Where Should You Go for Sudden Low Back Pain?

Most sudden low back pain is not an emergency, and serious causes are rare (opens in a new tab). If you have none of the warning signs below, you can likely start with your own doctor, an urgent care clinic or a chiropractor instead of the emergency room.

Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy has chiropractic physicians at five Connecticut offices, and you don't need a referral to see one, though some insurance plans require a referral for coverage. Call Omni at (203) 562-8600 and ask about same-day availability.

When should you go to the ER for back pain?

Go to the ER or call 911 if back pain comes with chest pain or shortness of breath, follows a serious neck or spine injury, or comes with numbness around the groin or new loss of bladder or bowel control. For chest pain, pressure or shortness of breath, call 911: back pain and shortness of breath can both be symptoms of a heart attack (opens in a new tab), and you shouldn't drive yourself. Call 911 as well after an injury to your neck or spine, especially if you've lost feeling or can't move (opens in a new tab). And if the pain is so severe you can't move or get comfortable, going to the ER is reasonable.

Go to the emergency room right away for numbness between your legs, over your buttocks or in your inner thighs, being unable to urinate, loss of control of your bladder or bowels, or leg weakness or numbness that is severe or getting worse. Any one of these can point to cauda equina syndrome, a medical emergency (opens in a new tab). An office visit anywhere, ours included, is the wrong first stop for these.

Other warning signs need a medical doctor today, even when they aren't an emergency. Contact your doctor right away if back pain follows a severe fall or blow, or comes with a fever you can't explain, burning or blood when you urinate, or redness or swelling over your back (opens in a new tab). Do the same if the pain wakes you at night, gets worse when you lie down or travels down a leg below the knee, or if you have new weakness or numbness in a leg, trouble walking or keeping your balance, or a history of cancer. Get these checked by a medical doctor before you see a chiropractor. If your doctor's office can't see you today, urgent care may be an option when the problem doesn't threaten your life or risk disability. Call your doctor, too, if you've lost weight without trying or if this episode feels different and worse than back pain you've had before.

Should you go to urgent care, your doctor or a chiropractor?

For sudden low back pain without warning signs, the practical first stop is often whichever can see you soonest: your own doctor, an urgent care clinic or a chiropractor. Omni offers same-day appointments, so it's worth a call.

Say your back seized up this morning while you were putting on your socks, and now it hurts to stand up straight. You don't need a doctor's visit or a referral first: in Connecticut you can book a chiropractor directly. Omni's chiropractic physicians treat low back pain, and a first visit includes an exam, a diagnosis and usually your first treatment. If the exam points to something that needs a medical doctor or a specialist, your chiropractor can refer you.

For new low back pain that doesn't send nerve pain down the leg, the American College of Physicians recommends non-drug treatments such as heat, massage, acupuncture or spinal manipulation (opens in a new tab), and an anti-inflammatory or a muscle relaxant if you and your clinician decide you want medication. A 2017 analysis of 15 studies on new low back pain linked spinal manipulation to pain relief similar to that of anti-inflammatory drugs. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation, and so do osteopathic doctors and physical therapists.

If you'd like to talk about medication, your own doctor or an urgent care clinic is the better fit, since chiropractic care is drug-free. Your doctor knows your history and your medications, and when the office can't fit you in, an urgent care clinic can handle back pain that isn't life-threatening or disabling (opens in a new tab).

Do you need an X-ray or MRI for sudden back pain?

Most people with sudden low back pain don't need an X-ray or MRI at first. For new low back pain, imaging isn't recommended in the first six weeks unless warning signs are present (opens in a new tab). Without those signs, routine scans don't help people recover in any meaningful way.

If you need imaging after your exam, Omni's chiropractic physicians can order X-rays or an MRI.

What can you do for back pain until you're seen?

If your back pain comes with none of the warning signs, stay lightly active instead of resting in bed (opens in a new tab) while you wait to be seen. Try a short walk around the house, and stop anything that makes the pain worse. Hold off on heavy lifting or twisting your back for the first six weeks after the pain began.

Heat and ice can both help. For a back that just went out, one good method is ice for the first two or three days and then heat, and our post on heat or ice explains how long to use each.

Acute back pain usually lasts a few days to a few weeks (opens in a new tab). If it isn't improving after a few weeks, get it checked, and you can call sooner if you're worried. If you have or develop any of the warning signs from the ER section, that care comes first.

What happens at a first chiropractic visit at Omni?

A first chiropractic visit at Omni includes a health history, a physical examination, a diagnosis and an individualized treatment plan, and treatment usually starts at that same visit. Your chiropractic physician will explain the plan and coordinate any further testing or referrals your condition calls for. Bring a photo ID, your insurance card and a list of current medications, and wear comfortable clothing you can move in.

Omni's chiropractic physicians diagnose and treat problems of the muscles, joints and nerves with hands-on, drug-free techniques. Depending on your treatment plan, care can include chiropractic adjustment (joint manipulation), therapeutic exercise and education about how to move while your back heals. If you're adjusted, some soreness, stiffness or a headache afterward is common, and it usually goes away within 24 hours (opens in a new tab).

Omni's chiropractors work with our physical therapists and, through the practice's medical affiliations, with the medical doctors involved in your care. If your back needs more than chiropractic care, your chiropractic physician can refer you in house to physical therapy at the Wallingford office.

Some people tense up at the idea of a manual adjustment, especially when their back already hurts. Every Omni office has the ProAdjuster SRT, a gentle, low-force alternative, so if you're one of them, mention it when you book. You can read more about chiropractic care at Omni, including the conditions our chiropractors treat.

Can you get a same-day appointment at Omni?

Yes, same-day appointments are available. Chiropractors see patients at all five offices: East Haven, Meriden, Milford, Wallingford (Tuesdays and Thursdays), and West Haven. Care is available in English and Spanish. Before your first visit, the staff will check whether your insurance plan needs a referral for coverage.

If your back started hurting at work or in a car accident, Omni treats both. For a work injury, you can come to Omni first, and our billing department verifies your workers' comp coverage and gets visit approval. After a collision, Omni provides coordinated chiropractic care and physical therapy for car accident injuries. Our post on recovering after a car accident explains what to expect.

If any of the warning signs above apply, call 911 or go to the ER for the emergency signs, and call your doctor for the others. For everything else, call Omni at (203) 562-8600 or request an appointment.