Low back pain
The back is rarely the problem.
Low back pain is the symptom. The pattern driving it (breath mechanics, hip loading, movement compensation) is the problem. We find it. We treat it. One therapist, every visit.
Low back pain
Most low back pain is mechanical. Meaning it responds to the right hands.
Low back pain has a reputation for being chronic and hard to treat. A lot of that reputation comes from being treated generically (core strengthening, stretching, modalities) without identifying the specific mechanical pattern driving the symptoms. The back hurts where it's loaded. The reason it's being loaded is usually somewhere else: an asymmetrical breathing pattern, a hip that isn't moving, a foot that's compensating.
At Cha PT, low back pain is evaluated as a whole-body movement problem. The Cha Method starts with breath and pelvic mechanics before touching the lumbar spine. Manual therapy addresses the segments that are restricted or overloaded. Exercise reinforces the pattern changes the hands create. Most patients with mechanical low back pain see meaningful improvement within 4 to 6 sessions, not because they got stronger, but because the load is being distributed differently.
Common presentations we treat
- Chronic low back pain. Years of it. Unresolved by previous PT. ,
- SI joint dysfunction. Pain at the base of the spine into the hip. ,
- Disc herniation and radiculopathy. When conservative care is the right call. ,
- Post-surgical lumbar rehab. After fusion, microdiscectomy, or laminectomy. ,
- Low back pain in pregnancy and postpartum. Treated with appropriate technique. ,
The approach
Specific patterns need specific treatment.
For patients whose low back pain has not resolved with standard care, the missing piece is usually a specific mechanical driver: a breathing asymmetry, a hip rotation fault, or a compensatory pattern that generic protocols do not address. Finding and treating that specific pattern is what the Cha Method is built to do.
See our postural restoration approach →Questions
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I've had PT before and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
The most common reason PT doesn't work for low back pain is that the treatment is protocol-based rather than pattern-based. If you've done core strengthening and hip stretches and you're still in pain, the issue is likely that the right pattern wasn't identified, not that PT itself can't help. Our evaluation starts from scratch and prioritizes finding the specific mechanical driver before any treatment begins.
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I have a disc herniation on MRI. Does that explain my pain?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. MRI findings and symptoms correlate imperfectly, many people have disc herniations without pain; others have significant pain with minimal imaging findings. We treat your symptoms and your movement, not your MRI. If the imaging is relevant, it informs our approach; if it isn't, we don't let it limit what we try.
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When should I consider surgery?
When conservative care has been thorough and has failed, or when there's a neurological emergency (progressive weakness, bowel or bladder involvement). For most mechanical low back pain and most disc herniations, conservative PT should precede any surgical consultation. We're happy to be part of that decision-making conversation.
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How many sessions will I need?
For acute low back pain, 4 to 6 sessions is often sufficient. For chronic patterns (especially those that have built up over years) expect 8 to 12 sessions, with a clear home program to maintain progress. We give a realistic estimate at the end of the first evaluation.