Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care, and it has a wide range of causes, from everyday habits to structural conditions in the spine.

The most frequent causes include muscle strains and ligament sprains from lifting, sudden movements, or poor posture; herniated or bulging discs, where the soft cushioning between vertebrae pushes outward and irritates nearby nerves; and spinal misalignments, where vertebrae shift out of their proper position and place stress on surrounding muscles, discs, and nerves. Degenerative disc disease, arthritis, and sacroiliac joint dysfunction are also common contributors, particularly in older adults.

Understanding the root cause is essential to treating it effectively. At Intero Chiropractic, our approach begins with a thorough evaluation to identify exactly what's driving your pain, because the treatment for a muscle strain looks very different from the treatment for a herniated disc or a spinal misalignment.

Yes, chiropractic care is one of the most well-researched and widely recommended conservative treatments for lower back pain. Multiple clinical guidelines, including those from the American College of Physicians, now list spinal manipulation as a first-line treatment for both acute and chronic low back pain.

Chiropractors are specifically trained to identify and treat the musculoskeletal causes of lower back pain. The foundation of chiropractic care is spinal adjustment. A precise, controlled movement applied to specific joints in the spine to restore proper alignment, reduce nerve irritation, and improve mobility. When the spine is aligned correctly, the surrounding muscles, discs, and nerves can function the way they're supposed to, and pain diminishes.

Beyond adjustments, chiropractic care for lower back pain often includes soft tissue therapy to release tight muscles, therapeutic exercises to strengthen the core and stabilize the spine, and posture and ergonomic guidance to address the habits that may be contributing to the problem.

At Intero Chiropractic, we treat lower back pain across all of our locations and see patients at every stage, from a first acute episode to years of chronic pain. If you've been dealing with lower back pain and want a non-surgical, drug-free approach, chiropractic care is worth a serious look.

Pain specifically triggered by sitting down or transitioning from sitting to standing is extremely common, and it usually points to one of a few specific problems.

The most likely culprits are disc-related issues or sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction. When you sit, the discs in your lower back absorb significantly more pressure than when you stand or walk — studies suggest intradiscal pressure increases by 40% or more in a seated position. If a disc is already compromised — whether from a bulge, herniation, or degeneration — that added pressure can trigger or intensify pain. The act of standing up then requires your spine to shift back to a weight-bearing position, which can cause a sharp flare-up at the point of transition.

SI joint dysfunction is another frequent cause. The sacroiliac joints connect your lower spine to your pelvis, and they can become inflamed or misaligned — particularly in people who sit for long periods, have had a pregnancy, or have an uneven gait. This tends to produce a stabbing or aching pain in the lower back or buttocks that worsens with position changes.

Muscle stiffness from prolonged sitting can also cause this pattern. Tight hip flexors and weak gluteal muscles alter how load is distributed through the lower back, causing pain when those structures are suddenly called into action.

A chiropractic evaluation can identify which of these is driving your symptoms and create a targeted plan to address it. This type of positional pain is very treatable — and it tends to get worse over time if the underlying cause isn't corrected.

This is one of the most frustrating experiences a back pain patient can go through — you know something is wrong, but test after test comes back normal.

Standard medical workups for back pain typically focus on identifying structural problems that show up on imaging — fractures, tumors, significant disc herniations, or other pathology that requires medical or surgical intervention. But the absence of a finding on an MRI or X-ray doesn't mean there's nothing wrong. Many significant sources of back pain — spinal misalignments, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, muscle imbalances, restricted joint mobility — don't show up clearly on standard imaging and aren't within the typical scope of a general practitioner or even a specialist to diagnose and treat.

This is exactly where chiropractic care fills the gap. Chiropractors are trained in hands-on assessment of spinal movement, joint function, muscle tension patterns, and postural imbalances. These evaluations often reveal the source of pain that imaging missed entirely.

At Intero Chiropractic, we regularly see patients who have been through multiple rounds of testing without answers. A thorough chiropractic assessment takes a different approach — looking at how your spine moves, how your joints function, and where the mechanical breakdown is occurring. In many cases, we're able to identify and successfully treat the cause of pain that conventional medicine wasn't able to find. If your back pain has gone unexplained, a chiropractic evaluation is a logical and low-risk next step.

On the safety side: serious adverse events from chiropractic adjustments are rare. The most common side effects are mild and temporary. Some patients experience brief soreness in the treated area, similar to how muscles feel after a workout. Your chiropractor will always take a full health history and examine you before any treatment to ensure adjustments are appropriate for your specific situation. There are certain conditions that require modified techniques or where chiropractic is not recommended, and a qualified chiropractor will screen for these.

A landmark study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that spinal manipulation was more effective than medication for acute neck and back pain. The American College of Physicians' clinical guidelines now recommend spinal manipulation as a first-line treatment for low back pain before medication. For chronic low back pain, research consistently shows chiropractic care produces meaningful, lasting improvements in pain and function.

At Intero Chiropractic, patient safety is the foundation of every treatment plan. We use thorough intake evaluations, take a conservative and measured approach to care, and always explain what we're doing and why before we do it. If you're weighing chiropractic care against other options for your lower back pain, the evidence strongly supports giving it a try.

Most lower back pain, including many cases that seem severe, can be effectively treated without medication or surgery. In fact, clinical guidelines from major medical organizations now recommend conservative, non-pharmacological care as the starting point for low back pain treatment.

Chiropractic care is one of the most effective non-surgical options available. Spinal adjustments correct misalignments that are placing stress on discs, nerves, and surrounding muscles. When the spine is properly aligned, it moves better, hurts less, and heals more efficiently. This is the core of what we do at Intero Chiropractic.

Posture correction and ergonomic adjustments are also an important piece, particularly for patients whose back pain is driven or worsened by how they sit, stand, or move during daily life. Making changes to your workstation, sleep position, or movement habits can have a significant impact on recovery and long-term back health.

For most patients, this combination of approaches produces better long-term outcomes than medication — which addresses symptoms but not causes — and avoids the risks and recovery time associated with surgery. At Intero Chiropractic, our goal is always to resolve your lower back pain through the most conservative, effective means available.