The DBC/WAR program varies in duration depending on the needs of the patient. Factors influencing the duration are the return of segmental neuromuscular control, mobility, muscular endurance and the adaptation rates of the segmental and supporting tissues.
Why Only Two Days a Week?
During the actual treatment the soft tissues of the spine; muscle, ligament, tendon, etc. don’t become stronger and more productive, the treatment itself breaks down these tissues. It's the recovery period, which is usually several days between treatments and the biochemical processes responsible for soft tissue repair, and synthesis that actually makes the treatment beneficial. DBC has done the research looking at the physiological gains and risks associated with one, two, three, four and five days of treatment in succession in the DBC Health. Two days per week provided the same gains as three, four, and five days per week, but the risk of injury was ten times greater at three, four, and five days per week. So a combination of improvement in the program with little to no risk is why you only come 2 days per week. The DBC/WARprotocol is 2 times per week because clinical trials showed this frequency maximized tissue adaptation while minimizing risk of over-stimulation and increased pain. Unlike therapy for other joints that can be protected from use during the recovery phase of the adaptation process, the spine must continue its function between treatments, effectively reducing the recovery time between treatments. The DBC studies indicated that this frequency was optimal since it achieved the maximum adaptation rates as 3 times per week while the more frequent visits increased risk threefold and increased cost by 50% without additional benefit.