Your pain isn't from aging — it's a root-cause problem
Back, hip, knee or nerve pain written off as getting older, and why where it hurts and why it hurts can be two different places.
upper cervical care · ann arbor, michigan
Low back pain, and why we look at the top of the neck
Your back has been scanned, stretched and strengthened. It still hurts when you stand up, and it seems strange that anyone would look at the top of your neck for an answer.
what it often looks like
What people with low back pain often describe
- Stiffness first thing in the morning, or after sitting
- Pain when you stand up from a chair
- One hip that feels higher, or one leg that feels shorter
- A back that settles for a few days and then comes back
Why it is often missed. Low back pain is usually looked at where it hurts. When the scan shows ordinary wear for your age, the answer becomes rest, medication or exercises. How your whole posture is balanced over your hips is seldom measured.
Why the upper neck may be involved. Your body works to keep your eyes level. If the head sits off center on the top of the neck, the spine below can shift to compensate, all the way down to the pelvis. That is why the upper neck can be part of a back problem for some people, and why we measure posture as a whole.
what the research looked at
Two published studies on low back pain
Published 1998 to 2011. The strongest design among them: cohort, pilot or before-and-after study. Each one is summarized in plain words in our research library: who was studied, what was measured, what was found, and where it falls short.
- 1,090 new patients at 83 upper cervical offices: early changes and reactions
- A 34-year-old man with a herniated disc in his neck
The cohort measured low back pain and disability over about two weeks with no comparison group. The case report describes one man whose main problem was in his neck. That is thin evidence for the low back specifically, and we say so.
The low back pain studies, by design and year
how we measure
The Lazar Method™ measures first
Everyone else told you what might work. We measure before anything is decided. PostureIQ™ measures how your weight is balanced from side to side and front to back, muscle tone scans show where your posture is costing you energy, and digital X-ray shows the alignment of the upper neck.
Before any correction we measure how your nervous system is regulating your body: heart rate variability, thermal and muscle tone scans, PostureIQ™, and digital X-ray of the upper neck. Dr. Jonathan Lazar, D.C., or someone personally trained by him, will go over your scans and images with you. QSM3, the method used at our office, is a progression of NUCCA, and the correction is gentle and specific: no cracking, no twisting.
If we can help, we'll tell you. If we can't, we'll help you find someone who can.
Please note: Back pain with numbness in the groin, loss of bladder or bowel control, fever, or after a serious fall needs emergency care first.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Keep the doctors who know you in the loop.
Your doctor. QSM3 Level M Certified. One of eight doctors in the world. In practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since 2008. About Dr. Lazar
the dr. lazar show
Hear it on The Dr. Lazar Show
Heard for 17 years on WMUZ 103.5 FM, The Dr. Lazar Show is now on YouTube and as a podcast. The first episode here touches on low back pain; the others are where most people start.
Why you've tried everything and still don't feel right
The seven-minute visit, and the one question the system was never built to ask.
The Lazar Method™: how we actually reset the system
The five steps on air for the first time: measure, identify, clarify, correct, restore, and what gets measured before anything else.
traveling for care
Coming from another state, or hours away?
People drive from across Michigan because nothing closer worked. If you live hours away, or in another state, working out the days, the hotel and the records shouldn't be yours to carry alone. Our office is at 203 S. Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Traveling with a child? Families welcome.
- IntensiveIntensive programs
Your assessment, your Report of Findings and a concentrated block of corrections in one stay in Ann Arbor, usually one to two weeks, set at your Report of Findings. We read your records before you travel, so you only make the trip if it makes sense. The prices are itemized on the page.
- StayStaying in Ann Arbor
A negotiated medical rate for patients and their families at the Holiday Inn & Suites Ann Arbor, with breakfast, Wi-Fi and parking included.
- RemoteRemote care
Can't travel to Ann Arbor at all? Dr. Lazar works with a small number of remote patients. The correction itself is hands-on, so when your case needs it, we'll tell you, and help you find a qualified upper cervical provider near you.
questions
Questions people ask about low back pain
Still have a question? Call 734.274.5107, or book a 15-minute Clarity Call, a phone call with our team and no commitment. Cost and insurance are answered plainly on the FAQ page.
Keep reading
Can the upper neck affect low back pain?
For some people it can. The body works to keep your eyes level, so if your head sits off center on the top of the neck, the spine below shifts to compensate, down to the hips. Whether that is part of your back pain is something PostureIQ™ and X-ray can show, so nobody has to guess.
What does research say about upper cervical care for low back pain?
It is thin, and we say so. A large 2011 study measured low back pain and disability in new upper cervical patients over about two weeks, with no comparison group. A 1998 case report describes one man whose main problem was in his neck. Neither can tell you what will happen for you.
Why measure posture for back pain?
Because where it hurts and why it hurts can be two different places. PostureIQ™ measures how your weight is balanced from side to side and front to back, down to the millimeter. That turns a vague sense that something is off into a number you can see, and compare on later re-scans.
Do I have to come in several times a week?
Care is frequent at first, because that is when the correction is most likely to hold, and visits taper as your scans stabilize. Your schedule is set at your Report of Findings, in writing, before you decide. If you live far away, an intensive gathers the early visits into one stay in Ann Arbor.
tried everything
When nothing else has worked, start with clarity.
In about 4 minutes, you'll see whether your symptoms point to nervous system dysfunction, and exactly what to do next. Free. Your answers stay private. No spam, ever.
Prefer to talk first?
or call 734.274.5107 · ready to come in? Book your complimentary consultation
Screening adapted from the autonomic dysfunction screening developed by Bruce Bell, MD.
A member of our team will reach out within one business day.