Lower back pain affects nearly everyone at some point in their life, so it is not surprising that it is the number one condition we see walking through our doors. We have been eliminating lower back pain for over 20 years, and 95% of our patients get relief. This relief typically does not happen in 1 adjustment or treatment but often takes time. Healing takes time. Most patients experience some relief within the first 2 to 3 weeks, but more complicated cases can take months. The good news is our treatment addresses the root cause of low back pain rather than just masking the symptom with medications, and the only side effect is maximizing the flow of information to your body through a healthier, functioning nervous system that supports your body’s health and healing. So, not only will your low back pain feel better, but your organs will function better, your immune system will be stronger, your mobility will improve, etc. So, if your low back pain will not go away for good, listen to why what we do is different.
Lower back pain is very common, but it is not normal. The lower back absorbs a large portion of the stress from lifting and moving. In a spine with normal alignment, the muscles, discs, ligaments, and joints are designed to handle our average daily stresses. However, in a spine that is out of alignment or has subluxation, the stress on the discs, joints, and nerves increases. This is usually a very easy fix if caught early. The reason low back pain is common is that over 75% of people have never had their spine checked. Imagine if 75% of people never checked their teeth! Would dental hygiene be better or worse? Spinal hygiene is bad because most people never check it. If the spine is out of alignment or subluxated and not corrected, it can lead to increased inflammation and stress on your spine and nervous system. This leads to pain about 10% of the time (about 10% of your nerves are pain nerves) and more commonly dysfunction in your nervous system and body. If you have a mechanical problem, such as lower back pain, and treat it with a chemical solution, you are missing the root cause. What makes us different is that we treat mechanical problems or misalignment with mechanical solutions or adjustments to correct the structure, restoring function, eliminating stress and inflammation, and reducing the root cause of pain rather than just masking it with a pill or injection. If you have low back pain and spinal misalignment, you could eat healthy, stretch, take a pill, exercise, do therapy, or get an injection, but are any of those things going to correct your spinal misalignment?
This is why the health paradigm we have today is backwards. We are ALL blessed to have a spine which houses our nervous system, which runs every cell, tissue, organ, and function in the body, and it is usually the last thing we check if we ever check it. The spine, which houses your nervous system that runs every function of your body, should not be the last thing we check; it should be the first. And if the body can’t heal itself due to some limitation of time or matter, thank god we have (alternative) medicine and therapy to help us, but that shouldn’t be the first thing we check when the system that runs your life. is broken
Untreated, lower back pain can keep you from spending time with your family, working and providing for your family, exercising, playing sports, going on vacation, enjoying the outdoors, or doing the things in life you love with the people you love. Symptoms are the last thing to come and the first thing to go away. So, breakdown is usually present long before you feel the pain. Luckily, as we treat patients, symptoms are the first thing to go away. It doesn’t usually take long to feel better, but it does often take a while to correct the structure. Correcting the structure is not only what helps address the root cause of much low back pain, but also what helps you avoid osteoarthritis, which can lead to irreversible low back pain.
If you drive on a crooked tire, it wears out faster than a tire in good alignment. If you live with a crooked spine, it wears out faster than a spine in good alignment (Wolff’s Law). Osteoarthritis is a form of wear-and-tear arthritis. It is important to treat low back pain quickly because not only will you feel better and get back to living the life you love faster, but you could also avoid osteoarthritis from developing or worsening if it is already there, and avoid years of irreversible low back pain.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation with your doctor, thorough chiropractic examination, first treatment and customized plan of action.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Finally Be Heard
Too often, patients feel like just another number in a crowded waiting room, leaving them frustrated and unheard. We believe your recovery starts with a conversation. That’s why we dedicate a full 30 minutes to your initial exam—giving you the floor to share your history, your concerns, and your goals. We’re here to listen intently, ensuring that the path we build together is one that finally puts your needs first.
2. Tailored Plan Of Attack
Knowledge is the first step toward lasting health. Once we’ve analyzed your exam results and digital X-rays, you’ll return for a detailed Report of Findings. We don’t just tell you what’s wrong; we show you why it’s happening. Together, we’ll walk through a personalized care plan tailored specifically to your lifestyle and goals. Our objective isn’t just a quick fix—it’s a sustainable strategy designed to resolve the root cause of your discomfort and prevent it from returning.
3. Take Back Control Of Your Health
Health is wealth. While resolving your symptoms is our first priority, our ultimate goal is to empower your future. We shift the focus from how you feel to how you function, teaching you the principles of spinal hygiene and proactive wellness. By investing in your health today, you aren’t just adding years to your life—you’re adding life to your years, ensuring you have the energy and mobility to enjoy every moment with the people you love.
How We Treat Lower Back Pain In Reading, PA
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
At McClimon Chiropractic, we know that to eliminate low back pain, we must first accurately diagnose it. Upon greeting the patient by name and giving them a tour on the way back, the doctor will help educate them about what we do. We then listen to the patient through a thorough consultation of their signs, symptoms, and history. You will have an opportunity to discuss your specific problem with the doctor and have all of your questions and concerns answered.
After the consultation, the doctor will perform appropriate orthopedic tests, a palpation exam, a postural exam, and spinal range-of-motion testing. Once all exam information is compiled, the doctor will recommend appropriate x-rays and schedule the day 2 doctor’s report of findings to review all findings and recommendations.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Reading, PA
Subluxation is vertebral or extraspinal misalignment that creates nerve pressure and dysfunction or disease. This is important because if a subluxation presses on a nerve, it can cause various symptoms depending on which nerve is involved. The spinal nerve chart is like the electrical panel of the body. It shows the nerve level and what can be impacted by pressure from subluxation at that level. For example, in addition to low back pain, pressure on your L5 nerve root can cause poor circulation in your feet, sciatica, leg weakness, or cramps. Pressure on your L4 nerve root can cause back pain, painful or frequent urination, or sciatica. Pressure on the L3 nerve root can cause bladder problems, menstrual problems, or painful or irregular periods, bed-wetting, knee pain, or impotence, just to name a few. Once subluxation or misalignment is identified through your examination and x-ray, the adjustment is the specific treatment to reduce or remove subluxation, restoring the body’s normal alignment and innate intelligence, restoring proper nerve flow and function, and eliminating symptoms without the use of drugs or surgery. This is extremely safe and effective. Over 300 people per year die from properly prescribed drugs; no one dies from a specific chiropractic adjustment.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Exercise is an important part of your recovery and healing process, as well as helping you achieve your full potential. Subluxation or spinal misalignment will create poor alignment and altered biomechanics,s often leading to muscular imbalances. It is important to note that exercise supports adjustments, but stretching alone will not address the root cause of the imbalance and will ultimately not provide lasting results. Exercise helps to mobilize tissues, stabilize them, and reinforce proper functional movement.
We guide all patients through a series of spinal hygiene exercises to improve and reinforce good posture. These are designed for all areas of the spine, including the lower back. One of the most common problems we see today is forward head posture and a loss or even reversal of the cervical curve. This is largely due to the increased use of technology and computers, which can lead to hours of poor posture and ultimately affect your structure, nervous system, and health. Research shows that a loss of cervical curve can severely impact longevity and quality of life by causing chronic pain, nerve compression, and accelerated spinal degeneration or osteoarthritis. This can create long-term health issues like neurological dysfunction, brain circulation issues, and reduced physical mobility. Poor posture is associated with higher mortality rates. Patients laugh when I say to stop brushing their teeth except when they hurt, but when someone says to stop taking care of their spine, they listen. If you don’t brush your teeth, they decay fast; if you don’t “brush” your spine, it will decay faster, affecting the inner workings of your nervous system that run your life. You can live without your teeth, but you can’t live without your nervous system. We provide a series of home daily hygiene range-of-motion exercises for your lower back to support your adjustments and spine health.
We also provide access to our Movewell site, which includes a video library of stretches and exercises to improve mobility, stability, and proper functional movement in your lower back and throughout your body. This can be found at movewelltools.com. This site has helped guide patients with their home exercise and rehabilitation. Please note that with low back pain, you typically want to avoid any exercises that put you in extension, as they can further compress your nerve roots and increase pressure on the already inflamed area, possibly worsening your symptoms. Flexion exercises are much more helpful in the acute period of lower back pain.
Digital X-rays
We believe that to see is to know, and not to see is to guess, and we don’t guess with our patients’ health. So, taking X-rays is essential to evaluate the spine fully and to precisely make our chiropractic adjustments based on your misalignment or subluxation pattern. They not only allow us to see what is there but also allow us to monitor our progress or regression if future films are warranted. They are also valuable for screening for any pathology or contraindications that may require adjustment. There are circumstances in which they may not be utilized, such as being pregnant.
Report of Findings
This is your second appointment to review the findings from your examination. This appointment is about 30 minutes and will be extremely educational. We will discuss your findings and our recommendations based on your health goals. Then we will discuss your insurance benefits if you have insurance and how they participate. You will know exactly how often you will need to come in, how long it will take, and how much it will cost. Once all your questions are answered, you will be taken to the front for your first adjustment.
Custom-made Orthotics
One of the major reasons for low back pain that gets completely overlooked by most medical doctors and even some chiropractors is an anatomical short leg. A short leg can result from a subluxation of the pelvis, causing pelvic unleveling and making one leg shorter than the other. This can be corrected with a series of adjustments. However, if one leg is actually anatomically shorter than the other due to an old fracture or a congenital deficiency, adjustments will not correct the structural imbalance or its associated compensations, and the low back pain will not go away. This creates an imbalance in posture and gait that can lead to low back pain, among other things. The only way to correct an actual short leg is with a lift or a custom-made orthotic to make up for the deficiency calculated on x-ray. So, if you are suffering from low back pain and can’t get relief, this is another avenue to evaluate.
Common Causes of Low Back Pain in Reading, PA
Muscle Strain
Muscle strain occurs when the muscle fibers are overstretched or torn, often affecting the muscle tendon. There are 3 grades of muscle tears based on severity. This occurs from muscles being overstretched, overworked, or contracted for too long. This may be due to introducing a new exercise, doing more exercise than usual, or doing a routine exercise for too long or with too much weight. Muscle strain can cause pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, and limit mobility and mechanics. Muscle strains heal over time with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE).
Muscle strain is more likely to occur if we have poor posture or alignment. Structure affects function, and posture affects performance. This is why a thorough spine and nervous system evaluation is so important at an early age: muscle strain could result from a structural imbalance. If it is, Stretching and RICE may help initially, but it will be temporary and keep coming back until the root cause of the problem is addressed – the structure.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease or DDD is the wear and tear arthritis or Osteoarthritis of the spine to the point where the disc or cushion between the vertebrae starts to degenerate or thin. There are 4 phases of degenerative disc disease. Phase I is where the spine is out of alignment but has not yet decayed or degenerated; phase II is where the spine is out of alignment. There is thinning of the disc, with associated osteoarthritis or bone spurring, which can compress the nerve. Phase III is when you begin to see more severe disc degeneration and osteoarthritis, creating more nerve pressure. Phase IV is when the disc is so decayed that it fuses to the one next to it.
DDD causes the disc space to narrow, increasing pressure on the nerves and affecting how they function and how you work. Someone with DDD will usually experience pain, inflammation, and decreased range of motion. The number one risk factor for DDD is poor posture or poor spinal alignment. So please be conscious of your posture and ergonomics with technology and devices; this is one of the best ways to prevent and/or treat DDD. DDD is not created because your spine is in good alignment; it is created because your spine is in a bad alignment. If you drive on a tire that is out of alignment, it wears out faster. If you live with a spine out of alignment, it wears out faster. It’s called Wolff’s law, and it’s just physics. So, we don’t get osteoarthritis or DDD because we are old, we get it because we have old misalignment.
The best way to treat Osteoarthritis or DDD is early detection with a series of specific chiropractic adjustments and customized postural exercises. Once you get it, you can’t get rid of it. So, having your spine checked at an early age is the best way to prevent it. If you have DDD, specific chiropractic adjustments can still help improve alignment and function, increase joint motion, and reduce nerve pressure and pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I be worried about lower back pain?
Right away! Symptoms are the last thing to come, but luckily, the first thing to go away. By the time you feel a symptom, the problem has been there for a long time, so get it checked ASAP!
What can I do to relieve my lower back pain in Reading, PA?
At home, find the inflamed area and ice it for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times per day. Rest and often modifying activity can be helpful. Then call our office to have a complete spine and nervous system evaluation to check for subluxation or other pathology.
What causes lower back pain?
Nerve pressure from subluxation, bulged discs, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, muscle strain, SI joint dysfunction, facet joint dysfunction, kidney stones, and tumors, to name a few
How do I know if my back pain is serious?
The best way to determine if your back pain is serious is to be evaluated by a doctor who can use specialized testing, knowledge, and expertise to determine the severity of your condition.
How should I sleep with lower back pain?
The best way to sleep is on your side in the fetal position, with a pillow of the right thickness to keep your neck in line with the rest of your spine. Belly sleeping can create neck rotation and lumbar extension, which can be stressful on the spine and nervous system. Back sleeping can create cervical flexion and create undue strain on your neck and nervous system.
Why won’t my lower back pain go away?
If your lower back pain is not subsiding, it can be due to many causes. The human body has an amazing innate intelligence and power to heal itself, but if it is not getting better, your best bet is to see a chiropractor asap to determine why
Can a chiropractor in Reading, PA help with my lower back pain?
Yes, McClimon Chiropractic has been helping eliminate lower back pain for over 20 years.
What is better for lower back pain: a chiropractor or a massage?
A chiropractor. Lower back pain is usually from pressure on your nerves. Massaging muscles often feels great, but it does not address the underlying structural issue, so it does not address the root cause. Massage works well in conjunction with chiropractic; when done alone, it often leads to short-term relief.
When should I see a chiropractor in Reading, PA, for lower back pain?
ASAP! Symptoms are the last thing to come, but luckily, the first thing to go away. By the time you feel a symptom, the problem has been there for a long time, so get it checked ASAP!
How can you tell if your spine is out of alignment?
Look in a mirror and look at your posture. Do you have one shoulder that is higher than the other? Do you have one hip that is higher than the other? Do you have a head tilt one way? Do you have forward head posture? If you answered yes to any of these questions, is your spine likely out of alignment?
How does a slipped disc feel?
If you have sharp pain, especially with lower back movement, radiating down one or both legs, or worsening with coughing, you may have a slipped disc.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation with your doctor, thorough chiropractic examination, first treatment and customized plan of action.
