You're Not Alone With Your Back Pain
If you're dealing with back pain, you're in good company—about 80% of people will experience significant back pain at some point in their lives. But just because it's common doesn't mean you have to live with it.
At Bay View Chiropractic in Milwaukee, we understand how frustrating back pain can be. Whether it's keeping you from playing with your kids, affecting your work, interrupting your sleep, or just making everyday activities miserable, back pain takes a toll on your quality of life. The good news? Most back pain responds extremely well to the right treatment approach.
Comprehensive back pain treatment using decompression, adjustments, and rehabilitation
With over 15 years of experience treating back pain in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood and surrounding communities, Dr. Josh Fritz has helped hundreds of patients find relief and get back to living their lives. More than 90% of our patients experience significant improvement—and we'll work with you to create a treatment plan that makes sense for your specific situation.
Most patients feel improvement within 2 weeks
Why Does Back Pain Happen?
Here's the thing about back pain: it's not one-size-fits-all. Your back can hurt for many different reasons, and the cause matters because different problems need different solutions.
Common Causes of Back Pain:
- Herniated or Bulging Discs: When the cushion between vertebrae pushes out and irritates nearby nerves, often causing radiating pain down the leg (sciatica)
- Degenerative Disc Disease: Natural wear-and-tear on spinal discs over time, reducing their shock-absorbing ability
- Facet Joint Arthritis: Arthritis in the small joints of the spine, causing stiffness, pain, and reduced mobility
- Muscle Strains & Ligament Sprains: Overstretched or torn tissues from acute injury or repetitive stress
- Sciatica & Radiculopathy: Nerve compression causing pain, numbness, or tingling radiating into the buttock and leg
- Spinal Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal putting pressure on the spinal cord or nerves
- Spondylolisthesis: When one vertebra slips forward on the one below it, causing instability and pain
- Poor Posture & Biomechanics: Years of improper movement patterns causing abnormal stress on spinal structures
That's why we don't just start treating you without understanding what's actually going on. Our comprehensive assessment process (detailed below) helps us identify the root cause of your pain so we can apply the right treatment for your specific situation.
Your Treatment Options for Back Pain
Let's be honest about something: when you have back pain, you really have four mainstream treatment options. Each has its place, but understanding the pros and cons can help you make the best choice for your situation.
1. Surgery
When it makes sense: Surgery should be a last resort, reserved for cases where conservative care has failed or when there are severe neurological issues that require immediate intervention.
The reality: Surgery is invasive, comes with risks, requires significant recovery time, and doesn't guarantee success. Most back pain cases don't need surgery and respond well to conservative treatment.
2. Pain Medications
When it makes sense: Medications can help manage acute pain and inflammation, giving your body a chance to start healing.
The reality: While medications can mask the pain, they don't address the underlying biomechanical problems causing it. You're not actually fixing anything—you're just covering up the symptoms. Plus, long-term use of pain medications comes with its own risks and side effects.
3. Physical Therapy
When it makes sense: Physical therapy is a perfectly acceptable form of conservative care, especially for strengthening and rehabilitation after the acute pain phase.
The reality: Here's my perspective as a chiropractor: I like to get people out of pain first before starting exercises. If you're trying to strengthen muscles and improve movement patterns while you're still in pain, your body often develops faulty compensation patterns to avoid the painful movements. You end up training those dysfunctional patterns, which can create new problems down the road. Physical therapy works best after we've addressed the acute pain and restored proper joint mechanics.
4. Chiropractic Care
When it makes sense: Chiropractic is ideal for addressing the root cause of most back pain—joint restrictions, disc problems, and biomechanical dysfunction—without surgery or medications.
The reality: This is where we shine. Chiropractic care addresses the underlying structural and mechanical problems causing your pain. We get you out of pain first through adjustments or decompression, then work on correcting the biomechanical issues to prevent future flare-ups. It's conservative, non-invasive, effective, and focuses on actually fixing the problem rather than just managing symptoms.
The bottom line: For most back pain cases, chiropractic should be your first choice, not your last resort after everything else has failed. Address the problem at its source, avoid unnecessary medications or surgery, and get your body functioning properly again.
Note: Other options like acupuncture and massage therapy can also be helpful, particularly as complementary treatments. However, the four options above represent the primary mainstream approaches to back pain treatment.
The Foundation Factor: Could Your Feet Be Causing Your Back Pain?
Most people never consider that their back pain might actually be starting at their feet. But here's the reality: if your foundation isn't level, everything above it has to compensate.
Flat feet cause your ankles to roll inward (pronation), which rotates your knees, shifts your pelvis, and creates abnormal stress on your lower back. Leg length discrepancies—even as small as a quarter inch—force your spine to curve sideways just to keep your head level, leading to chronic muscle imbalances and pain.
If you have flat feet, high arches, or one leg slightly shorter than the other, we may recommend custom orthotics as part of your treatment plan. While adjustments and decompression fix the spinal issues, orthotics address the underlying foundation problem, helping your improvements last longer and preventing future flare-ups.
Our Approach: Different Problems, Different Solutions
Based on what we find during your assessment, Dr. Fritz will recommend the most appropriate treatment approach for your specific condition. Here's how we typically handle different types of back pain:
For Arthritis & Degenerative Changes
Primary Treatment: Chiropractic Adjustments
When your back pain is primarily due to arthritic changes or general degeneration, chiropractic adjustments are often extremely effective. Adjustments restore mobility to stiff joints, reduce inflammation, and improve function.
What to expect: Most patients feel noticeably better after just a few adjustments. We'll use techniques that are comfortable for your body and condition.
Timeline: Many patients start feeling improvement within the first week or two, with progressive relief as treatment continues.
For Disc Problems & Nerve Pain
Primary Treatment: Spinal Decompression
If you have a suspected or confirmed disc herniation, bulge, or nerve-related symptoms like sciatica or radiating pain, we typically start with spinal decompression therapy. This specialized treatment gently stretches the spine to create negative pressure, allowing herniated disc material to retract and taking pressure off irritated nerves.
Why decompression first: Disc problems need to be addressed at the source. Decompression helps reduce disc bulging and nerve irritation, providing relief from both back pain and radiating leg pain.
What happens next: Once your symptoms improve and stabilize, we often transition to corrective traction to restore proper spinal curves and biomechanics. This helps prevent future flare-ups by addressing the underlying structural issues that contributed to your disc problem in the first place.
For Mild-Moderate Chronic Pain
Primary Treatment: Adjustments + Corrective Traction
If your pain is more chronic in nature (you've had it for months or years) and is currently at a mild to moderate level, we might jump straight into a combination of adjustments and corrective traction using our Denneroll system.
Why this approach: Chronic pain often indicates long-standing biomechanical problems. By working to restore normal spinal curves and movement patterns while also improving joint function through adjustments, we're addressing both the symptoms and the root cause.
The goal: Getting your spine back toward more normal biomechanical shape. When your spine is better aligned and moving properly, flare-ups tend to be less frequent and less severe. This is about long-term improvement, not just temporary relief.
For Acute Injuries & Flare-Ups
Primary Treatment: Modified Adjustments + Supportive Care
If you're in the middle of an acute flare-up or recent injury (like throwing out your back), we modify our approach to focus on reducing inflammation and supporting healing while avoiding aggravating the injured tissues.
What this might include: Gentle mobilization, low-force adjustment techniques (like Activator or drop table), therapeutic modalities to reduce inflammation, and guidance on activities to avoid during the acute phase.
The progression: As acute symptoms settle, we transition to more traditional adjustments and eventually corrective care to prevent recurrence.
What to Expect: Your Treatment Timeline
One of the most common questions we hear is: "How long until I feel better?" Here's what most of our patients experience:
The Typical Recovery Journey
Week 1-2: Initial Relief Phase
About 6 visits over 2 weeks
Most patients begin feeling noticeable improvement during this phase. Pain levels start to decrease, movement becomes easier, and you're starting to remember what it felt like before this problem started bothering you. This is encouraging! But here's where it gets important...
Week 3-4: Symptom Resolution Phase
Continued treatment
By week 4, most of your symptoms have significantly resolved. You're feeling pretty good, maybe even great! This is when some patients think, "I'm all better, I can stop treatment now."
But here's the critical part: Just because the pain is gone doesn't mean the underlying problem is fully healed yet.
The "Cut on Your Hand" Analogy
Think about it like this: If you cut your hand, the damage happens before you feel any pain—even though the pain shows up a split second later. After a few days, the pain is probably gone, but you still have a cut on your hand. It's scabbed over and healing, but if you bump it on something, it starts hurting again. It might even break the scab open and start bleeding.
This is exactly the phase you're in after 3-4 weeks of care. Your back issue is healing, but it's not fully healed yet—we just can't see the "cut" because it's inside. If you stop care too soon and go back to activities that caused the problem in the first place (or even just daily life), you risk re-aggravating the area before it's had time to fully heal.
Continuing care at this point is crucial so that area can finish healing properly and build back stronger. We want that tissue to scar over in a functional way, maintaining the improvements we've made to your biomechanics.
Week 5+: Corrective & Stabilization Phase
Progressive care frequency reduction
Now we're working on restoring normal biomechanics and preventing future problems. This might include corrective traction to improve spinal curves, exercises to strengthen supporting muscles, and gradually reducing visit frequency as you stabilize.
The goal here isn't to keep you coming forever—it's to make sure the improvements we've achieved actually stick and you have the tools to maintain your results long-term.
Your First Visit: What Actually Happens
We know walking into a new healthcare provider can feel a bit uncertain. Here's exactly what to expect so there are no surprises:
Day 1: Assessment & Examination
Duration: About 30-45 minutes
Step 1: Detailed Consultation
We'll sit down and talk about your back pain. When did it start? What makes it better or worse? Have you tried other treatments? What are your goals? This conversation helps me understand not just your symptoms, but how they're affecting your life.
Step 2: Physical Examination
This includes orthopedic testing to assess your range of motion, muscle strength, reflexes, and identify exactly where the problem is coming from. These tests help differentiate between different types of back pain and guide treatment planning.
Step 3: X-rays (if warranted)
In most cases, we'll take x-rays to see what's actually going on with your spine. X-rays help us identify structural issues, measure spinal curves, check for arthritis or degenerative changes, and rule out serious conditions. They're an essential part of creating an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment plan.
What happens at the end: We usually schedule Day 2 for the following day so we can review everything with you and start treatment right away.
Day 2: Report of Findings & First Treatment
Duration: About 20-30 minutes
Step 1: X-ray Review
I'll sit down with you and go through your x-rays, showing you exactly what we found. I'll explain what's normal, what's not, and how it relates to your pain. No medical jargon you don't understand—I'll explain everything in plain English.
Step 2: Treatment Recommendations
Based on everything we've learned, I'll explain my recommended treatment approach. Why I'm suggesting specific treatments, what each one does, and what kind of timeline we're looking at. You'll know exactly what to expect.
Step 3: Financials & Treatment Plan
We'll go over the cost of care, what your insurance covers (if applicable), and payment options. No surprises—you'll know what you're committing to before we start. Chiropractic care is covered by most insurance plans these days, and Bay View Chiropractic is in-network with most major insurance providers.
Step 4: First Adjustment
If everything looks good and there are no red flags, we'll typically perform your first treatment on Day 2. You'll leave feeling like we have a clear plan and you're already on the path to feeling better.
How Often Will I Need to Come?
Treatment frequency varies based on your specific condition, but here's what's typical:
- Weeks 1-2: Usually 3 times per week (for a total of about 6 visits in 2 weeks)
- Weeks 3-4: Often 2-3 times per week as symptoms improve
- Weeks 5+: Gradually reduce to 1-2 times per week, then transition to less frequent visits as you stabilize
This isn't set in stone—your actual treatment plan will be customized to your needs, goals, and how your body responds to care.
Why Choose Bay View Chiropractic for Your Back Pain?
You have options when it comes to back pain treatment in Milwaukee. Here's what makes our approach different:
15 Years of Experience
Dr. Fritz has been treating back pain in Milwaukee's Bay View community since 2010. He's seen just about every type of back problem you can imagine—and successfully helped hundreds of patients find relief.
Multiple Treatment Tools
We're not a one-trick pony. With chiropractic adjustments, spinal decompression (two Triton DTS tables!), corrective traction, and multiple adjustment techniques, we can tackle different problems with the right approach.
Assessment-Driven Care
We don't use a cookie-cutter approach. Your treatment plan is based on thorough assessment, x-ray findings, and what your specific body needs—not just a standard protocol we use for everyone.
Focus on Long-Term Results
Our goal isn't just to make you feel better temporarily. We want to address the underlying biomechanical issues that contributed to your problem so you have fewer flare-ups and better long-term outcomes.
Honest Communication
We'll tell you what we can help with and what we can't. If we don't think we're the right solution for your problem, we'll let you know and point you in the right direction. No sales pitches, no pressure—just honest guidance.
Most Insurance Accepted
Chiropractic care is covered by most insurance plans, and we're in-network with most major providers. We'll verify your benefits and explain your coverage before starting treatment.
What Our Patients Say
More than 90% of our back pain patients experience significant relief, but don't take my word for it. Check out real, honest, unsolicited reviews from our patients:
5.0 Star Rating on Google
Ready to Finally Address Your Back Pain?
Most patients start feeling better within 2 weeks. Let's find out what's causing your pain and create a plan to fix it.
Book Your Assessment Now →Or call/text: (414) 295-6045
Conveniently located in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood
In-network with most insurance providers
Have Questions Before Booking?
We get it—starting treatment can feel like a big decision. Feel free to call or text us at (414) 295-6045 with any questions. We're happy to talk through your situation and help you figure out if we're the right fit for your back pain.
Common questions we can help with:
- Will this work for my specific type of back pain?
- What will my insurance cover?
- How long will treatment take?
- What's the difference between adjustments and decompression?
- Do you think I need surgery?