How often should I book an appointment? A small number of individuals see their therapist (Athletic Therapist, Massotherapist, Ostheopathe, or other) on a regular basis whereas others visit them as a luxury. So what’s the right answer? Should I wait for pain to appear to consult? This article is aimed at answering all your questions concerning the frequency of treatments.

Very often, clients have the tendency to run towards the services offered by their therapist (Athletic Therapist, Massotherapist, Ostheopathe, or other) only when they feel pain or discomfort. However, our therapists have much more to offer, especially when it comes to the prevention of various problems that bother most people at one time or another in their lives.

With our clients, we often provide the following analogy: a treatment at Kiné Pro Sport is like an oil change for your car! In fact, mechanics recommend an oil change at a precise number of kilometers and that’s not taking into account the times you bring your car in for a problem such as an odd noise or an even bigger problem. A car needs clean, well-maintained oil to operate properly and avoid premature wear and tear. By the same token, a manual therapy treatment is as beneficial for the body to ensure optimal functioning. Oil lubricates the motor of the vehicle to ensure the pieces don’t rub against one another to relieve overload on the body. The treatment improves blood and lymph circulation (the “oil” of the human body) that circulates in the body, eliminates the toxins and cellular waste to provoke healing. The specialized techniques your therapist chooses are based on the evaluation of movements to allow for release of the possible compensations  and lack of mobility caused by your daily activities. If you take the time to bring your car to the garage, would it not be beneficial to do the same thing for your body? Think about it, cars can be replaced… but our body, we just have the one!

Regular visits to see your manual therapist contributes to maintaining a good quality of life while promoting overall well-being. This helps prevent the development of multiple pathologies, as the treatments help relieve tension, promote a better posture and relieve compensations due to muscle and articulare disbalance. This helps the body evolve and develop the optimal condition to decrease the risk of injury. These techniques are also recognized as playing an important role in the decrease in pain, muscular tensions, and the effects of stress on the body.

Potential therapeutic effects of preventative treatments: 

  • Improve global health
  • Improve posture and decrease compensations that follow
  • Improve mobility, strength and performance of your body (improve sports capacity)
  • Improve full body recuperation post competition
  • Relieve pains caused by different pathologies
  • Improve recuperation potential post injury
  • Prevent the development of physiological muscular and articular problems. 
  • Decrease the effects of stress on the body
  • Improve the quality of sleep and digestion
  • Reduce muscular tensions
  • Improve blood and lymphatic circulation

HOW OFTEN SHOULD ONE RECEIVE A THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT?

Let’s be clear, it is impossible to answer this question specifically because everyone and their bodies are different. However, during your appointment, the therapist will develop a plan to target your objectives determining the frequency of your appointments. This frequency varies according to each person’s body, their goals, their response to treatment and, of course, their self-management. 

If you are still doubting how frequencies are determined, here’s a second analogy that may give you some clues about the frequency of treatment. A basic frequency that may motivate you to see your therapist more regularly is often the cycle of seasons. If we imagine a tree, it adapts to outside temperatures 4 times a year. Our body, just like a tree, undergoes great changes in order to prepare and adapt to each change of season. Therefore, a treatment at the minimum of every 3 months could help you optimize your overall health. But be careful, if you are active, do physical activity and/or repetitive work. These can lead to small sores here and there making it possible that your therapist will recommend follow ups on a weekly or monthly frequency in order to regulate your discomforts. 

The therapeutic process consists of establishing short and long term objectives with that specific clients, and re-evaluating them at each appointment. A personalized treatment plan adapted to each person’s reality and to each person’s needs is created to attain those objectives.

Communicate with us to help refer you to a therapist that fits best with your needs to help optimise your body and health instead of treating the pains and discomforts.

Leave a comment