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Treating Chronic Back Pain in San Diego

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Traditional Lower Back Pain
Treatments Often Fall Short

AT INTOUCH CHIROPRACTIC, FAST RELIEF IS WITHIN REACH

Most patients with chronic back pain in San Diego, CA that we meet verbalize that they don’t want to rely on daily medications, either over-the-counter or prescription based. While medications temporarily alleviate pain, painkillers, and muscle relaxants only cover up the symptoms and the pain persists.

In our experience, this does not treat the cause, nor is it a long-term solution for chronic pain.

It’s common to treat back pain with painkillers. While this may be an easy back pain remedy, do your research first. Before you take prescription pharmaceutical pain medications (including opioids) or reach for over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, it’s important to understand the dangers they pose. This is especially important if taken for long periods of time or in the wrong dose, as they come with a whole host of side effects that can be dangerous. We often meet patients who are in severe pain. They feel that they’ve tried everything to get relief, and nothing has worked.

At Intouch Chiropractic in Mission Valley of San Diego, CA, we specialize in non-surgical and non-pharmaceutical based approaches to treating chronic back pain.

That’s Where We Come In.

Don’t lose hope! We treat many patients successfully with our state-of-the-art DRX9000 spinal decompression technology and upper cervical care (NUCCA). If you’re looking for lower back pain treatment in San Diego, CA from a chiropractor, we can help. We use non-surgical methods and state-of-the-art equipment to tailor the treatment to your specific situation for improved quality of life.

Experiencing Lower Back Pain? You’re Not Alone

Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions that drives a patient to a doctor’s office. Our doctors help many San Diego patients get lasting relief from lower back pain with innovative yet non-invasive lower back pain treatment. We effectively help provide relief from chronic back pain by resolving misalignment issues of the spine through gentle chiropractic in San Diego.

A male patient undergoes neck spinal decompression treatment at Intouch Chiropractic of San Diego, California.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT!

Treat the Causes
of Low Back Pain

Common medical treatment options include prescription pain medications, NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, physical therapy, and cortisone injections. Many patients can link their back pain to a specific car or sports injuries or accident, injury, or trauma. Pain often arises from a bulging disc or herniated disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, and degenerative disc disease.

Lower back pain symptoms vary from mild aches to completely debilitating pain. The severity of the pain does not always match the amount of damage to the bones, discs, ligaments, and soft tissues. In some cases, a simple strain can cause debilitating lower back pain that makes it difficult to stand or even walk. On the other hand, a disc that has herniated or completely degenerated is sometimes painless – though it is still causing damage.

Please contact us today if you’re interested in minimally invasive chronic low back pain relief in San Diego.

Get a Tailored Back Pain Solution

WITH UPPER CERVICAL CHIROPRACTIC CARE

Upper cervical chiropractic care offers a non-invasive, all-natural approach for low back pain relief. After doing a comprehensive physical exam, our doctors will discuss the causes of your pain. We will ask you specific questions about how often, where, and when the lower back pain occurs.

The information we gain from your consultation and exam helps us determine if you are a candidate for care in our San Diego office. Rather than simply treating the common symptoms, our doctors provide a long-term strategy to not only get the lower back pain relief that you seek right away but also prevent future spinal decay and achieve optimal health.

We take an upper cervical care approach to your care because the alignment of your head and neck plays a large role in how your back feels. We correct spinal imbalances by studying the upper neck. Most low back pain symptoms respond favorably to upper cervical chiropractic care.

If you have a disc injury, we may recommend non-surgical spinal decompression sessions to help heal the discs. The DRX9000 is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that requires no downtime and is highly recommended for lower back pain patients.

Chronic Back Pain Recovery, Results and Testimonials

Chronic back pain doesn’t need to continue. In fact, many of our patients report improvements after just a few sessions. Here are real patients sharing about their experience working with Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego, California.

I had been dealing with lower back and hip flexor pain for 10 years… Within 1 week of adjustments, not only did I feel great with no pain, but I was able to lift heavier, train harder, and recover better without any negative side effects as had been happening for years.

Natasha S.

Loved it! The staff was super friendly and took their time to understand some of the back pain I was having.

Jacob O.

I have had chronic low back pain and sciatica for over 10 years. After trying regular chiro, massages, stretching etc for years, I luckily found Dr Tapia and Dr Young and their amazing team. This is the first time in years I have had sustained relief from my symptoms.

Dave C.

I was struggling with lower back weakness and pain until I learned of spinal decompression. I was able to do a 2 week vacation recently with none of my original issues!

Robin K.

How Mandi G. Fixed Her Lower Back Pain at Intouch

Play VideoPatient giving a testimonial on chronic back pain treatments at Intouch ChiropracticPlay Video

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Lower Back Pain Risk Factors:

The most common ways you can hurt your back are lifting heavy items, trauma, repetitive motions, poor posture, and engaging in a new activity.

Repetitive Motions

Repetitive motions during your daily routine can stress your back over time. Recreation activities like golf, baseball, rowing, and running can produce chronic muscle strains in the lower back and even the neck. At work, having a poor ergonomic setup can also strain your back gradually. Repetitive stress can cause muscles to tighten, spasm, or tear. Pain can come on gradually or suddenly if put under intense stress suddenly.

Sudden Trauma or Injury

A slip and fall, car accident, or sports trauma can jar your low back. Sports such as rugby, soccer, lacrosse, football, and other impact sports put high amounts of pressure on joints and muscles. Any sudden impact can contribute to lower back injury, but multiple injuries can also have a cumulative effect on your spine.

Poor Posture

Slouching over days, months, and years puts extra strain on your low back muscles and spine. Poor posture is also often linked to weak abdominal muscles, spinal muscles, and hamstrings. Increasing muscle strength indirectly improves your posture.

Engaging in a New Activity

Starting a new workout routine can lead to muscle strains. Make sure to ease into new activities to help you avoid doing too much too soon.

Heavy Lifting

The most common back strains occur when you’re lifting a heavy item and twisting your spine at the same time. When lifting items from the ground, make sure you bend your knees and lift with your leg muscles instead of your back muscles. Once fully standing, turn your body and avoid twisting your upper body at the same time. Even when you are reaching for something overhead, you are still exposing yourself to back sprain or strain. Do your best to keep items close to your body.

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The Anatomy of Your Lower Back

The Spine

The lower part of your back, or lumbar spine, is almost always made up of 5 vertebral bones with intervertebral discs in between the bones. Facet joints in the posterior aspect of the bones interlock and provide stability. Your lumbar spine connects to the hips below and is adjacent to the thoracic spine above.

  • Lumbar Vertebrae. The bones are named L1 to L5. These bones are larger in size than other parts of your back, as they provide more support. The bones encase and protect the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots.
  • Discs. You have 5 intervertebral discs in your lower back. These act like shock absorbers or cushions between your lumbar vertebrae. Spinal discs can bulge over time due to wear and tear. They can also herniate with trauma or injury. Disc injuries are typically painful, and surgery is often recommended.
  • Facet joints. Your lumbar vertebrae are linked in the back of your spine with paired facet joints. Your facet joints allow you to move freely while also providing stability. These joints degenerate over time, weakening the cartilage that lines the joint surfaces.

If you are looking for lower back pain therapy near you in San Diego, CA, we can help.

Lower Back Nerves

You have five pairs of lumbar spinal nerves, also named L1 to L5. These nerves branch off your spinal cord and exit through small openings between the bones called foramina. The part of the nerve that exits at each spinal level is called the nerve root.

Your lower back spinal nerves travel down each of your legs and are formed by 2 types of fibers. One type is sensory nerves that send (pain) messages to your brain. Motor fibers receive messages from your brain, directing your muscles to move.

  • L1 spinal nerves provide sensation to your genital regions and groin. They contribute to hip movement.
  • L2, L3, and L4 nerves provide sensation to the inner side of your lower leg, as well as the front part of your thigh. These nerves also control hip movements, as well as knee muscles.
  • L5 spinal nerves provide sensation to the big toe, the upper part of the foot, and the outer side of your lower leg. L5 nerves control your toe, foot, knee, and hip movements.
  • The L4 and L5 nerves (along with other nerves) contribute to the formation of the largest nerve in your body, the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs down the back of the butt into the back of your leg into your foot.
Gold quotation marks
I came in to Intouch in February with a herniated disc. I was in a lot of pain and at times could hardly move. They came up with a treatment plan for me. I am now in a lot less pain and can move around a lot better. I still have some physical limitations but each time I go in and come out I feel a little bit better. I'm getting married May 21st. In December I didn't think I would be able to dance at my wedding. Now I know I can. I can't recommend Intouch enough. The staff are really friendly and the doctors know what they are doing. If you have any kind of back issue or have a need for a chiropractor, I highly recommend them.

-Joseph M.

Chronic Back Pain FAQs

What counts as chronic back pain and when should I seek professional help?

Chronic back pain is generally defined as back pain that persists for more than three months. It may be constant or come and go, ranging from a dull ache to sharp, debilitating pain that limits your ability to sit, stand, sleep, or move freely.

If your pain has lasted more than a few weeks, is spreading into your legs, or is affecting your daily life, it’s time to seek a professional evaluation rather than continuing to manage it on your own.

Some of the patients we see at our San Diego office have been experiencing chronic lower back pain for years! If your back pain has been going on for a long time, it’s time to find help.

What are the most common causes of chronic back pain?

Chronic back pain is often “multifactorial”. That means that several issues are contributing at once including muscle strain, disc degeneration, nerve compression, poor posture, and/or spinal misalignment. One frequently overlooked cause is a misalignment at the top of the spine (the upper cervical region), which can create a cascading imbalance that places uneven stress on the muscles and joints of the lower back.

Addressing this root-level imbalance is central to the NUCCA approach practiced at Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego.

How can an adjustment to my neck help my lower back?

This often seems counterintuitive to our patients… but the alignment of your head and neck directly influences the health of your entire spine.

The atlas (C1 vertebra) at the top of your spine supports your skull and when it shifts out of position, it creates compensatory imbalances all the way down to your lower back. This can contribute to pain, muscle spasms, and nerve irritation.

The NUCCA chiropractic care at Intouch Chiropractic uses precise, gentle adjustments (no popping, cracking, or twisting) to correct this misalignment, helping restore balance, relieve nerve pressure, and allow your body to heal naturally.

Is NUCCA care safe and does it hurt?

Yes, NUCCA is safe! This technique is widely considered one of the safest forms of chiropractic care because it uses extremely gentle, low-force corrections rather than the high-force twisting or cracking associated with traditional adjustments.

Intouch Chiropractic’s expert San Diego doctors use advanced diagnostics to precisely measure your spinal misalignment before any treatment is applied, ensuring each adjustment is customized to you. There is no forceful manipulation of the spine, making it appropriate for patients of all ages, including those who have tried other treatments without success.

So, yes NUCCA is safe. And no, it does not hurt.

How soon will I feel relief from my chronic back pain after starting NUCCA care?

It depends. Results vary based on how long you’ve had the misalignment and how your body responds.

But many of our patients report noticeable improvements within the first 2 to 6 weeks of care. Some experience significant relief after just a few sessions, while others with longer-standing conditions may require a more gradual correction process.

At Intouch Chiropractic, patients typically begin with more frequent visits and then reduce frequency as their alignment holds and symptoms improve. Some of our patients report life-changing results within just 1 to 2 months!

Why should I choose Intouch Chiropractic for my chronic back pain instead of a traditional chiropractor?

Intouch Chiropractic is one of very few practices in San Diego specializing in NUCCA, a highly advanced, precision-based upper cervical technique that requires extensive post-doctoral training.

Dr. Devin Young holds a Level 2 NUCCA certification along with over 300 hours of training in cranio-cervical junction procedures. And Dr. Jeanett Tapia is a NUCCA specialist known for her gentle, personalized approach. Together, they are one of the most credentialed upper cervical chiropractic teams in the San Diego region.

Unlike traditional chiropractic care that may temporarily address symptoms, our approach targets the structural root cause of your back pain using next-generation diagnostic technology for long-lasting results.

I've tried physical therapy, medications, and other chiropractors. Can NUCCA still help me?

Yes! NUCCA care is particularly beneficial for patients who have not found lasting relief through conventional treatments. In fact, many of our patients finally come to us because they feel like they’ve tried everything to treat their chronic lower back pain and just can’t find relief.

Because most standard treatments focus on the site of pain (the lower back) rather than the structural root cause (upper cervical misalignment), they often provide only temporary relief. By correcting the foundational alignment of the spine, NUCCA care removes the underlying source of nerve irritation and mechanical imbalance, giving the body the conditions it needs to truly heal.

What is spinal decompression and can it help relieve my chronic back pain?

Spinal decompression is a non-surgical therapy designed to relieve pressure on compressed spinal discs and nerves – common contributors to chronic back pain, sciatica, and radiating leg pain.

It gently stretches the spine to create negative pressure within the discs, which can help retract bulging or herniated disc material and promote the flow of nutrients and oxygen back into damaged discs to support natural healing.

At Intouch Chiropractic, spinal decompression can be paired with NUCCA upper cervical care for a comprehensive, non-invasive approach. This combinations works by correcting the structural root cause of your spinal imbalance while simultaneously relieving the disc pressure that’s driving your pain. This is especially effective for patients dealing with chronic lower back pain, disc herniations, or degenerative disc conditions who want to avoid surgery or long-term medication use.

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