Back pain treatment.

Most low back pain comes from one of three places.

Your low back has small joints that guide movement, thick discs that absorb load, and muscles that hold the whole thing steady. Pain usually starts in one of those three. The trouble is that all three can feel similar from the inside.

A locked-up joint tends to hurt in one spot, feels worse first thing in the morning, and eases once you move around. A disc problem often hurts more when you sit, bend forward, or get in and out of the car, and it can send pain past the buttock and down the leg. Muscle strain feels broad and sore, shows up a day after you did something heavy, and settles over a week or two.

Those are three different problems. They need three different plans. Guessing costs you weeks.

How Dr. Boss works out which one it is.

Your first visit starts with questions, because your history narrows it down faster than anything else. When did it start. What were you doing. What makes it worse. What time of day is the worst. Does anything travel down the leg.

Then Dr. Boss examines you. He watches how you bend, twist, and stand up. He feels which joints move and which have stopped. He tests reflexes, strength, and sensation in both legs, because a nerve under pressure shows up there before it shows up anywhere else. If the exam suggests a disc, stenosis, or something outside chiropractic care, imaging comes next and he will tell you so.

Then you see it. Dr. Boss uses a 3D model of the spine to show you where the problem sits and what is happening around it. People treat their back better when they can picture it.

What treatment looks like.

For a joint that has stopped moving, an adjustment is the direct answer. Dr. Boss applies a quick, controlled push to that segment to restore motion. Many people feel a difference the same day. Others take longer, and some need a different kind of care altogether. Dr. Boss will tell you which one you are after the exam.

For a disc pressing on a nerve, we use non-surgical spinal decompression. You lie on a motorized table that gently stretches the low back and takes pressure off the disc. It is slow, quiet work, and it is done in a course of visits rather than one dramatic session.

For tight, overworked muscle, we use massage therapy and soft tissue work to calm the area so the joint work holds.

Nearly every plan includes therapeutic exercises. Adjustments restore motion. Exercise is what keeps it. A few minutes a day of the right movements is the difference between feeling better for a week and feeling better for a year.

What to expect.

Your first visit runs about an hour: history, exam, the model, and a plan you can repeat back to someone. We tell you what it costs before you commit. We take most major plans and self-pay is available. Give us your plan details when you book and we will check your coverage before you arrive.

Simple joint pain often settles in a handful of visits. Disc problems take longer, usually a course of care over several weeks. Backs that have hurt for years take longer still. Dr. Boss will give you a real number at the start and check in against it as you go. If you are not improving the way we expected, we change the plan or refer you out. We do not keep you coming in for no reason.

More reading: back pain treatment, know your options and how massage supports back pain treatment.

Reviewed and approved by Dr. Christopher Boss, DC, Doctor of Chiropractic since 1998 and the treating chiropractor at Boss Chiropractic. Last updated September 11, 2026.

This page is general information, not medical advice. What is right for you depends on your exam. Dr. Boss will tell you straight whether we can help, and where to go if we cannot.