Low Back Pain

It grabs you when you stand up from the desk, makes the first steps out of bed careful ones, and turns lifting a grandchild into a calculation. Low back pain is the single most common reason people see a chiropractic physician — and one of the most treatable.

What’s actually going on

Most low back pain is mechanical: the joints, discs, muscles and ligaments of the lumbar spine getting irritated, restricted or strained. It's rarely one dramatic injury — more often an accumulation of sitting, lifting, and time. That's good news, because mechanical problems respond to mechanical care.

Common causes we see

• Prolonged sitting and deconditioning (the desk-job pattern)
• Lifting strains — usually the twist, not the weight
• Joint restriction and irritation in the lumbar spine or pelvis
• Disc irritation, bulges and age-related degenerative change
• Arthritic change in the facet joints (common and manageable)
• Stress and guarding — muscles that never get to let go

How we evaluate it

A real history first: when it started, what makes it better or worse, what your work and days ask of your back. Then an orthopedic and neurological examination — range of motion, strength, reflexes, nerve tension tests — and screening for the red flags below. Imaging is ordered only when findings call for it, not as a routine (routine X-rays for uncomplicated back pain aren't supported by imaging guidelines).

How chiropractic care may help

For most mechanical low back pain, care combines specific spinal manipulation with physiotherapy modalities (muscle stimulation, hot/cold therapy, ultrasound, traction as appropriate) and therapeutic exercise you take home. Evidence context, stated honestly: the American College of Physicians' clinical guideline lists spinal manipulation among first-line, non-drug treatments for acute and chronic low back pain. Many patients notice meaningful change within a handful of visits; we re-evaluate on a schedule instead of prescribing open-ended care.

What to expect

A typical initial trial of care runs a few weeks with measured progress checks — not an open-ended commitment. You'll get a plain-English report of findings before any care begins, and the plan is always your decision.

Evidence reference: American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline, Annals of Internal Medicine (2017) — noninvasive treatments for low back pain.