The Three Phases of Care
Phase 1 care is dedicated to providing relief or comfort for the patient. Since public awareness of wellness care is still underdeveloped, most patients seek chiropractic care for an acute episode, and Phase 1 is geared to meeting this need.
In my clinical experience, chiropractic has great success at reducing pain rated five or higher on the ten scale to two or three out of ten in the course of two to four weeks of care.
Phase 2 care is designed to stabilize, correct and rehabilitate the patient’s spine—in essence, to get the patient as healthy as possible. Re-establishing normal spinal biomechanics (lower back, neck range-of-motion) requires repetitive care. This phase of care often requires anywhere from two weeks to eight or more months of care. Many variables (history of motor vehicle accidents, scoliosis, spinal curvature, how long the patient has been suffering with the pain) play a role in the recommendations for phase 2.
Phase 3 care provides ongoing support and strengthening for the patient’s structure. Although this is often referred to as “wellness care” or “maintenance care,” this may be a misnomer. Once structural instability has occurred to a spinal segment, ongoing attention is usually required.
See my article on "Choosing Your Chiropractor" for more information.
