Back Pain
If you've been dealing with back pain for more than a few weeks, whether it's a dull ache that nags you at your desk, a sharp twinge when you stand up, or stiffness that wakes you in the morning, you don't have to live with it. Most back pain is treatable, and most patients are surprised how much better they feel after just a few visits with the right approach.
What back pain actually is:
"Back pain" is a catch-all term for a wide range of conditions. The most common types we see in the clinic:
Lower back pain — often related to lumbar strain, disc issues, or SI joint dysfunction
Mid-back pain — usually involves thoracic stiffness, postural strain, or rib mobility issues
Upper back and shoulder blade pain — frequently from posture, desk work, or repetitive strain
Pain that radiates into the hip, glute, or down the leg — often sciatica (see our Sciatica page)
A thorough exam is the only way to know exactly what's going on. Two patients with similar symptoms can have very different underlying causes, and very different treatment plans.
Common symptoms our patients describe
Stiffness in the morning or after sitting too long
A sharp catch when you bend, twist, or lift
A dull, constant ache that won't go away
Pain that worsens with specific activities — running, gardening, golf, lifting your kids
Difficulty finding a comfortable sleeping position
Tightness across the lower back or between the shoulder blades
If any of these sound familiar, the next step is a thorough exam to figure out what's actually going on.
Why our approach is different
Most chiropractors offer 10–15 minute appointments and a quick adjustment. We don't. Every new patient at Empower Chiropractic gets a full 45-minute exam, treatment the same day, and a personalized rehab plan to take home. As a cash-pay practice, we have the time to actually solve the problem instead of just managing symptoms — and the freedom to use whatever combination of treatments will work best for your specific case.
What causes back pain
Most back pain in adults rarely has just one cause. The most common contributors we see in patients from Excelsior, Wayzata, Minnetonka, and the surrounding Lake Minnetonka communities:
Long hours at a desk or in a car
Repetitive motions — gardening, golf, lifting children
Old injuries that never fully resolved
Pregnancy and postpartum changes
Sports overuse or sudden trauma
Postural patterns that have built up over years
Knowing the cause matters because it changes the treatment. A back pain patient with a desk-job posture pattern needs a very different plan from a runner with SI joint dysfunction.
How we treat back pain
Our approach is comprehensive and personalized — we don't just adjust and send you home. Treatment typically includes:
Chiropractic adjustments — to restore proper spinal motion and relieve nerve irritation
Soft tissue work — cupping, manual therapy, and trigger point release to relax the muscles supporting your spine
Modalities — decompression therapy, e-stim, compression boots, or cupping based on your case
Therapeutic exercise and rehab — to strengthen the deep muscles that hold your spine in place between visits
Personalized at-home rehab plan — so you keep progressing between visits
For most patients with persistent back pain, we recommend a Foundation Care Plan of about 12 visits over 8–12 weeks. The first 4–6 weeks are typically more frequent (2–3 visits/week) to calm inflammation and reset patterns. After that, we taper to less frequent visits and eventually wellness maintenance.