The 3 Phases of Chiropractic Care
Every care plan at Aligned and Well follows the same three phases: initial intensive care to start the change, stabilization care to hold it, and wellness care to keep it. Here is what each one is for, and how you know when you are ready for the next.
Reviewed by Dr. Brian Flemming, DC · Last reviewed September 2026
How Care Works
Why Care Comes in Phases
Most people come in for relief, and relief matters. But the problem underneath the pain usually took years to build: a curve that flattened, a shift in posture, joints that stopped moving the way they should. Changing that takes time, and it happens in stages.
Think of braces. First they move the teeth. Then a retainer holds them while everything settles into the new position. After that, a checkup now and then keeps them there. Corrective chiropractic care works the same way: make the change, hold the change, keep the change.
- A plan built from your exam, not a template
- Re-exams that show when you are ready for the next phase
- Visits that spread out as your body holds its progress
- Straight answers about where you are at every step
At a Glance
The Three Phases
Phase 1 Initial Intensive Care
Where corrective care starts. Visits are closest together while we begin changing what your exam found.
Phase 2 Stabilization Care
Holding the change. Visits spread out while your spine, muscles and ligaments adapt to the new position.
Phase 3 Wellness Care
Keeping it. Periodic checkups that keep your body remembering that it’s okay to be normal and healthy.
Phase 1
Initial Intensive Care: Starting the Change
Initial intensive care is where corrective care begins. Your consultation, exam and report of findings show what is going on and what it will take to fix it. This phase is where we start making that change.
Visits are closest together here. A spine that has been out of position for years does not change in one visit, and consistency early on is what gets the change started. Care combines specific chiropractic adjustments with corrective exercises, plus massage therapy when tight muscles are part of the picture.
Many people start feeling better in this phase. That is a good sign, but feeling better and being fixed are not the same thing. Pain often settles before the problem underneath it does, which is why we measure progress with re-exams instead of guessing from how you feel on a given day.
Phase 2
Stabilization Care: Holding the Change
Once the change has started, your body has to learn to hold it. Muscles, ligaments and everyday habits all tend to pull the spine back toward the position it lived in for years. Stabilization care holds the new position long enough for your body to accept it as normal.
Visits spread out in this phase, and your home exercises carry more of the load. This is the retainer after the braces: skip it, and things tend to drift back to where they started.
Phase 3
Wellness Care: Keeping It
Wellness care keeps your body remembering that it’s okay to be normal and healthy. Once the corrective work is done, periodic checkups keep your spine moving well and catch small problems before they turn into big ones.
You don’t have to be in pain to get checked. Athletes, active adults, busy parents and anyone who would rather keep their progress than start over use wellness care to stay at their best. How often depends on your spine, your work and how active you are, and Dr. Flemming will make a recommendation based on your exam.
Moving Forward
How You Know You’re Ready for the Next Phase
Re-exams are built into your plan. At each one, Dr. Flemming compares where you are to where you started and walks you through the results. Moving to the next phase is based on those findings, not on the calendar and not on how you happen to feel that day.
Every recommendation is explained, and every decision about your care is yours. If something isn’t working the way we expect, you will hear that from us too. New here? See what to expect on your first visit.
Common Questions
Questions Patients Ask Us
How many visits will I need?
It depends on what your exam finds, how long the problem has been there and how your body responds. You get a specific plan after your report of findings, laid out in these three phases, with re-exams along the way to track your progress.
Do I have to complete all three phases?
Every decision about your care is yours. We explain what each phase is for and what we recommend, and you choose how far you want to go.
What is the difference between relief care and corrective care?
Relief care aims to calm symptoms. Corrective care aims to change the structure underneath them, so the symptoms have less reason to come back. Our plans start the change in initial intensive care, hold it in stabilization care and keep it in wellness care.
Is wellness care the same as maintenance care?
Yes. Most chiropractors use the two terms for the same thing: periodic checkups after the corrective work is done, to keep your spine moving well and catch small problems early.
Do I need to be in pain to start?
No. An exam shows how your spine is moving and functioning, pain or no pain, and people who want to stay active and perform their best get checked to keep it that way.
Have a different question? Read the full list of patient questions or call us at (970) 800-3486.
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