Spine, Back & Neck
Back Pain
One of the most common reasons people look for a chiropractor — and rarely as simple as one sore muscle.
Also called: Acute back pain, Chronic back pain, Mechanical back pain.
“Back pain” describes where a symptom is felt rather than what is producing it. It can involve joints, discs, muscles, ligaments and the nerves that supply them, in almost any combination.
Pain that has been present for a few days behaves differently from pain that has been present for months, which is one reason the evaluation looks at history as carefully as it looks at movement. Two people with the same description of pain can have very different findings once they are examined.
Why this matters
Back pain changes how people sit, sleep, lift, work and exercise, and those changes often outlast the original episode. A person may stop an activity out of caution long after the tissue involved has settled, and that avoidance can become its own problem.
Repeating the same short-term fix without understanding what is driving it is a common reason the same problem keeps returning. Understanding the pattern behind an episode, not just the episode itself, is usually what changes the outcome.
The brain & nervous-system connection
Where the nervous system fits in
Pain is produced by the nervous system rather than simply reported by tissue. Protective muscle guarding, altered movement patterns and stress states all influence how the back feels and functions.
The exam looks at how the spine moves, how surrounding muscles are working, and whether protective patterns have outlasted the original irritation. That picture, not just the location of pain, guides what is recommended.
What we look at
We look for patterns, not a single test
- Detailed health history and consultation
- NeuroInfiniti Stress Response Evaluation
- Posture and movement
- Balance and coordination testing
- Eye movement or neurological screening when appropriate
- Grip or motor-function testing when appropriate
- Palpation and spinal function
- Other examination procedures based on the individual
Not every person receives every test. What we perform depends on your history, your age and what the examination shows as we go.
Scope of care
What this does — and doesn't — mean
What we do
- • We evaluate chiropractic and musculoskeletal function.
- • We look at nervous-system-related functional findings that fall within our scope.
- • We assess movement, balance and coordination findings.
- • We measure stress-response patterns with the NeuroInfiniti evaluation.
- • We make individualized chiropractic care recommendations and re-measure over time.
What we don't claim
- • We do not diagnose, treat or cure diseases.
- • Chiropractic care is not a treatment for dementia, Alzheimer's disease or other neurological diseases.
- • Chiropractic care is not a replacement for medical care, testing or medication.
- • No outcome is promised. Results vary from person to person.
Common questions
- How long has this usually been going on before someone comes in?
- It varies widely. Some people come in within days of a new episode, others after months of a nagging ache. Both histories are useful information, not a reason to wait.
- Will you know what's causing it after one visit?
- We can usually identify a pattern and a working plan after the first evaluation. Some situations take a few visits to fully clarify, especially if imaging or a specialist opinion is warranted.
When medical evaluation may be needed
Some symptoms need medical evaluation first. If anything in your history or examination suggests that, we will say so and help point you in the right direction.
Related at Foothills Chiropractic
- Low Back Pain & Sciatica — Low back pain is common, but the place that hurts is not always where the problem is being driven from.
- Cervical Disc Herniation — Disc change in the neck, sometimes with arm symptoms.
- Cervical Spondylosis — Age-related change in the neck joints and discs, often seen on imaging.
- Cervicothoracic Junction Dysfunction — Restriction where the mobile neck meets the stiffer mid-back.
Think Foothills Chiropractic might be right for you?
Start Here walks you through what the process looks like, so you can decide whether taking the next step makes sense for you.