Why Do I Have Back Pain? The Overlooked Role of Spinal Joints

Do you have back pain that just won’t go away?

If so, your spinal joints—not just your muscles or discs—may be the missing link.

When spinal joints lose motion, tiny nerve sensors (called mechanoreceptors) send faulty messages to your nervous system, causing muscle spasms, weakness, and even traveling pain. This can spiral into compensation patterns and long-term dysfunction.

Most people never realize it’s the joints that are causing the problem—until they’ve suffered long enough.

What Makes the Lumbar Spine So Unique?

The lumbar spine (your lower back) is beautifully designed to handle the heavy lifting of daily life. It features a natural forward curve called lordosis, allowing joints and discs to “stack” and share the body’s weight load efficiently.

But when this design gets disrupted by stiffness or imbalance, everything from standing to walking to bending can become painful.

The Role of Facet Joints — Your Spine’s Hidden Movers

Facet joints are small, paired joints on each side of your spine that allow you to bend, twist, and extend. They’re a huge part of your movement system—but they’re often ignored in standard medical care.

• There are over 230 movable joints in your body—most designed for fluid motion.
• The facet joints of the lumbar spine primarily allow forward and backward movement (flexion/extension).
• Imbalances in hips, posture, or movement patterns can overload these joints, causing pain and stiffness.

When these joints become stuck, proprioception (your internal “GPS” for body movement) breaks down. The result? Muscles tighten, nerves misfire, and pain begins to take over.

The Downward Spiral of Joint Dysfunction

It starts small. Maybe a hip tightens. A muscle strains. Your body compensates—until one day, a seemingly minor movement causes your back to “go out.”

This isn’t just wear and tear—it’s a breakdown of your body’s movement circuitry.

Just like a blown fuse, your joint→muscle→nerve communication can short-circuit.

What causes this breakdown?

• Poor posture and long hours sitting (especially with a slouched spine)
• Repetitive movements or improper lifting technique
• Old injuries (ankle sprains, tight hips, etc.) that were never fully resolved
• Emotional stress, structural imbalances, or even post-surgical nerve misfiring

The Science Behind the Pain: Proprioception vs. Nociception

Your joints are filled with nerve endings that give you proprioception—the ability to know where your body is in space.

When movement stops, proprioception declines… and nociception (pain signals) turn up.

This explains why chronic low back pain often lingers, even after rest or medication. The root problem—a loss of joint mobility—was never addressed.

Understanding the Circuit Breaker Effect

This can explain why someone may continually struggle with back pain flare-ups—even after rest or treatment.

When mechanoreceptors are down-regulated (meaning they’re no longer sending clear movement signals), your body struggles to maintain proper joint → muscle → nerve communication.

It’s like your body’s circuit breaker is constantly blowing.

Dr. Day created a hand-drawn visual to explain this internal communication system. It shows how the joints, muscles, fascia, and nervous system operate like a wiring network connected to the brain’s supercomputer. When one part of the system is overloaded or dysfunctional, it affects the entire chain.

So, what causes this circuit to trip in the first place?

It often starts with a disruption in the coordination or flow between the joints, muscles, nerves, and fascia—usually from:

• Postural stress
• Emotional stress
• Genetic or structural imbalance (like a short leg bone or compressed vertebrae)
• Overuse or repetitive strain (sports, job duties)
• Visceral referral (organ dysfunction causing muscular imbalance)
• Faulty neurological signaling (due to surgery, birth trauma, or unactivated muscle groups)

This is why our approach is so comprehensive—we don’t just treat where it hurts. We search for the broken link in the joint-muscle-nerve-fascia loop, so you can finally reset the circuit and restore movement.

How Chiropractic Helps: More Than Just a Crack

A true functional chiropractor doesn’t just pop and go. We:

• Analyze joint motion
• Test for muscle imbalances
• Palpate fascia
• Check posture and movement flow

When a joint is properly adjusted, it “wakes up” the mechanoreceptors, restores proprioception, and turns down pain signals.

Combined with soft tissue therapy and rehabilitation, you can re-wire the faulty pattern and rebuild natural movement.

The Real Enemy of Your Low Back: Sitting and Flexion-Based Movement

Modern life has us sitting for hours and lifting incorrectly—putting tremendous stress on the lumbar spine. This flattens the natural curve and loads the discs, leading to pain, disc issues, or joint dysfunction.

Want to Know if Your Back Pain Is Joint-Related? Try These 3 Self-Tests:

1. Cat/Camel Test
   On all fours, arch and dip your back. Is one side stiffer than the other?
2. Palpation Check
   While seated, gently feel along your spine. Can you detect more tightness or tension on one side?
3. Kickback Test
   Stand and kick one leg back. Does one side feel tighter or harder to activate?

If any of these feel uneven or limited, you may have a joint imbalance.

Chiropractic Isn’t Just Pain Relief—It’s Performance Upgrade

From amateur athletes to everyday movers, many of our patients experience:

• Improved flexibility and range of motion
• Better posture and energy
• Relief from long-standing, unexplained pain
• A return to daily activities without fear of reinjury

Your body doesn’t have to stay in pain. With the right movement reset, it can rewire. Let’s find the missing links and restore balance from the inside out.

Ready to Move Better and Hurt Less?

At Mountain Movement Center, we use advanced chiropractic care, soft tissue therapy, and functional movement strategies to help you heal.

Book your first visit or explore our new patient specials to get started.

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