Lower back pain is the most common reason adults visit a doctor. Dr. Brian Kelchen at Libertyville Wellness Group explains how chiropractic adjustments provide lasting relief without surgery or medication — and what to expect at your first visit.
Lower back pain is the single most common reason adults in the United States visit a doctor's office, and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. If you are one of the millions of people waking up stiff, struggling to sit through a workday, or unable to enjoy activities you love, you already know how much it affects every part of your life. The good news is that chiropractic care has a well-documented track record of providing meaningful, lasting relief — often without the need for prescription medication or surgery.
At Libertyville Wellness Group, Dr. Brian Kelchen has helped more than 11,000 patients in the Libertyville, Grayslake, and Lake County area recover from lower back pain and return to the activities that matter most to them. This article explains exactly how chiropractic care works for lower back pain, what to expect during treatment, and how to know whether it is the right choice for your specific situation.
Why Lower Back Pain Is So Common — and So Persistent
The lumbar spine — the five vertebrae that make up your lower back — bears the majority of your body's weight and is involved in nearly every movement you make. Sitting, standing, bending, lifting, and even breathing all place demand on this region. When the joints, discs, muscles, or nerves in this area become irritated, compressed, or misaligned, pain follows.
The most frequent causes of lower back pain that Dr. Kelchen sees in his Libertyville practice include:
Lumbar disc herniation occurs when the soft inner material of a spinal disc pushes through its outer casing and presses on a nearby nerve root. This is one of the most common causes of both lower back pain and radiating leg pain (sciatica). Many patients describe a sharp, burning sensation that travels from the lower back down through the buttock and into the leg.
Facet joint dysfunction involves the small joints at the back of each vertebra that guide and limit spinal movement. When these joints become inflamed or restricted — often from prolonged sitting, repetitive motion, or an acute injury — they produce localized lower back pain that is typically worse with extension (leaning backward) and first thing in the morning.
Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction is frequently misdiagnosed as a disc problem. The SI joints connect the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of the spine) to the pelvis. When these joints become hypermobile or locked, they produce pain in the lower back, buttock, and sometimes the upper thigh. Pregnancy, leg length discrepancy, and prior hip or knee injuries are common contributing factors.
Muscle strain and ligament sprain are the most common acute causes of lower back pain. A sudden movement, heavy lift, or awkward twist can overstretch the muscles and ligaments that support the spine, producing immediate pain and muscle spasm. While these injuries typically resolve within a few weeks, they often recur if the underlying biomechanical issues are not addressed.
Postural stress and sedentary lifestyle have become increasingly significant contributors to lower back pain. Hours of sitting — especially with poor ergonomics — place sustained compressive load on the lumbar discs and create adaptive shortening in the hip flexors, which tilts the pelvis forward and increases lumbar lordosis. Over time, this pattern produces chronic, low-grade pain that gradually worsens.
How Chiropractic Adjustments Address Lower Back Pain
Chiropractic care works by restoring proper motion and alignment to the joints of the spine and pelvis. When a vertebral joint loses its normal range of motion — a condition chiropractors call a subluxation or joint restriction — the surrounding muscles tighten to protect the area, local inflammation increases, and the nerve tissue in the region becomes sensitized. The result is pain, stiffness, and reduced function.
A chiropractic adjustment (also called spinal manipulation) applies a precise, controlled force to a restricted joint to restore its normal movement. This does several things simultaneously:
Reduces joint inflammation. Research published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics has demonstrated that spinal manipulation reduces inflammatory markers in the tissue surrounding restricted joints, which directly decreases pain signals.
Releases muscle tension. When a joint is manipulated, the sudden stretch activates the Golgi tendon organs in the surrounding muscles, triggering an immediate relaxation response. Patients frequently notice that the muscle tightness accompanying their pain releases significantly within the first few treatments.
Improves nerve function. Compressed or irritated nerve roots in the lumbar spine can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness that radiates into the legs. By reducing the mechanical pressure on these nerves through spinal decompression and joint mobilization, chiropractic care addresses the root cause of these symptoms rather than simply masking them.
Restores movement patterns. Chronic lower back pain almost always involves compensatory movement patterns — the body learns to move in ways that protect the painful area, which places abnormal stress on other joints and muscles. Chiropractic treatment, combined with rehabilitative exercises, retrains these patterns and reduces the likelihood of recurrence.
What the Research Says About Chiropractic for Lower Back Pain
The evidence base for chiropractic care in the treatment of lower back pain is substantial and growing. The American College of Physicians (ACP) updated its clinical practice guidelines for lower back pain in 2017 and explicitly recommended spinal manipulation as a first-line treatment for both acute and chronic lower back pain — before prescription medication. This represented a significant shift in mainstream medical thinking and reflected the accumulating evidence that non-pharmacological approaches produce better long-term outcomes.
A 2018 systematic review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed 26 randomized controlled trials involving 1,711 patients and found that spinal manipulation was associated with statistically significant improvements in both pain intensity and function for acute lower back pain.
For patients with sciatica (pain radiating from the lower back down the leg due to nerve compression), a study in the Spine journal found that 60% of patients with sciatica who had not responded to medical management experienced the same degree of relief from chiropractic care as those who eventually underwent surgery — without the risks, recovery time, or cost of an operation.
What to Expect at Your First Appointment at Libertyville Wellness Group
Many patients who have never seen a chiropractor before are unsure what to expect. At Libertyville Wellness Group, the first visit is designed to be thorough, unhurried, and focused entirely on understanding your specific situation.
Dr. Kelchen will begin with a comprehensive health history review, followed by an orthopedic and neurological examination that assesses your range of motion, muscle strength, reflexes, and sensation. A spinal analysis and postural assessment identifies areas of restriction or asymmetry contributing to your symptoms. Digital X-rays are taken when clinically indicated.
At the end of your first visit, Dr. Kelchen will explain his findings in plain language, discuss your diagnosis, and outline a specific treatment plan with realistic goals and a projected timeline. Most patients receive their first adjustment on the same day as their initial examination and leave feeling noticeably better than when they arrived.
How Many Treatments Will You Need?
The duration of care depends on how long you have had the problem, the severity of the underlying condition, your age, and your general health. As a general guide: acute lower back pain (less than 4–6 weeks) typically responds within 6–12 visits over 3–6 weeks. Subacute pain (4–12 weeks) generally requires 12–20 visits. Chronic lower back pain (more than 12 weeks) often involves a treatment course of 20–30 visits over 3–6 months, with a transition to maintenance care once the acute phase is resolved.
Dr. Kelchen reassesses every patient at regular intervals and adjusts the treatment plan based on your progress.
Tips for Managing Lower Back Pain Between Appointments
What you do between chiropractic visits significantly influences how quickly you recover. Stay active — gentle movement maintains circulation to the discs and muscles and prevents the deconditioning that prolongs recovery. Apply ice for acute pain in the first 48–72 hours, then transition to moist heat for chronic stiffness. Improve your workstation ergonomics if you sit for extended periods. Strengthen your core with exercises Dr. Kelchen prescribes specifically for your condition. Practice proper lifting mechanics by bending at the hips and knees, not the waist.
Schedule Your Lower Back Pain Consultation in Libertyville
If you are dealing with lower back pain — whether it started yesterday or has been bothering you for years — the team at Libertyville Wellness Group is ready to help. Dr. Brian Kelchen brings 14+ years of clinical experience, advanced training in spinal biomechanics, and a genuine commitment to getting to the root cause of your pain rather than simply managing symptoms.
We serve patients from Libertyville, Grayslake, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, and throughout Lake County, Illinois. Most insurance plans are accepted, including Medicare.
Call us at (847) 996-0007 or book your appointment online today.