Conditions we treat
Back pain relief that starts with actually finding the cause
Most back pain is very treatable, once you know what you’re dealing with. We take the time to work that out properly before anyone starts treatment.
Back pain is the single most common reason people walk through our door, and one of the most misunderstood. It gets blamed on “getting older”, a “bad back”, or that one awkward lift, when the real picture is usually a mix of joint stiffness, muscle guarding, and a spine that’s been asked to tolerate the same positions for too long.
The good news: serious causes of back pain are rare, and most cases respond well to the right combination of hands-on treatment and movement. The frustrating news: generic advice (“rest it”, “stretch more”, “strengthen your core”) often fails because it skips the step that matters, a proper assessment of your back.
At IA Chiropractic your first visit is up to a full hour, quicker for straightforward cases. We take a detailed history, test how your spine and hips actually move, explain what we find in plain English, and only then talk treatment.
Common signs & symptoms
- A dull ache across the lower back, worse after sitting or first thing in the morning
- Sharp, catching pain with bending or lifting, often guarded by muscle spasm
- Stiffness that eases once you get moving, a classic sign of joint-related pain
- Pain that travels into the buttock or thigh, irritation of nearby joints or nerves
- Difficulty standing up straight after sitting, the "old person unfold"
- Night-time discomfort when rolling over in bed
- Recurring episodes that seem to come back every few months
What causes back pain?
Joint irritation — the small facet joints of the spine become stiff and sensitive
often from sustained postures
Muscle strain and spasm — overloaded muscles tighten protectively
which can hurt more than the original problem
Disc-related pain — discs can become irritated or bulge; most improve well without surgery ([more on disc injuries](/conditions/disc-injuries/))
Deconditioning — backs tolerate less when we sit more; capacity drops quietly until something minor tips it over
Sedentary work and repetitive load — long hours at a desk or repeated manual work both concentrate stress on the same structures
How we help at IA Chiropractic
We start by ruling out anything that needs referral, then work out which structures are driving your pain and, just as importantly, why they became overloaded in the first place.
Treatment typically combines Chiropractic adjustments to restore joint movement, soft tissue therapy for protective muscle tension, and a short, realistic exercise programme so improvements hold between visits. If your job is part of the problem, we’ll cover ergonomic changes that actually fit your workplace.
You’ll always know the plan: what we’re doing, why, roughly how many visits to expect, and what progress should look like. No open-ended treatment schedules.