Back Pain

When patients come to see Dr. Donahue with back pain, we will determine the cause of the pain and set a plan in motion that will stop the discomfort and teach the patient how to keep it from coming back. Dr. Donahue and his staff are devoted to obtaining and maintaining body harmony and balance safely, effectively, and efficiently.

Patients who visit us for their back pain usually complain of one or more of the following:

- Tingling sensations in back
- Numbness in back
- Sciatica issues
- Blunt or sharp pains in back
- Shooting pains in back
- Low back pain

Back pain can be caused by any number of events, including:

- Repetitive activity
- Poor posture
- Sitting at a desk all-day
- An accident (auto or personal injury)
- A surgery
- Sports or athletics injuries
- And, many more

Why see a chiropractor for back pain?

When your back isn’t functioning as it should, other parts of your body will have to compensate for that. When this happens, your entire body balance is thrown off. Whether poor posture has compressed your spine, or a car accident has created spinal misalignment, or a herniated disc has caused the compression of nerves, the result is the same: pain, discomfort, and insecure body balance.

Pain and discomfort are telltale signs that your body needs help. That’s where a chiropractor comes in. Chiropractic adjustments alleviate pain by repositioning the spine to its natural state. This will take away the pain stemming from compressed nerves, give back mobility and flexibility, and enhance overall body function.

If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should make an appointment to see us:

- Chronic or intense back pain
- Pain radiating down from your back into one or both of your legs
- Weakness, tingling, or numbness in your back
- Redness or swelling in the area of your back that’s in pain

If you have had persistent back pain for over six weeks or are struggling to manage your back pain, we recommend making a chiropractic appointment as soon as possible.

Dr. Donahue is highly proficient at effectively treating back pain through spinal manipulation and mobilization of the muscles and joints.

Sciatica

When a patient comes in with sciatica, they are experiencing pain that radiates throughout their sciatic nerve. This nerve starts at your lower back and runs through your hip and buttocks and down each leg.

Sciatic pain will occur when the nerve is pinched, usually due to a herniated disc or bone spur on your vertebrae, causing inflammation and numbness, leading to pain that can be quite excruciating.

Chiropractic care will help alleviate the pain associated with sciatica. Adjustments to restore the spine will take the pressure off the sciatic nerve, allowing the body to heal naturally.

Treatments for back pain

St. Louis’s Donahue Chiropractic offers a wide range of treatments to ensure your back pain is cared for correctly. Our noninvasive plans provide for a safe and natural healing process. We always educate our patients on how to properly stretch and exercise at home to help speed up their recovery time.

Spinal manipulation is a hands-on approach to healing the causes of back pain while minimizing pain quickly.

Active Release Technique (ART) to treat back pain

ART is a specific and targeted form of pressure applied to the back that works the entire structure instead of one particular section. When this active motion is applied to a patient, adhesions causing pain are removed.

Flexion distraction technique to treat back pain

Flexion distraction uses mobilization of specific body parts with slow manual traction to help minimize pain and discomfort in the back. Dr. Donahue uses this technique on patients suffering from herniated discs, low back pain, back pain caused by pregnancy, and much more. Flexion distraction is a natural, effective way to alleviate back pain.

ArthroStim technique to treat back pain

An ArthoStim is a powerful, handheld device that helps a chiropractor perform spinal adjustments. It distributes about 13 thrusts per second, allowing for stronger and faster thrusts, that are much more effective than a chiropractor alone can administer.

Therapeutic exercises to treat back pain

We believe in a proactive approach to body wellness. For this reason, we provide exercise and stretching techniques to our patients so they can work on achieving their wellness goals in the comfort of their own home.

Therapeutic exercises are rich in strengthening techniques and support a healthy lifestyle. Our therapeutic sessions are invigorating and garner overall body wellness and performance.

Conservative methods to treat back pain

Chiropractic care is considered conservative treatment, whether it be through stretching, exercise, physical therapy, or conservative adjustments and manipulations. In this case, conservative means that the methods used to achieve a well-balanced body are safe, noninvasive, and an alternative to typical medical practices treated with surgery and medication.

More often than not, consulting a chiropractor for your back care is less expensive than western medicine practices and provides a much lower risk.

When should I see a chiropractor for my back pain?

For those struggling with the effects of back pain, relief cannot come soon enough. Relying on medication to ease your pain is never a good idea. Chiropractic care is a smart way to quickly get your body healthy because the cause of your problem is safely treated, not covered up.

When you come into our St. Louis chiropractic office, we will ask you to provide a detailed account of your back pain and medical history, as well as specifics about the nature of the back pain you are currently experiencing.

Once we have an idea of your history with back pain (how the pain may have started, treatments that have worked for you in the past, etc.), we will administer a physical exam inclusive of neurological and orthopedic tests to determine your posture, range of motion, strength, and muscle tone.

After Dr. Donahue has evaluated your condition, a treatment plan with wellness goals, recommended stretching and/or at-home strengthening exercises and recommended adjustments to decrease your pain and fix the root of the problem will be given to you.

We want all of our patients to feel comfortable with their treatment plan so we make sure each individual completely understands what their condition is and why we believe the plan we’ve created will benefit them.

If you’re wondering if chiropractic care will help end your back pain once and for all, contact us for an appointment and let’s get started.