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) in their practices for a more comprehensive approach to patient wellness.

Chiropractic BioPhysics® corrective care trained Chiropractors are located throughout the United States and in several international locations. CBP providers have helped thousands of people throughout the world realign their spine back to health, and eliminate a source of chronic back pain, chronic neck pain, chronic headaches and migraines, fibromyalgia, and a wide range of other health conditions. If you are serious about your health and the health of your loved ones, contact a CBP trained provider today to see if you qualify for care. The exam and consultation are often FREE. See www.CBPpatient.com for providers in your area.

Share This Story!

CONTACT CBP

CBP Seminars, Inc.
1160 Taylor Street Suite 100
Meridian, ID 83642

Phone: 208-939-0301
Fax: 208-209-6009
Email: [email protected]

Web: idealspine.com

LATEST ARTICLES

FIND A DOCTOR

Tired of dealing with pain and discomfort? Looking for a CBP chiropractor in your area? Visit our Doctors Directory to get started.

CBP SEMINARS

Are you a CBP chiropractor looking to attend one of our seminars? Please check out our CBP Seminars page to book the next event.
2021-09-03T05:18:16-07:00
Go to Top