Back Pain & Neck Pain Relief in Walnut Creek
Care begins with understanding what is causing your symptoms.
Chiropractic care, manual treatment, movement assessment, and supervised rehabilitation based on your individual findings and goals.
Start With the Right Question
Back Pain Is a Symptom. The Diagnosis Guides the Plan.
Two people can both say, “My lower back hurts,” and have very different problems. One person may have pain that began during a heavy lift. Another may develop symptoms gradually after months of sitting. Someone else may have pain traveling through the buttock and down the leg that has been labeled sciatica.
Those presentations should not automatically receive the same chiropractic treatment. At Performance Sport Care in Walnut Creek, Dr. Douglas F. Cancel, D.C. begins by understanding how the problem started, what makes it better or worse, what care you have already tried, and how it affects the activities that matter to you.
The examination may include orthopedic, neurological, movement, strength, and functional testing. Existing imaging can be reviewed when relevant, and additional imaging or referral may be recommended when the findings call for it.
The goal is to understand what appears to be contributing to your symptoms before deciding which treatment, if any, makes sense for you.
Problems We Evaluate
Back Pain, Neck Pain, and Sciatica Do Not All Have the Same Cause
People come to Performance Sport Care with both new injuries and persistent problems that have not responded as they hoped to previous care. The symptoms may sound similar, but the examination helps determine which structures and contributing factors deserve attention.
Lower Back Pain
Low back pain may begin suddenly during lifting, exercise, work, or an awkward movement, or it may develop gradually over time. The evaluation looks beyond the painful area to understand how movement, load tolerance, neurological findings, and other factors may be involved.
Neck and Upper Back Pain
Neck pain and stiffness can be associated with training, prolonged desk work, previous injury, restricted movement, muscular irritation, joint dysfunction, or a combination of factors. Treatment is selected according to the findings rather than a standard neck-pain protocol.
Sciatica and Leg Pain
Pain, tingling, or other symptoms traveling through the buttock or leg are often called sciatica, but similar symptoms can arise from more than one source. The examination helps determine whether the lumbar spine, hip, deep gluteal region, neurological structures, or another problem may be involved.
Persistent or Recurring Pain
Some patients come in after chiropractic care, physical therapy, medication, injections, or other treatment has not produced the result they expected. A fresh evaluation can help clarify what the current findings suggest and whether a different approach or referral should be considered.
The important point: a diagnosis or symptom label does not automatically determine the treatment. The plan should follow the examination findings.
Treatment Based on Your Findings
Chiropractic Care Is One Part of a Larger Treatment Approach
There is no standard treatment package for back pain or neck pain at Performance Sport Care. Your plan depends on what the examination shows, your goals, the activities you need to return to, and how you respond as care progresses.
Chiropractic Care
Spinal manipulation or mobilization may be used when appropriate to address pain, stiffness, or restricted movement. The technique is selected for the individual rather than assuming every patient needs the same adjustment.
Manual Therapy
Hands-on treatment may be directed to muscles, connective tissues, or joints that appear relevant to the problem. The specific techniques used depend on the examination findings and how you respond to care.
Movement and Exercise
Some back and neck problems benefit from progressively restoring movement, control, coordination, or tolerance to activity. Exercise recommendations are chosen according to what you can safely do and what you ultimately need to return to.
Supervised Strength Rehabilitation
When rebuilding strength and load tolerance is appropriate, rehabilitation can progress in Performance Sport Care’s on-site training facility. This is especially useful for patients returning to lifting, sports, demanding work, or an active lifestyle.
The treatment follows the diagnosis. If the examination suggests that imaging, another type of specialist, or a different form of care is more appropriate, that becomes part of the recommendation.
What Makes Performance Sport Care Different
A Chiropractic Facility Built for Treatment and Rehabilitation
Performance Sport Care was designed around a more integrated model of musculoskeletal care. The clinical space does not end at the treatment table. When appropriate, care can progress from examination and hands-on treatment into supervised movement, progressive loading, and strength rehabilitation in the same facility.
That allows treatment and rehabilitation to function as parts of the same clinical process, rather than as separate services with little connection between them.
One Facility
Evaluation, chiropractic care, manual treatment, movement work, and supervised rehabilitation can all take place under one roof when they are appropriate for your condition.
One Clinical Continuum
Care does not have to stop simply because pain has decreased. When appropriate, the next step is rebuilding strength, confidence, and tolerance for the activities you need to return to.
Directly Supervised Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation can progress beyond a generic exercise sheet. Exercise selection, loading, and progression can be supervised and adjusted according to your condition, response, and goals.
The model was inspired by the coordinated approach used in high-level professional athletics, particularly professional football, where diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and return to performance are treated as connected parts of the same process.
You do not need to be a professional athlete to benefit from that philosophy. The same principles can apply whether your goal is returning to lifting, getting through a workday without back pain, playing golf, staying active with your family, or simply moving confidently again.
Performance Sport Care is an independent private practice and is not affiliated with the NFL, NCAA, or any professional or collegiate sports organization.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Back and Neck Pain
These are some of the questions patients commonly ask when deciding whether chiropractic care or another conservative treatment approach may be appropriate.
Is a chiropractor appropriate for lower back pain?
Chiropractic care can be appropriate for many musculoskeletal causes of lower back pain, but the first step should be determining what the examination suggests is producing or contributing to the symptoms. Dr. Cancel evaluates the problem before deciding whether chiropractic treatment, rehabilitation, imaging, referral, or another form of care is appropriate.
Do you treat sciatica?
Yes. Dr. Cancel evaluates patients with sciatica and sciatica-like symptoms. Because pain traveling into the buttock or leg does not always arise from the same structure, the examination is intended to distinguish among likely sources before treatment is selected.
Can you help if I have a disc bulge or herniated disc?
Disc findings need to be interpreted together with your symptoms and clinical examination. Some people with disc-related symptoms are appropriate for conservative chiropractic care and rehabilitation, while others may need imaging, medical evaluation, or specialist consultation.
I already tried chiropractic care or physical therapy. Is it worth being evaluated again?
It may be. Previous treatment that did not produce the result you hoped for does not necessarily mean that all conservative care has been exhausted. A fresh evaluation can help clarify your current findings and whether a different approach or a different type of provider should be considered.
Do I have to stop exercising while my back or neck is being treated?
Not necessarily. The answer depends on the condition and which activities provoke it. Part of the evaluation is determining what you can continue, what may need to be modified temporarily, and how activity can be progressed as your condition allows.
What if Dr. Cancel thinks I need an MRI or another specialist?
He will tell you. Recognizing when a problem needs additional investigation or another type of expertise is part of the evaluation. If imaging or specialist care appears appropriate, that becomes part of the recommendation.
Where is Performance Sport Care located?
Performance Sport Care is located at 1776 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 106, Walnut Creek, CA 94598. Call (925) 945-1155. We serve Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Danville, Concord, Pleasant Hill, and greater Contra Costa County.
The office is a short walk from John Muir Medical Center, next door to the Walnut Creek Tennis Club, and just steps from Heather Farm Park, with convenient on-site parking. Ygnacio Plaza and Sports Basement are directly across the street.
Related Reading on Back and Neck Pain
Back Pain · Neck Pain · Sciatica
Start With a Careful Evaluation
If back pain, neck pain, or sciatica is interfering with your work, training, sleep, or everyday life, the next step is understanding what you are actually dealing with. Your first visit is designed to provide a careful assessment, a clear explanation of the findings, and recommendations suited to your condition and goals.
Performance Sport Care
1776 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 106
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Serving Walnut Creek, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Lafayette, Alamo, Danville, and Contra Costa County.