Proactive care and preventative maintenance are far LESS expensive than refusing to diagnose problems before they cause damage. This half measure is the acceptable norm with automobiles, but not with human bodies.
Reactive (oh darn, it’s broke) costs some gross amounts of money and will never substitute for OEM parts. Yet, this reactive model of care is the dominating one in healthcare and rehabilitation. Today’s most expensive and frequent surgeries are caused by degenerative damage, overuse, and misalignment. The stark reality is that surgery can and should be prevented when the proper measures and assessments are utilized.
So why does the current system lean towards reactive care? Why are we paying for reactive care and not proactive care? Because the driving force in this world is how much the provider can make off of this specific person. The “business” of the healthcare industry focuses on the money and not the outcome. The healthcare industry essentially preys on sick and injured people to pad their pockets. Without injury, they cease to exist. This reality, of course, is not realistic, as there will always be contact injuries, accidents, and those who don’t take care of themselves.
However, the people who could benefit from preventative maintenance aren’t urged by many to do so. The cost of a visit with a coach or trainer with an effective program (Preventative maintenance) is not covered in their health care program. This cost is a minuscule amount regarding what a new back, hip, or knee will cost you.
The current model and collective term of services provided are referred to as rehabilitation. Preventative care, however, is an arising industry but getting little attention. Why? Because prehab will hit the pockets of the clinics and professionals in reactive care. Who are the experts in the industry? The surgeons and therapists who rely on you to get hurt will have smaller populations of injured people if we prevent them from happening in the first place. Do you think they will advocate for prehab? Only if they see it as an advantage over their current belief system. Time will tell!
In conclusion, it’s a personal choice for the private-paying consumer. You can seek out those practitioners looking at finding the problem before it causes injury, or you can flock to the urgent care when you wake up, you can’t move, and your body needs a tow. When unaddressed issues pile up, your body will set into a repetitive injury cycle that may never recover fully without a costly replacement. Find someone who will assess you, give you feedback, and provide training that focuses on preventing further breakdown.
A Lifestyle Athlete Collaboration with Cody Wood
“Train like an athlete, heal like a hippie, and always trust your gut.”
Find a coach that takes no half measures near you:
Goatacoaches.com
Reference:
On Healthcare and Automobiles - Proactive or Reactive? https://www.goatamovement.com/blog/on-healthcare-and-automobiles-proactive-or-reactive
