Pain Relief Tips

Most office workers know that sitting all day isn't good for their back. What most don't know is the specific mechanical reason why — and why "get a better chair" is an incomplete answer. Dr. Lucas Marchand explains what eight hours at a desk actually does to the lumbar spine, why the pain often appears hours after you've stopped sitting, and what consistently helps beyond ergonomic advice.

"Pinched nerve. Went to acute care. They just sent me home and said it's muscular. Gave me steroids and a muscle relaxant." This is one of the most common patient texts I receive. The frustration behind it is completely understandable. Being sent home with medication and no explanation isn't the same as being told what's wrong. Dr. Lucas Marchand explains what "it's muscular" actually means clinically — and what typically helps.

A patient asked before a road trip: "Is there anything I can do so my back doesn't lock up on the drive?" It's one of the most common questions I get — and the answer goes deeper than adjusting your seat. Dr. Lucas Marchand explains the mechanical reason driving causes back pain, what actually helps before and during a long drive, and what to do when it locks up anyway.

Most people think of breathing as something their body handles automatically in the background. They're right — but the diaphragm isn't just moving air. It's the primary pressure regulator for the entire spine. When it stops working correctly, the back compensates. Dr. Lucas Marchand explains the mechanism most people never hear about — and why fixing how you breathe often matters as much as the adjustment itself.

A patient called me convinced something was seriously wrong with her spine. She'd thrown her back out reaching into the dishwasher. Nothing was structurally wrong — that's almost always the answer, and it's almost never the one people want. The moment of pain is rarely the moment of damage; the damage builds quietly for months, and the dishwasher is just the final straw. Here's why most back pain treatments miss this, and what actually keeps it from coming back.

Acute low back pain doesn't resolve in a single visit — and there's a good reason for that. When your back goes out, the surrounding muscles guard the area to protect it. The first visit is about calming that response down. Here's what the recovery process actually looks like, and why the second visit often feels like the breakthrough.

The word sciatica gets used loosely. Most people mean pain that travels from the low back into the buttock or leg. But that description covers several different conditions with different causes — and treating them the same way is how people end up with six months of treatment for a problem that wasn't responding to it.

Most people who wake up with back pain do the same thing: they wait. Sometimes that works. But the spine that hurt for six weeks is, in a very real sense, better at hurting than the spine that hurt for six days. Here's what back pain actually needs — and what it doesn't.

Most chiropractors go straight to the adjustment. I used to wonder what we were leaving on the table by doing that. The order in which you treat a body isn't a minor detail — it's the clinical argument. Soft tissue work, therapeutic stretching, then the adjustment. Each stage earns the next. By the time I position a patient for the adjustment, their nervous system has already been given two reasons to cooperate.

He came to me in a Ford Transit van parked outside his house, the way most of my patients do. He was 55, had been waking up at 3 a.m. for three months, and described his pain in three words: sharp, burning, aching. Most back pain is mechanical. His wasn't. Here's what his medical history revealed — and when lower back pain and sciatica are a sign that chiropractic care alone won't be enough.

As a chiropractor, I believe in transparency about when my care is appropriate—and when it’s not. Recently, I had a patient reach out with back pain after a minor movement, but the symptoms were serious: whole-body numbness, severe pain, and even fainting. This was not a case for chiropractic care, it was a medical emergency. Here’s why I sent them straight to the ER and how you can recognize red flags for yourself.

Stretching isn’t always the solution. Sometimes, tight muscles are your body’s way of protecting itself. Learn when to stretch—and when to step back.

Is your adjustment not “holding”? The truth is more complex. Here’s why symptoms return and how to extend the benefits of care.

Truckers, ease low back pain on the road with simple stretches, seat adjustments, and core activation before seeing a chiropractor.

10 simple steps to prevent low back pain - stay active, eat whole foods, stretch, sleep well, and consider chiropractic care!

Mobile chiropractic can offer effective sciatica pain relief in Sioux Falls, helping you feel better in the comfort of your home or office.

Could dehydration be causing your back pain? Learn how proper hydration can improve back health and relieve discomfort.

Lower back pain and sciatica may need more than chiropractic care. Learn when it's time to see a specialist for further treatment