Lower Back Chiropractor in Novato

Lower Back Pain

Chiropractor
May 05, 2025•3 min read

Do you suffer from lower back pain? It is now the leading cause of disability worldwide

Back pain guidelines recommend seeing a chiropractor or other form of healthcare before medications such as relaxants or opioid based pain relief.

Back pain can be frustrating and debilitating.

With so many suffering from back pain, often doctors don’t know what’s causing the pain, as most of the time, back pain isn’t due to something like a fracture or an infection.1 It’s often due to a change in the way your back is moving and functioning, which changes the way your brain senses what is going on in your back.

Chiropractic care improves low back pain and may even stop the pain from becoming chronic.

Lower Back Pain Chiropractor in Novato

Chiropractic care improves the way the spine moves and allows the brain to properly sense and control the spine, to heal and prevent injuries.

What does the research show?

There have been many research studies on the effects of chiropractic care on low back pain. A study has shown that the earlier someone gets chiropractic care the better their long term outcomes.

This is likely because chiropractic care changes the way the brain functions, and particularly affects the part of the brain that is involved with pain becoming chronic.

This means that chiropractic care may stop the brain from learning to be in pain.

This study also showed that people who had regular chiropractic care, even when they were not experiencing back pain, had an average of 13 fewer days of low back pain over the course of the year-long study, than those that only saw a chiropractor when they were experiencing back pain.

In another study of 750 military personnel with low back pain, 13 scientists explored what happened when they added chiropractic care to the usual medical care that they were receiving. In this study they found that over 6-weeks, the group that saw a chiropractor had less back pain intensity and less disability compared with the group that only received their usual medical care.

What’s more, is that the chiropractic group were more satisfied with the care they received, they thought they’d improved more, and they reported taking fewer drugs to help control their back pain compared with those who only got the usual medical care.

Keep in mind that chiropractic care has so much more to offer than just helping you with your back pain. Chiropractic care is all about improving the communication between your brain and body so you can function at your optimal potential. So, if you want to keep your back pain at bay, or you simply want to function at your best, see your family chiropractor because the research suggests your spine and brain will love you for it!

Disclaimer and References This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be professional advice of any kind. Haavik Research Ltd encourages you to make your own health care decisions based on your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. 1. Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al.Lancet 2018;391(10137):2356-67. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30480-x 2. Non-invasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain 2017;166(7):514-30. doi: 10.7326/m16-2367 %m 28192789 3. Corp N, Mansell G, Stynes S, et al. 2021;25(2):275-95. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1679 4. Hodges PW, Danneels L. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):464-76. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.8827 5. van Dieën JH, Reeves NP, Kawchuk G, et al. 2019;49(6):370- 79. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.7917 6. Hodges PW. 2011;21(2):220-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2011.01.002 7. Meier ML, Vrana A, Schweinhardt P. 2019;25(6):583-96. doi: 10.1177/1073858418809074 8. Haavik H, Murphy B. 2012;22(5):768-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2012.02.012 9. Haavik H, Kumari N, Holt K, Niazi IK, Amjad I, Pujari AN, Türker KS, Murphy B. 2021; doi: 10.1007/s00421-021-04727-z. 10. Eklund A, Jensen I, Lohela-Karlsson M, et al. 2018;13(9):e0203029. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203029 11. Lelic D, Niazi IK, Holt K, et al. 2016;2016:3704964. doi: 10.1155/2016/3704964 12. Seminowicz DA, Moayedi M. 2017;18(9):1027-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.03.008 13. Goertz CM, Long CR, Vining RD, et al. 2018;1(1):e180105. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0105 © Haavik Research Limited 2021

• Dr. Heidi Haavik

BSc(Physiol) BSc(Chiro) PhD

• Dr. Kelly Holt

BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD

• Dr. Jenna Duehr

BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc

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Dr. Douglas DeSalvo, DC, BCN, is a highly experienced chiropractor with over three decades of practice in chiropractic care. Since founding his practice in 1987, he has treated more than 10,000 patients, drawing on his extensive expertise in neuropathy, automobile crash injuries, and brain injury traumatology. A graduate with honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West, Dr. DeSalvo is board-certified in neuropathy and holds advanced certifications in radiology services, MRI interpretation, and personal injury trauma. His dedication to exceptional care for spinal and neurological issues reflects his ongoing commitment to helping patients achieve optimal health and well-being.

Dr. Doug DeSalvo

Dr. Douglas DeSalvo, DC, BCN, is a highly experienced chiropractor with over three decades of practice in chiropractic care. Since founding his practice in 1987, he has treated more than 10,000 patients, drawing on his extensive expertise in neuropathy, automobile crash injuries, and brain injury traumatology. A graduate with honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic-West, Dr. DeSalvo is board-certified in neuropathy and holds advanced certifications in radiology services, MRI interpretation, and personal injury trauma. His dedication to exceptional care for spinal and neurological issues reflects his ongoing commitment to helping patients achieve optimal health and well-being.

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