What to Expect After Treatment: From Hours to Days to Months
Welcome back to the MoveMed blog! Today, we’re going to explore what you can expect after receiving chiropractic or physiotherapy treatment. Whether you’ve come in for chronic back pain, a sports injury, or a postural issue, the healing process can take time and varies from person to person. Let’s break down what typically happens in the hours, days, and months following treatment, while keeping in mind that outcomes depend on your individual lifestyle, genetics, and the severity of your injury or pain.
Asterisk* Treatment Responses Depend on You
Chiropractic and physical therapy treatments work differently for everyone. The outcomes you experience are influenced by several factors, including your lifestyle, your body’s genetics, and the severity of the issue you’re dealing with. That being said, there are general patterns we tend to see, which I’ll walk you through below.
1. The Window of Relief: Immediate to a Few Days
Following your first treatment, you may experience an immediate reduction in your symptoms. This relief might occur right after the session or emerge within a day or two. This window of relief is what we aim for—it’s the body’s initial positive response to the treatment. It might last only a few hours, or it could stretch over several days, depending on your body’s condition and the intensity of the injury.
Research supports this typical response, with many patients reporting early improvements in pain and mobility within the first 48 hours after chiropractic or manual therapy interventions . However, remember, this relief is often the first step in a longer journey.
2. The Flare-Up: When Symptoms Return
Don’t be surprised if, after a period of relief, you notice your symptoms coming back—sometimes with a vengeance! This is your body’s natural response to change. During treatment, we introduce new movement patterns and challenge old postures. These changes can create temporary discomfort, much like exercising muscles that haven’t been used in a while.
As I often explain in the clinic, one of the key principles of health is “newness and discomfort”—new movements or positions may cause their own kind of discomfort as your body adapts. This flare-up phase is perfectly normal and often a sign that your body is responding to treatment. The important thing is to trust the process.
3. Waxing and Waning: The Up and Down Pattern
In the weeks following your treatment, it’s typical to experience a waxing and waning of symptoms. You’ll have periods of relief followed by flare-ups, as your body adjusts to the changes we’ve introduced. This up-and-down pattern can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the severity of your injury and how well your body responds to treatment.
A study found that this fluctuation in symptoms is common, and that most patients experience gradual improvements in function and reduction of pain during this phase .
4. The Upward Trend: Lasting Improvement
The goal of chiropractic and physical therapy is long-term improvement. Over time, the windows of relief should last longer, and the flare-ups should become shorter and less intense. This is where we begin to see real progress—your body is learning to move in new, healthier ways, and the pain cycles become less frequent.
As your body begins to stabilise, the graph of improvement starts trending upwards. According to research, strengthening the new movement patterns is key to maintaining long-term benefits. Long-term movement and strengthening strategies help reduce recurrence rates of disc and joint issues .
5. Phase 2: Maintenance and Rehab
Once we see a steady upward trajectory, we start to taper off your treatment sessions. This doesn’t mean you’re done—far from it! This is where we shift the focus to maintenance and rehabilitation. You’ll learn exercises and strategies to maintain the improvements you’ve made and prevent future injuries.
6. When There’s No Improvement
In some cases, if we don’t see improvement after several sessions, it’s essential to reassess. This might involve further investigations, diagnostic tests, or even a second opinion. The sooner we catch any issues, the quicker we can adjust the treatment plan.
Conclusion: Healing Takes Time, But There’s a Plan
Remember, this is a simplified overview of what to expect after treatment. Healing takes time, and your body’s response will vary, but the foundation of chiropractic and physiotherapy is this: move better, feel better, live better. If you’re on this journey with us at MoveMed, trust that every step—every window of relief, flare-up, and waxing-and-waning cycle—is leading you toward long-term health and wellness.
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References:
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Navid, M.S., Lelic, D., Niazi, I.K. et al. The effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation on central processing of tonic pain - a pilot study using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Sci Rep 9, 6925 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42984-3
Nim, C.G., Aspinall, S.L., Cook, C.E. et al. The effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy procedures for spine pain: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Chiropr Man Therap 31, 14 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-023-00487-z
Funabashi M, Carlesso LC. Symptoms patients receiving manual therapy experienced and perceived as adverse: a secondary analysis of a survey of patients' perceptions of what constitutes an adverse response. J Man Manip Ther. 2021 Feb;29(1):51-58. doi: 10.1080/10669817.2020.1761139. Epub 2020 May 13. PMID: 32401185; PMCID: PMC7889082. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7889082/
Sipaviciene S, Pilelis V. Effects of Home Exercise and Manual Therapy or Supervised Exercise on Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain and Disability. Applied Sciences. 2024; 14(5):1725. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14051725
Pasquier, M., Daneau, C., Marchand, AA. et al. Spinal manipulation frequency and dosage effects on clinical and physiological outcomes: a scoping review. Chiropr Man Therap 27, 23 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-019-0244-0
