Lowell Magelssen, D.C.

In the past, we’ve written about the use of mechanical traction for patients with neck pain. But what about the low back pain (LBP) patient? Can traction help reduce pain and improve function for this group? Let’s see what the scientific literature has to say about traction for the lower back and whether it has [..]

The sciatic nerve is made up of five nerve roots that exit the spine in the lower back (L4 to S3) and then merge into one nerve that travels through the buttock and into the leg. At the back of the knee, the nerve divides into two nerves, the tibial and common peroneal, that travel [..]

In the past, patients may have been prescribed bed rest by their family doctor for low back pain. These days, treatment guidelines recommend staying active during the recovery process. Why the change? There are two types of muscles in the back: the superficial muscles and the deep muscles. The superficial muscles are used to perform [..]

You’ve probably heard of a friend or loved one whose back pain resulted in a spinal fusion surgery, but you may not understand what prompted surgery over non-surgical approaches, including chiropractic care. Simply put, spinal fusion is a surgical technique that aims to eliminate excessive motion (instability) in the spine by fusing two or more [..]

Since the late 1980s, researchers have embraced the biopsychosocial model (BPS) to understand both the causative and prognostic factors associated with neuromusculoskeletal disorders, which includes back pain. In order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients with back pain, it’s important to understand the role that factors outside of the biomechanical injury model play [..]

Kinesiophobia, the fear of movement, is a common occurrence for patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP). Unfortunately, self-restricting one’s daily physical activity can result in muscle weakness and atrophy. This can lead to further inactivity and more muscle weakness, and subsequently, poor tolerance of normal activities of daily living, work absenteeism, and depression. When [..]

Low back pain (LBP) and posterior pelvic pain (PPP) are very common complaints during pregnancy. In fact, current estimates show that two-thirds of expectant mothers will experience back pain during pregnancy and one in five will report pelvic pain. These afflictions can have a significant impact on a woman’s quality of life and her ability [..]

When patients present with low back pain (LBP), they are frequently nervous and worried about whether they’re going to respond to the treatment—especially when it comes to getting out of pain and returning to their normal activities. A variety of studies have shown chiropractic care to be an effective option for the LBP patient, and [..]

Doctors of chiropractic offer a non-surgical, treatment protocol for both acute and chronic low back pain (LBP), as do several other healthcare delivery systems. However, due to patient preference and a rising concern for potentially harmful side-effects, many LBP patients seek management strategies that offer a natural, non-pharmaceutical approach, of which chiropractic is the most [..]

Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a very common gynecological disorder affecting 84.1% of women during childbearing age. The most common symptoms of PD include lower abdominal pain that can radiate to both thighs and/or to the low back. Other symptoms include tiredness, headache, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. The condition precedes menstruation (in the absence of any [..]