How many treatments will I need?
Figuring out how many treatments someone will need is a fine art! It’s one of the reasons I don’t sell treatment packages - everyone is different, and prognosis is always an estimate. People surprise me all the time; something complicated might feel amazing after a couple of treatments, and something seemingly simple might surprise me and take longer than I expect.
I will give you an estimate, and these estimates are usually broken down into chunks of 1 or 2 treatments, 2-4, 4-6, 6-12, 12+/maintenance care. If I estimate 6 treatments, but you get better in 4, I won’t insist on you completing the full course of care. Individualised care isn’t individual if it’s not adaptable!
So what goes into working out a prognosis?
Type of injury - e.g. we can’t get rid of arthritis, but we can help manage the symptoms, and give you the tools to minimise/eliminate symptoms. Also severity of injury (e.g. grade of tear). A
Comorbidities - other conditions you have that may hinder recovery, such as autoimmune conditions like diabtetes
How long you’ve had it - acute injuries are generally easier to treat as they’re not so entrenched in your psychology and physiology. Chronic problems can take a bit longer to unwind all the contributing factors.
Age - children heal faster than adults, adults heal faster than the elderly.
Lifestyle - things like smoking, lack of physical movement, poor diet, etc, slow down recovery.
Mental health - how you feel about your injury, your body, your belief in your ability to perform basic tasks or hobbies etc, all impact the speed of your recovery. If you think you can’t do something, you are less likely to be able to do it. If you are too scared to do something, you could be causing more problems in the future by avoiding movements you need to build a tolerance to.
Final thoughts…
So you see, it’s not as simple as “Frozen shoulder takes 12 treatments” or “sciatica takes 6 treatments”. But I will make an educated guess with the information I have (this is why it’s good to be forthcoming with all past medical history, even if you think it’s not relevant!), and be honest with what I think you should expect. If you’re someone that wants maintenance treatment, then great - that’s what I choose for myself! But I won’t recommend/force it on everyone.