Back pain doesn’t always wait for a dramatic moment. Sometimes it happens while you’re bending over to put your socks on, picking something up off the floor, or even sneezing.
That’s exactly how it started for one of our patients. He’d been coming in consistently for supportive maintenance care for about a year while managing chronic back and neck issues. Then one ordinary morning, a simple bend triggered a pop and an intense flare. He arrived hunched forward, unable to extend his low back and holding onto the countertops because walking was so difficult.
Starting With a Conservative Approach
When someone comes in that acute, the immediate goal is to work within what they can comfortably tolerate. We lowered the treatment table because even getting onto it was difficult. Dr. Scott Simon used a combination of light drop technique, instrument adjusting and gentle vibration therapy to help settle the spasming muscles.
Changing positions was especially challenging. We moved in small increments, pausing when the spasms returned and using some manual massage along the way. After briefly trying light intersegmental traction, we eventually got him seated for electric muscle stimulation over the lumbar spine with a cold pack positioned across the lower back and sacral region.
That helped calm things enough for him to stand and walk out the door more easily.
Day Two Looked Completely Different
He returned the next day with some lingering symptoms, but they were nowhere near as intense. He’d had trouble getting comfortable overnight but eventually found a position that allowed him to sleep.
When he walked through the door, his first words to Dr. Scott were, “You’re a miracle worker.”
Dr. Scott felt the patient’s consistent supportive care may have played a role in how quickly he bounced back. Flare-ups can still happen when someone receives regular chiropractic care, but in this case, he believed the patient was a little more resilient going into it.
“I told him, ‘I think some of this we can credit to you being well adjusted.’ He’s a little bit more resilient to bounce back that much quicker from just what we did in one day.” Oak Creek chiropractor Dr. Scott Simon
When Your Low Back Suddenly Flares Up
Low back pain exists on a spectrum. Some cases are relatively mild, while others can make standing, walking or even changing positions difficult. For this patient, Dr. Scott recommended closely spaced follow-up visits while the flare settled down.
If you’re hunched over and struggling to move because your low back suddenly flared, an evaluation at Oak Creek Relief & Wellness can help determine what may be going on and what type of care may be appropriate.