Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain Treatment in Springfield, IL
Low back pain is one of the most common conditions we treat at the Springfield Wellness Center. Up to 80% of all people will suffer from low back pain at some point in their life and it’s the number one cause of disability in the United States. The reason why low back pain is so common is because the low back, the lumbar spine, undergoes the most amount of stress over the course of your lifetime.
It’s important to treat low back pain quickly because it can lead to degeneration down the road. We see a lot of people in the office that may have gotten into an accident or had an injury in high school that they don’t treat for 10 or 20 years, causing the effects to escalate over time making it much more difficult to fix.
There’s a difference between acute and chronic low back pain. Acute pain means something traumatic has happened and you can pinpoint the cause of the pain, usually within the first 72 hours of an injury. Chronic pain means you’ve been dealing with this problem for more than three months, at that point you may not even know what caused it in the first place.
There are a lot of different things that can create low back pain such as muscle problems, ligament issues, joint problems, and disc issues. While each one of these individually can lead to low back pain, it’s important to find the root cause of the problem. In our office, we make sure that we address all four of these potential problem areas by doing an exam to decide what’s actually causing the problem.
$49 New Patient Special
Includes consultation with your doctor, thorough chiropractic examination, first treatment and customized plan of action.
How Our Low Back Pain Care Plan Works
Schedule Your New Patient Exam
Set up a time so you and your Doctor can do a thorough history and examination to determine the root cause of your pain..
Get A Customized Plan of Action
Your Doctor will create a custom plan of attack to not only get you out of pain fast but to keep you out of pain long term.
Live A Pain Free Energetic Life
Receive the care you need for your problem so you can get back to the time when pain wasn’t dictating what you could do.
How We Treat Lower Back Pain In Springfield, IL
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
Treating low back pain starts with a comprehensive history and consultation with a doctor who’s really going to listen to what’s been going on. One of the common issues we hear from patients who come into our office is that they feel like they haven’t been heard when they’ve spoken to other doctors. So we’re going to make sure that we get a full history of what’s been happening.
The next step is going to be a thorough, comprehensive exam where we administer chiropractic, functional orthopedic, and neurological exams. Our goal with these exams is to find the root cause of the problem. Sometimes pain is more a symptom than the actual root cause. Finding the root cause allows us to permanently fix the situation.
Specific Chiropractic Care In Springfield, IL
In our office, specific chiropractic care is the most important thing that we do for patients suffering from low back pain. Most spinal dysfunction is created by something called subluxation – where a single vertebra in the spine has either become misaligned or is not moving properly with the vertebra above and below. When that happens, it irritates the nerves that come out in between the vertebrae and that leads to symptoms like pain down an arm or a leg, tight muscles, even disc issues.
Our goal with specific chiropractic care is to take pressure off of the nerves and restore proper function to your spine. Once that is done, a lot of the symptoms that you may be suffering from will start to go away.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Many low back pain cases are due to muscle weakness or imbalance, particularly in the core muscles. At Springfield Wellness Center, we have a functional fitness facility where our personal trainer will customize a plan for you based on your functional assessment. In your exam, we’ll assess how you move and we’ll create exercise plans that address those specific functional deficiencies. Not only will we be helping you in the office, but we’ll also give you a plan to do at home so that function is restored as quickly as possible.
Spinal Decompression In Springfield, IL
There are multiple structures that can create low back pain. One of the most important is the spinal disc – the cushion between the individual vertebra. At Springfield Wellness Center, we use a technology called Spinal Decompression. This allows us to restore bulged discs – which can create not only low back pain, but pain that radiates down the leg – to their proper place.
Spinal Decompression works by tractioning the low back. This opens up the disc spaces creating negative pressure inside of the middle of the disc, which starts to pull the bulge away from the nerve. This is critical to relieving pain.
This is a great short term way to help with a bulging disc. Long term, we make sure that we combine this with chiropractic adjustments and therapeutic exercises to help strengthen the core so that the problem doesn’t persist.
Deep Tissue Laser
One of the technologies we use to speed up the healing process is our deep tissue laser. This allows us to reduce your pain, decrease inflammation, and speed up the healing process sometimes by five times. Using photobiomodulation, the laser sends light down into the mitochondria – the cell’s energy producer – stimulating it to speed up the healing process at the cellular level. A lot of people wonder if it hurts, but most patients say it is gentle, warm, and soothing. Treatments usually take between five and 10 minutes.
REVIEWS
Read Our Online Reviews
Marvin Kirk2023-10-15Look, it was only a consultation but I feel I have made the right decision seeing a chiropractor. They did a little cracking of the back and it was that that made me feel I was in the right place. He explained the plan of action and I am looking forward to finally getting rid of this sciatica pain. I've tried everything except surgery. I've been dealing with this for a year. Stay tuned because when I'm pain free, you will hear about it.
Bob Passmore2023-09-22Very friendly, very professional people. Dr. Pat was very welcoming making me feel at home. Explained everything he was going to do before he done it. I felt alot better after I left the office. Thank you.
Michael Benanti2023-09-16Dr. Rob has been nothing short of a magician. I went in with debilitating neck pain and was without pain in a couple of days and pain-free since. He’s an awesome dude who is compassionate and friendly. The staff have been beyond helpful and accommodating. Thank you!
Brittany Beler2023-08-24Excellent customer service, caring team of staff and providers, and flexible with scheduling. They have made a huge difference in my low back pain (lumbar), neck pain (cervical spine), and ulnar/carpal tunnel discomfort. They have taught me more about my body that helps me be aware of posture and positioning, which helps me work on preventative care of my own body as well. This is the 3rd chiropractor I have ever seen and by far my favorite. They aren’t here to rip you off, they are here to help you feel better! I am glad to utilize these services and love having these knowledgeable providers who help me feel my best physically.
Keely Cardwell2023-08-02Dr. Rob is one of the best chiropractors I've been to. From the initial consultation to any repeat appointments, he truly cares about making a difference in helping you feel your best! Julie at the front desk is just as amazing and always makes it easy to schedule appointments! Highly recommend Springfield Wellness Center!
Diane Johnston2023-07-10The staff was friendly and greeted me when I came in the door. Dr Rob had my history questionnaire in hand and confirmed or questioned the information I provided. His initial modality felt good and I have a follow up in 2 days to see where we go from here. I was happy with my first visit.
Donna Grady2023-06-29I saw Dr. Dan for excruciating sciatica pain and he was very personable and seemed genuinely concerned about the pain I was experiencing. He did an evaluation and then he did some treatments. The decompression chair (?) felt really good on my aching butt, lol. I have another appointment for more treatment tomorrow. I have had this pain for almost 3 weeks now and nothing has helped relive the continuous pain. Orthopedic doctors will not prescribe anything narcotic for the pain. So they really aren't much help with pain management. However, I feel hopeful that I am in good hands with Dr. Dan and finally getting some relief for my sciatica. 🙂.
Jessica Harris2023-05-17My husband went in for a severe back issue stemming from his military service. Today was his first appointment. They got his pain level down and his range of motion better significantly in a short period of time. They were very caring and careful. We appreciate them very much and look forward to seeing them tomorrow for his next appointment!
Common Causes of Low Back Pain in Springfield, IL
Bulged Lumbar Discs
The spinal disc is the shock absorber or the cushion in between individual vertebrae. I describe discs like a jelly doughnut. The fibers that are around the outside of the disc are like the doughnut and the nucleus, which is a gelatinous material, is like the jelly of the doughnut.
Over time, the discs can wear down and dehydrate. When that happens those fibers begin to tear, especially if you have an injury, pick something up incorrectly, or get into an accident. If those fibers tear enough the gelatinous nucleus takes the path of least resistance and moves toward the outside of the disc, creating a bulge. That bulge puts pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine and that creates pain in your low back that can also radiate down your leg.
Herniated Lumbar Discs
Like with bulged discs, the outside fibers can begin to tear and the nucleus can start to move towards the outside of the disc. If the fibers tear enough, the nucleus can actually break through the exterior of the disc and sit on a nerve ending. Herniated discs tend to create more leg pain, then low back pain, and they also create more intense pain. When the disc ruptures, that takes the pressure off the low back area, but it creates a lot of pain down into the leg because the nucleus is out of the disc and sitting on the nerve.
A natural way for the herniated disc to resolve itself is a process called fago se cytosis – your body sees the nucleus as a foreign object so it will inflame to try to help eat up that nucleus and reabsorb it. If that doesn’t work, it can create pain that is usually enough to cause people to start to look into surgery. We try to treat herniated discs naturally, but after a certain course of treatment surgery may be the only option.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease is an age related condition where the discs begin to break down. (Obesity, smoking, and work that is hard on the spine can also contribute to Degenerative Disc Disease.) Similar to a bulging or herniated disc, as discs become dehydrated and break down they start to lose their natural height. A fully hydrated disc has height to create proper openings for the nerves to emerge from the spine and travel throughout the body. When the disc starts to shrink, the foramen – the holes that the nerves come out of – start to get smaller irritating the nerves. This is what creates that low back pain and potentially radiating pain.
Unfortunately, with Degenerative Disc Disease, whatever damage has been done can’t be reversed, but it can be slowed. This is why it’s so important to get treatment as soon as possible whenever you’re dealing with low back pain.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal Stenosis can create a lot of significant symptoms, mainly because pressure can be put on the spinal cord as well as the adjacent nerves. Usually with Spinal Stenosis people will find that standing or walking can aggravate their pain and that resting, sitting down, or even bending forward can help relieve some of that pressure. Not only can it cause pain, but it can also cause weakness, numbness, or organ dysfunction – like your bladder or your gown. Those are emergency situations and you need to contact a medical doctor immediately.
Muscle Strain
Muscle strains are the most common causes of low back pain. They tend to be dull and achy, and the pain is intensified with movement or putting yourself into certain positions. Normally the pain stays localized in the lower back versus radiating into your legs or other areas. Muscle strains can be caused by sudden activity, over time with repetitive motion, poor posture, or weak core muscles.
Muscle strains usually resolve in four to six weeks, but we want to address them early if possible because, a lot of times, they are a symptom of a more root problem. This is why, at Springfield Wellness Center, we always try to attack the root cause of the problem versus just addressing the symptoms.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction (SI Joint Pain)
The sacroiliac joint is where the sacrum – the triangle bone at the base of your spine – meets the pelvis. This joint isn’t built to move a lot and problems can be created by hypermobility, moving too much, or hypomobility, moving too little. 15-30% of all low back pain cases are caused by SI joint dysfunction. The SI joint works to absorb the shock between the upper body and the pelvis and legs. Causes of SI joint dysfunction are leg length discrepancies, pregnancy, giving birth, or repeatedly stressing the joints.
Facet Joint Dysfunction
Facet joints are the joints at the back of the spine where the vertebra meet. There’s cartilage inside of those joints that, over time, can start to break down and become inflamed. People that have facet joint dysfunction normally feel pain when they go into extension, meaning they lean back, or if they’re standing for long periods of time because that loads those joints.
Subluxation
Subluxation is the dysfunction that chiropractors are looking for and that they treat. Subluxation is dysfunction in the spine, or misalignment of the spine, which creates pressure on the nerves. The nerves are then what create the symptoms and the low back pain.
Specific chiropractic adjustments are the only solution to a subluxation. You can do all of the stretches and exercises that you want, but if a vertebra is stuck out of alignment or is not moving properly, until you get that motion back or correct the alignment, you’ll continue to have issues.
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1000 S. Durkin Dr, Springfield, IL 62704
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to sleep is on your back with your spine in a neutral position, meaning that it’s not too arched and it’s not pushed forward more than it should be. Having a pillow that allows you to keep your neck in a neutral position, as well as using a pillow underneath your knees to take any pressure off of your low back, even a small pillow in the small of your low back for support.
Sleeping on your side is next best, you just want to make sure that your pillows aren’t pushing your head to one side more than the other. So it’s in a neutral position, as well as having a pillow in between your knees to keep your hips from getting out of alignment.
Sleeping on your stomach is the least ideal situation when it comes to sleeping.
Normally with a muscle strain, the low back pain will be dull and achy. It may diffuse over both sides of the low back but it mainly stays within the lumbar region.
With a disc issue, you not only have low back pain, but you also can have radiation into the buttocks, the hip, or even into the leg or the foot. Discs tend to have more nerve involvement than a pulled muscle or muscle strain. The best thing to do would be to get it examined by a doctor that specializes in determining what the problem is.