Corrective chiropractic can only take a patient so far on their road to wellness. At some point, a person must adopt better lifestyle habits and tendencies to promote sustained health. And, for this to occur, it takes education and planning on the part of the chiropractor.
Teaching patients to be cognizant of their poor posture habits isn’t an easy task. The initial education may be easy, however convincing them of the ongoing importance of maintaining it often falls short of intended goals for many reasons. It slips their mind. They stop caring. They no longer feel the need to actively maintain their posture. The reasons are numerous.
For chiropractors seeking to instill a real sense of urgency when it comes to posture maintenance, Ideal Spine Health Center recommends the POLITE system. It’s an approach we use with our Boise, ID patients to great effect.
The POLITE system
POLITE is an acronym for a series of steps that create accountability in a patient regarding their maintenance plan between chiropractic appointments and beyond. The acronym is as follows:
- P for Posturing: This step is all about getting patients to learn the ideal posture when they’re standing, sitting, or laying down. Establishing good posture benchmarks validates any effort by the patient in maintaining their adjustments.
- OL for Optimal Loading: Optimal loading teaches patients how to resist falling into negative posture habits. It’s the inverse posturing and helps patients understand where posturing can and should be applied.
- I for Instrumentation: As they go through corrective chiropractic, patients will likely experience some discomfort. They’re retraining their body for ideal posture, so things are bound to seem uncomfortable. Instrumentation familiarizes them with icing, heat application, use of a foam roller, and other implements for coping with discomfort.
- T for Technology: Technology is something people understand and which can be applied to patient maintenance. Using a TENS machine for stimulation or having a reminder on their phone to stand up and stretch at work are both ways in which technology can and should be used to keep patients honest in their maintenance.
- E for Ergonomics: The single best way to prevent slippage back into bad habits or posture woes is through the implementation of ergonomics. Teaching patients about ergonomics encourages them to understand and utilize this approach to posture preservation.
Because the POLITE system is broken into several steps, it’s easy for chiropractors to parcel out the advice as-needed to patients. Especially as part of a Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) regimen, the POLITE system can be implemented in stages that are conducive to a patient’s progress, enabling them to move through an adjustment schedule with few setbacks or barriers to recovery.
Teach patients to be POLITE
The POLITE system is more than a roadmap to chiropractic maintenance – it’s also something patients can embody as a long-term catalyst for wellness. Teaching it to patients will provide them with the tools they need to maintain their spine and posture, while also reinforcing the results obtained through a corrective adjustment plan.
Ideal Spine Health Center believes in teaching our Boise, ID patients to be POLITE. Schedule your free consultation today to learn how this system applies to your spine health and how it can be integrated into your specific Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) plan.
Chiropractic BioPhysics, or CBP, is one of the most scientific, researched, and results-oriented corrective care techniques. CBP-trained chiropractors aim to realign the spine back to health, eliminating nerve interference and addressing the source of pain, fatigue, and disease. As with all chiropractic care, CBP is gentle, painless, and non-invasive.