Back pain is the most common reason patients walk into the office. The cause is rarely a mystery once you look at the spine itself. Most cases trace back to one of three things: a vertebra sitting out of alignment, a disc that has bulged or herniated, or muscles and ligaments stressed beyond what they can handle. Long-running stress amplifies all of it by keeping surrounding tissue tight.

When a vertebra sits out of position, it pulls on the muscles around it and presses on the nerves exiting the spine at that level. Pain follows. Range of motion shrinks. The body compensates, which usually creates a second problem above or below the first. By the time most people seek care, they are dealing with a chain of issues, not a single spot.

Dr. Lena Hartwell works case by case. No two backs are the same, and the same adjustment does not belong on every spine. The first visit is about finding where the pain is actually coming from through a thorough exam and X-rays where appropriate. From there, care is specific, gentle, and aimed at restoring normal motion to the joints that are causing the trouble. Once the joints move the way they should, the muscles relax, the nerve pressure eases, and the back gets the space it needs to recover.