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Home / Conditions / Lower Back Pain
If your back has been stopping you from sleeping, working, or just getting through the day without wincing, you’re not alone. You don’t have to keep pushing through it.
Dr Oliver Dans takes a thorough, whole-body approach to lower back pain. Rather than treating the spot that hurts, he works to understand what’s actually driving it and builds a care plan around that.
Dr Oliver Dans
Lower back pain is not always the result of a single injury or incident. In many cases it builds gradually over months or years, driven by a combination of posture, movement habits, stress, and the cumulative load of daily life.
Understanding which type you’re dealing with matters, because acute and chronic presentations respond differently and require different approaches.
Acute back pain comes on suddenly, often following a specific movement or incident. It is usually sharp, localised, and improves within a few weeks with the right care. Even when it resolves quickly, it’s worth understanding what caused it to prevent recurrence.
Chronic lower back pain is pain that has persisted for 12 weeks or more. It is generally duller and more widespread than acute pain, and tends to be driven by underlying structural issues, nervous system sensitisation, or habitual patterns that have not been properly addressed. Chronic lower back pain treatment requires a more sustained and thorough approach than managing a single acute episode.
When the nerves of the lumbar spine are involved, through disc pressure, inflammation, or spinal narrowing, pain can radiate down through the buttock, hip, and leg. This presentation is often referred to as sciatica and needs to be distinguished from purely muscular back pain, as the treatment approach differs.
Lower back pain rarely has a single cause. Oliver’s assessment looks at the full picture, not just the site of pain, but the contributing factors that have been loading the spine over time.
The discs that sit between the vertebrae of the lumbar spine can bulge, herniate, or degenerate with age, injury, or prolonged compression. When a disc puts pressure on a nearby nerve, it can cause significant pain and referred symptoms into the leg.
Overuse, awkward lifting, or simply sitting in the same position for extended periods can place excessive load on the muscles and ligaments of the lower back. Over time this creates chronic tension and reduced movement that compounds the original strain.
Many lower back presentations are closely tied to how a person stands, sits, and moves throughout the day. Imbalances in hip and pelvis alignment, weak core support, or a forward-leaning desk posture can all drive ongoing lumbar loading that eventually becomes symptomatic.
Sciatica lower back pain is a specific presentation where the sciatic nerve, running from the lumbar spine down through the leg, becomes irritated or compressed. The result is a shooting, burning, or numb sensation that travels from the lower back through the buttock and into the leg. It is commonly misidentified as general back pain, which is why a thorough assessment matters.
Chiropractic care for lower back pain works by addressing the structural and neurological factors contributing to the problem, not just managing the pain itself. As a lower back pain chiropractor, Oliver combines spinal assessment, targeted treatment, and practical education to help patients understand their body and make lasting improvements.
Treatment is always adapted to the individual. The approach for someone with an acute disc injury will look different from the approach for someone with years of chronic tension, and getting that distinction right is important.
The first visit involves a thorough history and physical examination, including assessment of spinal alignment, joint mobility, muscle function, and neurological signs where relevant. Oliver explains his findings clearly throughout, so you leave with a clear understanding of what is going on and a care plan that makes sense.
Targeted spinal adjustments help restore normal joint movement, reduce nerve irritation, and relieve the muscular guarding that builds up around a painful area. Oliver’s technique is adapted to each patient’s presentation and comfort level, and no two adjustments look exactly alike.
Tight and overworked muscles around the lumbar spine and pelvis often contribute to lower back pain as much as the joints themselves. Soft tissue work helps release this tension and supports the changes made during spinal care.
Alongside in-clinic treatment, Oliver provides practical guidance on movement, posture, and daily habits. Understanding how your day-to-day activities are loading your spine, and making small, sustainable changes, is often what makes the difference between temporary relief and lasting improvement.
How long lower back pain treatment takes depends on how long the problem has been building, how the spine responds to care, and how much of the underlying pattern needs to be addressed. There is no standard timeline that applies to everyone.
At your first visit, Oliver will explain what he found, what he thinks is driving it, and what a realistic treatment plan looks like for your specific situation. The plan will have clear milestones and be reassessed as you progress.
Full assessment, explanation of findings, and initial treatment. You will leave with a clear understanding of what Oliver found and an outline of the next steps.
The focus is on reducing pain and inflammation, restoring joint movement, and beginning to address the underlying contributors. For most acute presentations this phase spans a handful of visits over the first few weeks.
Once the acute phase settles, the goal shifts to addressing the deeper patterns, including posture, movement habits, and load management, that contributed in the first place. This is where the sustained work of chronic lower back pain treatment is done.
Many patients choose to continue with periodic care once they have reached their goals, to maintain progress and catch issues before they build again. This is always a conversation, never an assumption.
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Dr Oliver Dans has been working with lower back pain presentations for over 10 years. He holds a Masters in Chiropractic and has additional qualifications in Applied Kinesiology, which informs the whole-body assessment approach he takes with every patient.
Oliver practises from the Golden Plains Medical Centre in Bannockburn, where he has established referral relationships with the local GPs. He sees patients from Bannockburn, Lethbridge, Meredith, Inverleigh, and across the wider Golden Plains Shire.
If lower back pain has been affecting your daily life, the first step is understanding what is actually causing it. Book your initial consultation with Dr Oliver Dans for $79, which includes a full assessment, clear explanation, and initial treatment.
Chiropractic is a registered health profession in Australia and is a widely used approach for lower back pain. Oliver adapts his technique to each patient’s presentation, age, and comfort level. If you have specific concerns, including previous injuries, surgeries, or health conditions, bring them to your first visit and Oliver will address them before any treatment begins.
There is no single answer to this because it depends on what is causing the pain, how long it has been present, and how the spine responds to care. Oliver will give you a realistic outline at your first visit based on his assessment findings. Acute presentations often respond more quickly than long-standing chronic pain.
Acute lower back pain typically comes on suddenly and lasts less than 12 weeks. Chronic lower back pain has persisted beyond that point, often with a more gradual onset. Chronic presentations tend to involve a broader combination of structural, neurological, and lifestyle factors, which is why they usually require a more thorough and sustained approach to treatment.
Sciatica lower back pain, where the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated, is a common presentation Oliver sees. Chiropractic assessment can identify whether the nerve irritation is coming from the lumbar spine, the disc, or the soft tissue around the piriformis muscle, and treatment is directed accordingly. If there are signs of significant nerve compromise, Oliver will advise on whether imaging or a medical referral is appropriate.
No. You do not need to bring any imaging to your first appointment, though Oliver is happy to review any existing scans if you have them. His assessment will determine whether imaging would add value, and if so, he will advise you on what type and why.
For many people, yes, particularly if the underlying contributors such as posture, movement habits, or chronic stress are not also addressed. Part of Oliver’s approach is helping patients understand what has been driving their pain so they can make informed changes that reduce the chance of recurrence.
Lower back pain often overlaps with or contributes to other presentations. If any of the following sound familiar, these pages may also be relevant to you.
