Maintenance Support

Three of four groups created online groups for recipes, advice, check-ins, conversation, and difficult-day support. Online groups helped members bond before sessions and maintain contact outside formal sessions. The patient had been under care with the same chiropractor since 2012. The patient concluded that spinal and functional health requires ongoing maintenance. As groups became more self-sustaining, facilitators needed to step back so members could respond to each other. When the patient visited the chiropractor infrequently enough, back pain would return. Some facilitators needed more training on using online groups for conversation, mutual support, and problem-solving. At the time of the discussion, the patient was receiving care primarily for maintenance of function rather than for acute pain. The maintenance phase aimed to help patients continue behaviour change after formal sessions ended.